PAGASA, one of the attached agencies of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) under its Scientific and Technical Services Institutes, is mandated to “provide protection against natural calamities and utilize scientific knowledge as an effective instrument to insure the safety, well being and economic security of all the people, and for the promotion of national progress.” (Section 2, Statement of Policy, Presidential Decree No. 78; December 1972 as amended by Presidential Decree No. 1149; August 1977)