PAGASA: warm air temporary

The relatively warmer air temperature felt the past few days in Luzon is only temporary, meteorologists of the state-run Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Sunday.

Arnel Gonzales, PAGASA main office weather forecaster said the relatively warm temperature felt the past few days in Luzon is caused by the “less cloudiness” over the island lately. “Less clouds, less obstruction to the heat of the sun. Pero sa gabi naman kapag lumubog na ang araw medyo malamig pa rin,” Gonzales said.

This as Baguio, on Sunday registered a 16 degrees Celsius minimum air temperature which is comparatively warmer than the 11-12 degrees Celsius minimum air temperature recorded in the “summer capital of the Philippines” last week.

On Saturday, the city nestled some 1,500 meters above sea level recorded a 15 degrees Celsius minimum temperature.

The minimum air temperature readings were taken between 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.

Metro Manila also had a somewhat warmer weather over the weekend as PAGASA recorded 22 and 23 degrees Celsius minimum air temperature on Saturday and Sunday respectively registered at the PAGASA Science Garden in Quezon City. (JC Bello Ruiz)

Stop spary ban — Groups

The Trade Unions Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) and Associated Labor Unions (ALU) are backing a workers march to Malacañang Tuesday, to press President Arroyo to stop the ban on the aerial spraying of fungicides in banana plantations.

Last Friday, 250 agrarian reform farmers who have invested in banana plantations also marched to the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Quezon City to demand that Secretary Arthur C. Yap resist pressure for him to follow Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in banning the aerial spraying of the fungicides mancozeb and chlorothalonil.

Purportedly, Palace officials have been urging Yap to sign an executive order to effect a ban on aerial spraying, with Catholic bishops and a non-government organization (NGO) identified with Dutch Catholic chairites pressuring Malacanang and supporting a camp-in of anti-spray advocates camped in at the DA.

The Dutch Embassy, which is funding the Defend the Human Rights Defenders Program, also sent a top official to address a recent forum in which cases of alleged harassment of anti-spray advocates were presented.

Both TUCP and ALU have been supporting their workers in Davao who have marched to the DA regional office in Davao to protest the ban imposed by the Department of Health (DoH) in spite of the absence of conclusive scientific and medical proof that the fungicide causes ailments among residents in communities adjacent to large banana plantations. (Marvyn Benaning)