Philippine Weather Bureau Gets It Right, But Not News Reader Who Wants Super Typhoon Ruby To Hit Japan

The Philippine Atmospheric and Geophysical Administration Service (PAGASA) turned out to have the better forecast than the US' Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) in predicting the path of Super Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit), which battered the Philippines on Saturday.

PAGASA said Ruby will move westward through Eastern Visayas and Southern Luzon, while the JTWC and other weather agencies said it would likely recurve northward and just pass Luzon then move to Japan.

Read: Typhoon Ruby Kills 4 People, Batters Philippines Anew

Explaining why PAGASA got it right, weather forecaster Chris Perez told InterAksiyon, "We also saw that scenario of the cyclone recurving and moving away instead of making landfall, but we also looked at the climatology and the historical data."

Perez said that they asked themselves what usually happens when the Philippines has the same weather system at this time of the year, going beyond meteorological data but also considering climatological data and historical data.

He added that PAGASA's being accountable to Filipinos for its weather. Jori Loiz, another PAGASA forecaster, added that if forecasters from other agencies make a mistake in their prediction, nothing bad will happen to them, while their necks are at stake if they err in their forecast.

Loiz admits that local forecasters are hurt that some Filipinos believe more in the forecast of foreign weather bureaus that PAGASA's.

Meanwhile, another type of storm is barreling towards a news reader of ABS-CBN, a Philippine broadcasting company, for wishing after the Saturday newscast that Ruby would hit Japan and spare the Philippines.

YouTube/Danny Luke

The video has become viral with more than 125,000 hits in one day.

Netizens chided Korina Sanchez, the news reader.

Raul J de Vera Jr wrote in the comments section of Chismobiz, an entertainment blog, "No one has the right to wish ill of anther ... no matter how better or worse the situation is." Chanz Caballero Pagayon, a self-confessed fans of Sanchez, said he was very disappointed with her comment and called it unprofessional. Val Pinlac added, "very irresponsible, unreflective, insensitive."

In Twitter, Loup called Sanchez's comments "unprofessional and embarrassing," while Jerry Manilag reminded the news reader, "Just because Japan is highly advance than Pinas, doesn't give you the right to give them misery."

KAGUYA, a Japanese, tweeted, "How Korina Sanchez even say that with all the help Japan gave to the Philippines, how ungrateful person she is."

Jeff Frias called her stupid and added that such comments explains why she is not credible as a news reader. Loven Pierre Opiana even compared her to Jessica Soho, a newscaster at rival station GMA, who Opiana said is "a better journalist."

Ironically, Sanchez was also in the eye of a similar social media storm in 2013 when she criticised on air the coverage of CNN veteran journalist Anderson Cooper.

YouTube/ishareyoushareweshare

The incident resulted in the alleged suspension of Sanchez.

YouTube/ishareyoushareweshare

Sanchez is married to Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who is said to harbour presidential ambitions for the 2016 election. His detractors are expected to cite Sanchez's negative public as a point against his candidacy.