WeatherPhilippines Supports Gov’t Efforts in Disaster Risk Management
(Back row, from left to right) Meteomedia SVP Mark Vornhusen, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. Chairman Jon Ramon Aboitiz, Switzerland Ambassador Ivo Sieber, Meteomedia International President Dr. Martin Kurer, WeatherPhilippines Foundation Independent Director Jun Factoran, Nickel Asia Corp. Chairman Manuel Zamora, Jr., AboitizPower President and CEO Erramon Aboitiz, AboitizPower EVP and Generation Group COO Antonio Moraza, WeatherPhilippines Foundation General Manager Celso Caballero III (Front row, from left to right) Nickel Asia President Gerard Brimo, Sumitomo Metals & Mining Phils. President Takanori Fujimura, ICTSI President and Chairman Enrique Razon, ICTSI Vice President Christian Gonzalez, AboitizPower Chairman Enrique Aboitiz, Jr., SM Investments Chairman Teresita Sy, SM Investments EVP and CFO Jose Sio, WeatherPhilippines Foundation President and Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. Chief Reputation Officer Susan Valdez, Senator Manuel Villar
The Aboitiz Group, through its partnership with Meteomedia of Switzerland, is working together with donors in the private sector to support the Philippine Government in its efforts to reduce weather-related disaster risks in the country.
Aboitiz and Meteomedia early this year established the WeatherPhilippines Foundation to operate a premiere weather forecasting system that will provide free weather information to reduce risks and calamities associated with adverse climate conditions in the country.
“Together with our partners, it is the vision of WeatherPhilippines Foundation to be the trusted and most reliable private weather information organization in the country. We believe that through this initiative, the private sector can be a good partner of government in the area of disaster risk management,” said Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. Chairman Jon Ramon Aboitiz.
Supporting WeatherPhilippines are several donors that have pledged to make the project sustainable. Platinum donors are SM Investments Corp., Nickel Asia Corp./Sumitomo Metals Mining Co. Ltd., International Container Terminal Services, Inc., Vista Land, and Life Scapes. Gold sponsors are Hedcor, Inc. SN Aboitiz Power, Visayan Electric Co., Ocean Adventure, Syngenta, Davao Light and Power Company, Quasha Law, and Cebu Pacific. These key donors recently held a signing ceremony with WeatherPhilippines at the Manila Polo Club to seal their commitment.
Union Bank of the Philippines Quasha Law Partner Alfredo Pio de
CSR Director Maria Goolsby, Sumitomo Metals Roda and Switzerland Ambassador Ivo Sieber
& Mining Phils. President Takanori Fujimura,
ICTSI President and Chairman Enrique Razon,
and Meteomedia SVP Mark Vornhusen
(Back row, from left to right) Aboitiz Equity Ventures, SGS Managing Director and CEO Rosario Cajucom
Inc. FVP-Business Development Roman Azanza III, Bradbury, SM Investments EVP and CFO Jose Sio,
Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. Chairman Jon Ramon Aboitiz, WeatherPhilippines Foundation President and
WeatherPhilippines Foundation General Manager Celso Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. Chief Reputation
Caballero III, (Front row, from left to right) Subic Officer Susan Valdez, Meteomedia SVP Mark
Bay Marine Exploratorium, Inc. CFO Armando Ma. Velasquez, Vornhusen, Cebu Pacific Chief Operations
Union Bank of the Philippines CSR Director Maria Goolsby Adviser Mark Breen, Cebu Pacific Director of
Operations Control Benny Cosep
Aboitiz subsidiaries AboitizPower Corporation and Union Bank of the Philippines will fund WeatherPhilippines to set up some 1,000 weather instruments and devices all across the country in its first two years of operations. Meteomedia, for its part, will provide the necessary technology to operate the system and to generate timely, accurate and localized weather forecasts.
Meteomedia is a leading weather services organization with headquarters in Switzerland that operates a dense network of automated weather stations and processes the data of more than 17,000 stations worldwide using the best technology available. Meteomedia’s commitment to the WeatherPhilippines’ initiative will ensure continued quality improvement and reliability in the weather forecasting system.
The ultimate goal of WeatherPhilippines is to complement the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards).
Senator Manuel Villar, SM Investments Chairman Teresita Sy, and AboitizPower Chairman Enrique Aboitiz, Jr.
Meteomedia International President Dr. Martin Kurer Nickel Asia President Gerard Brimo, Aboitiz
Equity Ventures, Inc. Chairman Jon Ramon
Aboitiz, Nickel Asia Corp. Chairman Manuel
Zamora, Jr., ICTSI President and Chairman
Enrique Razon, Senator Manuel Villar
Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc.Chairman Jon Ramon Aboitiz
“Through the DOST, which is at the forefront of weather technology in the country today, we seek to collaborate to improve weather forecasting, rationalize resources for wider coverage of weather stations and related devices, and develop local weather equipment and technology with PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration); Project NOAH; and the Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), respectively,” Aboitiz said.
The League of Provinces of the Philippines has also been tapped to ensure the coverage of 80 provinces, assigning automated weather stations in each of the provincial capitols. The League of Cities of the Philippines, meanwhile, has committed to help provide all 130 cities nationwide with weather stations in city halls. Meteomedia experts trained the personnel handling the system.
Dr. Martin Kurer, president of Meteomedia International, said: “The generous support of the private sector and the proactive partnership and programs undertaken by the government is overwhelming. Meteomedia, through its local subsidiary Meteomedia Philippines, will continue to provide its expertise and collaborate with all involved parties to further elevate the status disaster risk preparedness and management in the country.”
“These valued partnerships are the reason for our swift and steady deployment of weather stations that will allow us to forecast localized weather more accurately,” Aboitiz added.
WeatherPhilippines also operates a portal, weather.com.ph, powered by Meteomedia that features a wealth of weather information and movies, webcams as well as weather TV. It also offers a promotional platform for the Philippine tourism industry.
