Villar bill seeking heat monitoring system for PH

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Mark Villar wants a stronger heat index monitoring system in the country similar to the alert system used during other calamities.

Villar filed Resolution No. 590 urging the proper Senate committee to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation for the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administra- tion (PAGASA) to develop and strengthen the existing heat index monitoring in the Philippines.

The senator cited reports on several students who were taken to hospitals due to intense heat. He specifically cited an instance in Laguna where 120 students were rushed to hospitals after they collapsed during a fire drill in a school in Cabuyao. Villar also mentioned an incident in Taytay, Palawan, where 90 per-