DoST seeks more Doppler radars for weather monitoring

THE DEPARTMENT of Science and Technology (DoST) on Wednesday said that it is looking to procure more Doppler radar systems, enabling better monitoring during storms or weather disturbances.

“Initially, we discussed 20 or 21 (Doppler radar systems), we are nearing that ideal number, some of those for redundancy purposes,” Science and Technology Secretary Renato J. Solidum, Jr. told a budget hearing on Wednesday.

Under the 2026 National Expenditure Plan, the DoST was allocated P450 million to procure new Doppler radar systems or repair existing ones.

Mr. Solidum added that the proposed budget would be used to replace obsolete or repair dilapidated monitoring systems.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Administrator Nathaniel T. Servando said that the agency is expecting to complete two more radar systems by the end of next year.

“The four that are funded this year, will hopefully be operational by 2027,” Mr. Servando told senators.

He added that the country currently has 11 active Doppler radar systems, as some of them are currently in repair or are obsolete.

Meanwhile, the DoST and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) expressed support for a measure promoting the use of blockchain technology in the national budget. “Of course, we support that. It’s one of the anti-corruption initiatives we want to pursue,” DICT Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda told reporters in Filipino during the Global Innovation Index press conference on Tuesday.

Mr. Aguda was referring to Senate Bill No. 1330, filed by Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV in early September, as well as House Bill No. 4489, filed by Rep. Brian Poe Llamanzares, both of which seek to institutionalize blockchain technology in the national budget process.

“Blockchain is a very good solution so that everything in the NEP (National Expenditure Program) and in the budget can be placed in an immutable chain,” he said.

Mr. Solidum said the measure will allow government transactions to be more transparent and secure.   

“It will be very good for logistics and any reporting systems… and DoST can actually conduct research on the possible use cases of blockchain,” Mr. Solidum told reporters during the press conference.

If Senate Bill No. 1330 is enacted into law, the DICT, in coordination with the Department of Budget and Management and the Commission on Audit, will establish a blockchain-based budget system where all records of the national budget are stored as digital public assets.

The DICT secretary said they are prepared to provide technical assistance and manage the required infrastructure upon the conclusion of the bill’s deliberations in both chambers of Congress. — Adrian H. Halili and Edg Adrian A. Eva