Air Force willing to lend air assets for cloud seeding activities

In 2016, the Cebu Provincial government also declared a state of calamity due to effects of the El Niño in the province’s crops and water supply that year. This year, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office is recommending to Gov. Hilario Davide III to declare a state of calamity. For the Air Force, they said they were ready to provide aircraft for cloud seeding activities if needed. |CDN file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — While the effects of the weak El Niño have started to be felt in Cebu, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the province has expressed willingness to lend aircraft if local disaster management offices will need to conduct cloud seeding.

Cloud seeding is a technique used to introduce chemical substances, including ordinary table salt, as condensation agents in clouds in attempts to induce rain.

“As I’ve mentioned earlier during the (interagency) meeting, I said you can request the Air Force yung kanilang flying assets kung you have intention to do some sort of cloud seeding. May available naman diyan depende sa requirements ng PDRRMO (Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office),” said Colonel Noel Baluyan, Task Force Cebu chief.

(As I’ve mentioned earlier during the (interagency meeting), I said you can request the Air Force for their flying assets if you have the intention to do some sort of cloud seeding. We have available aircraft that can be used depending on the requirements of the PDRRMO (Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.)

Read more: With El Niño here, PDRRMO urges Gov. Davide to place province under state of calamity

“Kapag wala namang mission, they can always request through Centcom (AFP Central Visayas Command) and Centcom can direct the Air Force to provide the necessary [aircraft],” Baluyan said.

(If we don’t have any mission, they can always course their request through Centcom (AFP Central Visayas Command) and Centcom can direct the Air Force to provide the necessary [aircraft].)

PDRRMO Chief Baltazar Tribunalo, in an interview after the meeting of the PDRRM Council on Tuesday, March 19, said they already recommended to Governor Hilario Davide III that the province be placed under a state of calamity.

Tribunalo said that if the province would be placed under the state of calamity, it would be easier to procure items needed in mitigating the effects of the weak El Niño, including disbursement of cash for work or food for work programs for those whose livelihood would be affected by the dry spell.

Read more: With El Niño’s effects starting to be felt, state of preparedness in Cebu pushed

The PDRRMC earlier approved a resolution placing the province under “state of preparedness” following observed low water levels in different areas, which affected the livelihood of farmers, fisherfolks and the daily routines of consumers.

But Tribunalo said placing the province under a state of preparedness might not be enough to make timely responses to those that would be affected by the dry spell.

“You can’t fast-track the [delivery] of your services if [state of] preparedness lang but if state of calamity,, there is no more [need to] bid,” Tribunalo said.

“If there is a strong ground to declare such [state of calamity], then so much better so affected communities can be served quickly using the quick response fund [of PDRRMO],” he said.

PDRRMO has a total disaster fund budget of P198 million for 2019. Of this, 30 percent or P59 million is allocated for the quick response fund./dbs