Cloud seeding tomorrow

The 42 hours contract of Cloud Seeding Operations (CSOs) in the province of Bohol will be started tomorrow to ensure that the 86,931 hectares (has.) of rice lands would be planted with this wet cropping season.
This was stated by Junne Abuejela from Pegasus Air Services, Inc.based in Plaridel, Bulacan, the winning bidder of the P2.3M worth of CSOs allocated by the Provincial Government of Bohol.
Abuejela said that all systems go for the CSOs after the 700 sacks of vacuum dried salt are available and the aircraft being used in the operations will arrive today at the Bohol Panglao International Airport from Mactan International Airport, Cebu City.
He said the salts are being stocked within the vicinity at the airport near the parking areas reserved for the vans or vehicles while the gas has been stocked in a certain area in Tawala, Panglao because the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) doesn’t allow it to be stocked within the vicinity at the airport.
Abuejela said the conduct of CSOs is timely because of the presence of seedable cloud that can produce artificial rain.
The PGBH has to push through the operations to ensure that the Boholano farmers can plant rice to their tilled irrigated and rainfed rice lands.
Leon Parac, Jr., CSO focal person said the rain water from isolated light to moderate rainfalls are insufficient to be used for land preparation especially to the rainfed rice paddies.
Parac bared the personnel from Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) and Philippine Air Force (PAF) are waiting the go signal from the winning contractor when to conduct the operations.
He clarified that the Pegasus Air Services, Inc. could not start to operate without the presence of the BSWM & PAF personnel, and the personnel from Provincial General Services who will inspect the materials and aircraft.
He said that aside from the P2.3M budget from the PGBh, the BSWM through the Department of agriculture Regional Field Office (DA-RFO) 7 has also allocated the amount of P2.5M for CSOs and is ready for implementation. (Atoy Cosap)