Bislig is set to get its own automatic weather station, and it will stand on privately owned land in Barangay San Isidro.
At its 65th regular session on October 13, 2026, the Sangguniang Panlungsod adopted Resolution No. 2026-803. It authorizes Mayor Florencio C. Garay to "enter into and execute a Tripartite Usufruct Agreement" with landowner Mr. Michael Reonel C. Pacatang and the Department of Science and Technology Regional Office XIII (DOST-Caraga). The agreement covers "the establishment, installation, operation, maintenance, and management of an Automatic Weather Station (AWS) within a designated portion of the property located at Barangay San Isidro."
The resolution was sponsored by Councilors Victor B. Alvar Jr., Pedrito R. Sulapas and Romeo F. Cacayan, Liga ng mga Barangay President Eladio A. Galano, and Vice Mayor Conrad C. Cejoco.
What an automatic weather station does
An automatic weather station is a mast of sensors that records conditions such as rainfall, temperature, humidity, air pressure, and wind speed and direction without a person reading the instruments. The readings are sent electronically at regular intervals.
The resolution says DOST "has established a nationwide network of Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) to support climate-smart agriculture and enhance disaster resilience through the provision of timely and reliable weather information." It adds that the city wants to "participate in and benefit from" that initiative "to enhance local weather monitoring capabilities."
Why a three-way agreement
A usufruct is a legal arrangement that lets one party use and benefit from property that someone else owns, without ownership changing hands. In this case, the station will occupy only a designated portion of Mr. Pacatang's lot.
The resolution says the project "necessitate[s] a formal agreement" among the city, the landowner and DOST-Caraga "defining their respective rights, duties, responsibilities, and obligations." The posted resolution does not include the agreement itself, so details such as how long the usufruct will last, the exact size of the area, who pays for maintenance, and when installation will begin are not yet public.
Why it matters now
Local weather data has become a live issue in Bislig this year. PAGASA placed Surigao del Sur under dry conditions in October, and El Niño is expected to peak around the end of the year. At its October 6 session, the council asked the City Agriculture Office to study whether rainfed farms should go ahead with palay planting at all, one of several El Niño measures the city has taken up since July.
Decisions like that depend on knowing how much rain is actually falling in Bislig, not just in the wider region. A station inside the city would add a local reading point. The same data is useful in the opposite situation too, when heavy rain raises the risk of flooding.
The resolution does not say whether the station's readings will be publicly viewable. Bislig Today will report once DOST-Caraga or the city announces installation and how residents and farmers can access the data.
What happens next
With council authority in hand, the mayor can sign the agreement with Mr. Pacatang and DOST-Caraga. Installation, operation and upkeep of the station would then follow the terms set in that agreement.
Source: City of Bislig, Sangguniang Panlungsod Resolution No. 2026-803, adopted October 13, 2026, posted on bislig.gov.ph.