Tag-ulan na, Ate Reg!
Regine Velasquez-Alcasid shared a quip on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday, writing, “Tagulan na ba?? Kasi kailangan na akong maghanda sa mga murang matatanggap ko thisyeer 😂” [sic]. Translated to English, this humorous remark means “Has the rainy season already begun? Because I need to prepare for the curses I'll be receiving this year.”
Her post references her iconic song “Tuwing Umuulan,” with lyrics like “Buhos na ulan, aking mundo'y lunuring tuluyan” (Pouring rain, drown my world completely) and “Minsan pa ulan, bumuhos ka, huwag nang tumigil pa” (Rain, pour down relentlessly, never halt), which have inspired amusing rainy-season memes.
In a press release, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) officially declared the onset of the rainy season in the Philippines on Wednesday.
Signed by Pagasa administrator Nathaniel Servando, the statement reads (unedited):
The occurrence of scattered rainshowers, frequent thunderstorms, the passage of Typhoon “Aghon”, and the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) over the past few days have brought significant rains over the western sections of Luzon and Visayas signifies the start of the rainy season in the country. Moreover, the high chance of La Niña conditions to develop by the July-August-September period increases the likelihood of above-normal rainfall conditions in some areas of the country, especially towards the end of the year.
On the other hand, there may be breaks in rainfall that extend over a few days or weeks, also referred to as monsoon breaks.
PAGASA will continue to monitor the weather and climate situation of the country. The public and all concerned agencies are advised to take precautionary measures against the adverse impacts of the rainy season, Habagat, and the impending La Niña such as floods and rain-induced landslides.