Senator Win Gatchalian has raised alarm over the potential impact of budget cuts on jobs and the economy following the flood control controversy that has rocked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
As chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Gatchalian urged the Department of Labor and Employment to conduct an immediate employment risk assessment, warning that drastic reductions in infrastructure spending could trigger widespread job losses and weaken domestic consumption.
He said the committee is determined to protect the integrity of the 2026 national budget after the highly irregular 2025 budget exposed major lapses in project oversight. However, he cautioned that any steep cut in the DPWH’s allocation could stall vital projects and slow economic growth.
Government spending contributes roughly 15 percent to the nation’s annual economic growth, making infrastructure a key driver of employment and investment, Gatchalian noted.
He also urged labor officials to factor in external pressures, including the United States’ recent 19 percent tariff on Philippine goods and regional geopolitical tensions that could further strain the economy.
“The question now is, with these cuts, do we risk putting more Filipinos out of work?” Gatchalian said.
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Alibaba DAMO Academy, the research and development arm of Alibaba Group, recently announced the official launch of “Baguan” weather forecasting model.
Named after the Chinese concept of “observing from different perspectives,” Baguan harnesses cutting-edge AI to revolutionize weather prediction capabilities.
Baguan offers unprecedented accuracy in weather forecasts, ranging from one hour to ten days ahead. The machine-learning model stands out with its high spatial resolution, delivering detailed meteorological predictions down to a 1 x 1 kilometer grid, updated hourly.
These capabilities make Baguan an essential tool for applications in climate science, electricity load forecast, renewable energy forecast and natural disaster prevention.
“Baguan represents a significant advancement in our dedication to harnessing technology for the greater good,” said Wotao Yin,Director of Decision Intelligence Lab at Alibaba DAMO Academy. “Its sophisticated technology not only helps elevate climate science but also benefits sustainable practices across diverse sectors such as renewable energy and agriculture.”
The technical backbone of Baguan is its innovative use of the Siamese Masked Autoencoders (SiamMAE) structure and a robust pre-training methodology. These innovations empower the model to uncover intricate patterns gleaned from complex dynamic atmospheric data.
Furthermore, through an autoregressive pre-training approach, Baguan is able to make precise predictions across various spatio-temporal scales, from one hour to 10 days in advance.
Baguan leverages ERA5, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) atmospheric reanalysis of the global weather from 1979 to present, to construct the foundational model for weather forecasting.
Baguan is further refined with key regional meteorological indicators such as regional temperature, irradiance, and wind speed. This meticulous global-regional modeling approach not only boosts Baguan’s forecasting accuracy down to regional level but also tailors its insights to specific local conditions.
“We have years of research experience in mathematical modeling, time-series forecasting, and explainable AI, which helps us in building a high-precision regional weather forecast model,” said Yin. “We will continue to enhance performance for key weather indicators such as cloud cover, extreme wind speed and precipitation, develop new technology for different climate scenario analysis, and support more applications such as civil aviation meteorological warnings, agricultural production, and sporting events preparations.”
With the surging global demand for renewable energy, Baguan’s precise weather predictions have become vitally important. The model significantly enhances the reliability of renewable energy forecasts, facilitating more stable power management and supporting the expansion of green energy consumption.
Baguan’s capability in weather forecasting has already been used in the power and energy sectors in China, supporting critical applications such as electricity load forecasting and renewable energy forecasting.
The Governments of France and Morocco, together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), launched the Buildings Breakthrough today at COP28, which will see countries joining forces to accelerate the transformation of the sector – which accounts for 21 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions – with a view to making near-zero emissions and climate resilient buildings the new normal by 2030. Twenty-seven countries have so far pledged their commitment to the Buildings Breakthrough.
The Buildings Breakthrough is part of the Breakthrough Agenda, which provides a framework for countries, businesses and civil society to join up and strengthen their actions every year in key emitting sectors, through a coalition of leading public, private and public-private global initiatives. It is co-led by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion of France and the Ministry of National Territory Planning, Land Planning, Housing, and City Policy of the Kingdom of Morocco, and coordinated under the auspices of the UNEP-hosted Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC).
The new initiative aims to strengthen international collaboration to decarbonize the building sector and make clean technologies and sustainable solutions the most affordable, accessible and attractive option in all regions by 2030.
Under the Buildings Breakthrough, the UNEP/GlobalABC secretariat, the International Energy Agency and the International Renewable Energy Agency, together with the High-level Climate Champions, will undertake an annual assessment of global progress in the sector, closely aligned with the UNEP/GlobalABC annual Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction.
“The buildings sector is pivotal for future investments due to its cultural, economic, environmental, and social impact,” said Christophe Béchu, Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion of France. “Partnering with the Kingdom of Morocco and 25 other nations, we call for more countries to join the Buildings Breakthrough, and call governments and all stakeholders to join us in Paris for the Buildings and Climate Global Forum in 2024 to collectively work towards near-zero emission and resilient buildings.”
The 27 countries which pledged their commitment to the Buildings Breakthrough are: Armenia, Austria, Canada, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Senegal, Sweden, Tunisia, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Zambia. Together, these nations represent around 34 per cent of the global population, account for about 51 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to approximately 64 per cent of global gross domestic product. In addition, the European Commission and 18 international initiatives have announced their support.
“Business, industry and city leaders are already taking action to unlock the climate solutions of the buildings sector,” said Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28. “We welcome this strong commitment from governments which will provide the enabling environment to accelerate the sector’s sustainable transformation for everyone, everywhere”
To maintain momentum for this initiative, the first-ever Buildings and Climate Global Forum will be held on 7-8 March 2024 in Paris, France. This forum will bring together construction ministers from around the world, as well as stakeholders across the buildings sector value chain, including local authorities, NGOs, and businesses.
“UNEP supports the Buildings Breakthrough and welcomes governments’ pledges to near-zero emission and resilient buildings,” said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division. “We look forward to uniting nations and all stakeholders at the Buildings and Climate Global Forum next year. We are motivated to see frontrunners across the life cycle of buildings and construction delivering on their ambition. Together, we can reshape our built environment, ensuring a greener and more resilient tomorrow to pave the way for net-zero.”
At COP28, UNEP and the signatory governments extended an open invitation to nations worldwide to join the Buildings Breakthrough and unite in this global effort towards near-zero emission and resilient buildings by 2030.
