BY NESTOR CUARTERO
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JUST A THOUGHT: “If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.” – Beyonce
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MAN, WOMAN: Now that the typhoon season is here, it may be a good idea to start renaming typhoons.
Typhoons used to be named after women only, in the belief that the female is the weaker sex. Things have changed in recent years when names of men have been adopted as well.
Male or female, several typhoons have proven to be equally strong and destructive to life and property.
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NAMING TYPHOONS: PAGASA keeps a directory of 140 typhoon names on standby. The list is divided into four sets of 25 names, each from A to Z.
There are both male and female names on them.
These are intended for an average of 20 typhoons visiting the Philippines every year.
These typhoon names are recycled every four years.
They are listed down in alphabetical order to determine the number of typhoons that have entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) every year.
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BEAUTY KAYA: For a change, how about using names associated with either softness or beauty in naming typhoons? I asked some of my students once upon a time to suggest possible names of typhoons that they’d welcome.
Hope they can be considered next by PAGASA in the hope that they will bring lesser winds and less destruction to our shores.
Here are some of them: Alitaptap, Amor, Buga, Budoy, Dikya, Extranghero, Facundo, Gadang, Hupa, Ihip, Jeje, Kiti-kiti, Kring-Kring, Kiray, Kiliti, Lakambini, Lagalag, Mahinhin, Malumanay, Mayumi, Malamya, Mariposa, Melai, Nognog, Okray, Pagong, Potpot, Piaya, Sutsot, Sugar, Tililing, Taratitat, Tabo, Ursula, Ugong, Yeyey, Facifica Falayfay, Maganda, Lakambini, Bathaluman, Beauty, Morena, Martir, Adagio, Dagyo, Baby, Barok, Cherie, Darling, Adarna, Guyito, Hilot, Kenkoy, Lunas, Rigadera, Diligera, Hamog, Sagana, Harmonica, Hose.
