By U.S. News Agency / Asian

The Philippine Atmospheric Geo-physical Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA) admitted its difficulty in translating into layman’s terms some of the technical jargons in weather forecasting but is doing something to make these terms easily understood by the end-users.

But Venus Valdemoro, officer-in-charge of PAGASA’s Public Information Unit, said their agency has tapped the help of the National Language Commission to translate some of the terminologies into terms that are easily understood by the public.

This happened during a one-day seminar sponsored by PAGASA for media men in Pangasinan on Wednesday, organized by the Philippine Information Agency, in cooperation with the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters sa Pilipinas and the Pangasinan Press Club.

The seminar was co-sponsored by the National Power Corporation (NPC) and the San Roque Power Corporation.

Translating the jargons into Filipino is not easy, admitted Ninio Relos, senior weather specialist, who said they even find difficulty figuring out the translation of the name of their office in the national language.

He cited the term inter-tropical converging zone, and even cold front as something that needs the help of experts so that they can be accurately translated in Filipino.

But nevertheless, the seminar was successful as media men were able to establish a good working relationship with PAGASA so their announcements the next time a tropical cyclone comes would be transmitted immediately to the former.

Relos said there are three classifications of tropical cyclone. These are tropical depression, which is wind of up to 64 kilometers per hour; tropical storm, wind of from 64 to 117 KPH; and typhoon, win greater than 117 KPH.

Relos said the Philippines does not use the term hurricane which is similar to the term typhoon, adding that ” hurricane” is strictly American.

At the same time, tagged Typhoon Pepeng that hit Northern Luzon in October 2009 as the most disastrous typhoon in 20 years in terms of damages, placed at P 27.20 billion worth.

Typhoon Pepeng was the only typhoon yet felt in the Philippines that staged a comeback four times through a meteorological factor called Fijuwara effect that brought much rains in Northern Luzon, causing flood in many areas of Pangasinan, including Dagupan City.

He said precipitation in the Philippines is being classified by PAGASA into isolated rain showers, scattered rains and widespread rains which are those occurring extensively throughout the area.

Relos said PAGASA has names of typhoons up to 2012 from A to Z , which were listed since 2001 and grouped in cycles of three years , which means that one name can be used at least three times in certain years.

Other speakers were Virgilio Garcia of NPC and Hilario Esperanza, OIC of the Agno River Basin Flood Forecasting and Warning Center.