Annually, March signals the celebration of National Women’s Month. On this special time of the year, the country commends the achievement of women in various fields.

Even PAGASA’s forecasting team is blessed with hardworking women, who ensure the delivery of timely and accurate weather forecasts—something that may spell the difference between life and death in this country.

Let’s get to know these amazing women.

** GLAIZA ESCULLAR ** 

 

Escullar’s journey to PAGASA began in the afternoon of May 2007, when she heard a radio interview that talked about the weather bureau.

The guest that afternoon was Nathaniel “Mang Tani” Cruz who had been part of PAGASA from 1982 until he retired in 2010. He became one of the few international meteorologists in Australia, but chose to go back in the country in 2011. Currently, he is the resident meteorologist of GMA network.

“Right after my birthday, I heard Mang Tani over a radio program where Miss Karen (radio anchor) asked him to explain the process of applying in the weather bureau. Mang Tani then mentioned the MTC (Meteorologist Training Course) training.”

Escullar added that she has just left her work at a Business Process Outsourcing company when the event happened. But the application itself became a test of her patience. “When I arrived at PAGASA, I was told that the application was already closed. I told them about Mang Tani’s interview over the radio and they eventually accepted my application.”

Instead of undergoing a training program, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) sent her and some 29 colleagues to the Ateneo Graduate School.

Three years later, she was offered a position in the weather bureau.
The 30-year-old Electronics and Communications Engineering graduate of the Polytechnic of the University (PUP) Taguig shares that she feels fulfilled whenever she receives calls from the public, expressing gratitude to PAGASA.

Advantage of being a woman working at PAGASA
People in the workplace are more considerate with women but of course, you don’t take advantage of that.

Disadvantage of being a woman working at PAGASA
Women have more health risks. Also, radio shows prefer male forecasters. They still feel uncomfortable to get female weather forecasters on board.

How do you plan to celebrate Women’s Month?
Actually, we didn’t know that it was Women’s Month, but we are going to Calaguas Island.

Are men and women equal?
They cannot be equal. There are always physical differences, but men and women match in intellect.

What is the essence of being a woman?
As a woman, you should highlight your strengths and not your weaknesses.

* * GLADYS SALUDES *  *

Saludes never dreamt of becoming a weather forecaster, but fate always has its way.
Right after graduating with a degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) in 2006, Saludes ventured into her own Internet café business.

Later on, a relative told her about the Meteorologist Training Course. She applied for it, and was sent to the Ateneo Graduate School by DOST. Eventually, she was offered a slot in the weather bureau.
Saludes humbly shared that she, along with Escullar, pioneered the presence of PAGASA in social media in 2010. As of this posting, PAGASA’s Twitter and Facebook accounts have 1.5 million and 3.63 million followers respectively.

Advantage of being a woman working at PAGASA

Actually, my co-workers, along with the media were delighted when they found out that there were already female forecasters in PAGASA!

Disadvantage of being a woman working at PAGASA
When menstrual cramps strike, I have to ask my colleagues to take over. Sometimes, I can’t come to work because of dysmenorrhea.

How do you plan to celebrate Women’s Month?
I’ll celebrate summer since it’s March already. I also plan to be fitter.
Are men and women equal?
Probably, there are still some who believe that women cannot do physical work.
What is the essence of being a woman?
All women grow old. Some stay single and will never get the chance to bear children. But for me, the essence of becoming a woman is the ability to influence a person to fear God.

* * SHELLY JO IGNACIO * *

 

Being part of the weather bureau is a career shift for this 24-year-old lady.
She graduated with a degree in Education majoring in Mathematics at the Bulacan State University, but she never thought of working PAGASA.

In 2012, one of her student’s mothers, who happened to be working at PAGASA, offered her to try the Hydrologists Training Course, and the rest, as they say is HERstory.

Disadvantage of being a woman working at PAGASA
It’s a challenge to take public transportation for long distances. Men have no problem with this; they can squeeze themselves into crowded buses.

How do you plan to celebrate Women’s Month?
I will perform better in my work. As you can see, there are only a few women in this field.

Are men and women equal?
Though one can’t deny that there’s still discrimination, I believe that the standards are now equal. In fact, there are already female welders and drivers. Also, women are more trusted to do office work, as they are more meticulous.

What is the essence of being a woman?
I always believe that behind every successful person—no matter the gender— is a woman.

* * LORIEDIN DE LA CRUZ * *

At 22, de la Cruz is the youngest female weather forecaster in PAGASA.

She spent the first two years of studying Bachelor of Science in Meteorology in Bicol University, but later on transferred to DOST-PAGASA to spend the remaining years of her course.

De la Cruz then got the much-needed exposure to PAGASA, and while working as a financial advisor in an insurance company, she was initially hired by PAGASA as a weather observer.

Advantage of being a woman working in PAGASA
People are more considerate to women. They consider your safety when they plot out office schedules. They understand that you can’t be overworked.

Disadvantage of being a woman working at PAGASA
As a single woman, I cannot see any disadvantage. I think this would apply more to working moms, since they have to care for their kids–not to mention the hazard and stress.

How do you plan celebrate Women’s Month?
By the end of the month, on Holy Week, I plan to go to Baguio for two days.

Are men and women equal?
Yes. I have not experienced any form of discrimination from school and in the workplace.

What is the essence of being a woman?
I always hear that the essence of being a woman is bearing a child. But what about those who are called to singlehood? For me, it depends on your situation and God’s will.
______________

This year’s theme for the International Women’s Day is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality,” while the Philippines celebrates Women’s Month with the battle cry “Kapakanan ni Juana, Isama sa Agenda.”

Needless to say, these two phrases encapsulate the desire to achieve parity between genders in the society.

So whether you are a student who wakes up daily with a sumptuous breakfast prepared by your mom, or a husband who gets encouragement from your wife, now is the time to appreciate the influence of your mother, daughter, wife, auntie or grandmother in your life! Give them a hug or tell them how grateful you are for having them.

Happy Women’s Day to our female forecasters in PAGASA and to all the women in the world!

Interviewees’ answers were translated from Filipino to English.

Every March, Women’s Month is celebrated worldwide. This observance is rooted in the different activities of women in the early 20th century, where women’s rights and other social concerns were raised. These include low wages, lack of protection and the unjust working conditions of women workers during that time.

Looking back at the time before the mid-19th Century, education for women was limited as they were taught to mostly focus in religion, singing, dancing and other skills and knowledge that would prepare them in their traditional roles of being wives and mothers.

Back then, teaching was the only acceptable occupation for women. There was a wide gender gap in most professions, especially the male-dominated fields of science, including meteorology.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), more women officially began entering the world of weather forecasting in 1942 because men were needed in the war. When Pearl Harbor was bombed, only two women were working in the observation and forecast staff of the Weather Bureau in the United States.

In 1942, the Weather Bureau issued the following announcement:

OPPORTUNITY FOR WOMEN IN METEOROLOGICAL WORK

“Although there has been much prejudice against and few precedents for employing women generally for professional work in meteorology, perhaps a dozen women have obtained meteorological positions in the last few years, mostly outside the government service. However, since there is at present an acute shortage of both trained meteorologists and men for observers and clerical positions in the Weather Bureau and other government agencies, airlines, etc., women with the proper qualifications (same as for men) are now being welcomed in many places where they were not encouraged even last year. (In England women have already taken over many meteorological posts, we hear.) Therefore, women with training or experience in meteorology or its branches should apply immediately for any of the current or forthcoming U.S. Civil Service examinations in meteorology which are open to them… This will be an opportunity to join the vanguard of the many women who will very likely find careers in meteorology in the not too distant future and at the same time it will be a patriotic choice in case the war should require many women to replace or supplement men as meteorologists.”

Over 900 women became part of the Weather Bureau, mostly in clerical positions or as junior observers. Many of them worked as temporary employees but were changed to permanent status later on.

Here are some of the women in history who excelled in conventionally male disciplines like science and mathematics, leading them to leave their mark in the field of meteorology:

Sarah Frances Whiting (1847-1927, American)

Whiting did not have the chance to obtain formal education but her father, Joel Whiting, tutored her in mathematics and physics. As the first woman to join the New England Meteorological Society, she assembled a meteorological station where she imparted her knowledge by teaching. Her students gathered data for the U.S.Weather Bureau.

She was also known for establishing the first physics laboratory for women and the astronomical observatory in Wellesly. Whiting set up the second undergraduate physics laboratory, and was able to produce the first X-ray photographs in the United States.

Famous for using the spectroscope, a wiring diagram for an apparatus utilized in generating electric sparks, Whiting also wrote several astronomical articles and was able to publish a book entitled “Daytime and Evening Exercises in Astronomy.”

Eleanor Anne Ormerod (1828-1901, English)

Provided by her mother with a general education, Ormerod learned to speak and write in various languages including English, French, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Norwegian. She was known for her illustrations that complemented her published works.

Ormerod was awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society for her study of insects, determing which were beneficial for gardeners and which were pests.

She became interested in meteorology when she moved to Torquay with his brother, George Wareing Ormerod, who took meteorological observations and became a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society in 1874. Because of him, Ormerod’s curiosity about the weather and its relationship to insects grew.

Ormerod later on became the first woman Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society. She built her own meteorological station at Isleworth, published manuscripts and assembled decades of observations from other weather stations.

Caterina Scarpellini (1808-1873, Italian)

Scarpellini was the founder of the Meteorological Ozonometric Station in Rome. As a meteorologist in Rome, she preserved records of the weather and ozone conditions, and was able to publish different manuscripts about ozone and coastal squalls.

Eleanor Stabler Brooks (1892-1986, American)

Wife of a founder of the American Meteorological Society, Charles S. Brooks, Eleanor Brooks was also a known meteorologist herself. She worked at the Blue Hill Observatory and became an indexer for the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society for ten years.

The Brooks couple helped each other in producing a daily weather article for newspapers entitled “Why the Weather?” and was later on published as a book.

Joanne Simpson (1923-2010, American)

Because of her fascination with clouds as she sailed in her small catboat, Simpson became interested in the weather. After her Master’s Degree, she moved on to a Ph.D. program. That time she was told by a faculty member that no woman ever got a Ph.D.in meteorology and if anyone did, she would still end up unemployed.

Instead of losing hope, Simpson completed a course under Herbert Riehl, known as the “father of tropical meteorology”. She focused on tropical cumulous clouds and with her strong perseverance, was able to make Riehl her Ph.D. advisor.

She filmed clouds on long flights and drew maps of cloud formations. Simpson was the first meteorologist to reveal patterns that are now shown by satellites that helped describe the role of clouds in global atmospheric circulation. Simpson pursued her studies and observations, leading her to become the first woman to hold a Ph.D.in meteorology.

Mentioned above are just some of the women who excelled in the history of meteorology. This only proves that women have contributed a remarkable impact in the field of science. What we have today and how we track the atmosphere are fruits of their exceptional ideas, ideas that will come a long way and will lead to future innovations.

Sources:

http://passporttoknowledge.com/storm/who/bios/women1.htm
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Simpson/simpson2.php
http://www.history.noaa.gov/stories_tales/women6.html
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=nFt6csjzc48C&pg=PA462&lpg=PA462&dq=Sarah+Frances+Whiting+meteorology&source=bl&ots=GyEPnoaBK6&sig=eBpKk3U2SXiFzKkZ6lH3Lp3caJw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=SZn-VMC-MtH48QW8s4GwAw&ved=0CEwQ6AEwDA#v=onepage&q=Sarah%20Frances%20Whiting%20meteorology&f=false