A team from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is now negotiating with officials from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration for the upgrade of three aging weather radar systems of the weather bureau.

Based on discussions of PAGASA chief Prisco Nilo and Toshiyuki Iwama of the JICA Basic Design Study team, existing radar facilities will be replaced with state-of-the-art Doppler radar systems.

The Doppler systems will augment PAGASA's five working radars in Aparri, Cagayan; Baguio City, Benguet; Baler, Quezon; Virac, Catanduanes; and Guiuan,Eastern Samar. These facilities' are only capable to detect and monitor tropical cyclones forming in the Pacific Ocean.

Officials said that the facilities in Aparri, Virac and Guiuan were originally acquired from Japan. These are the ones being eyed for upgrading to Doppler system which will enable PAGASA to provide advisory on rainfall volume and wind velocity.

These are separate from the five Doppler radars that will be procured on funds provided by the Philippine government.

“We need something like 12 of these radars to fully cover our territory. Hopefully, we can achieve this by early 2010 or 2011,” Nilo said.