Meet “Mr. Typhoon”
An Interview with Naga’s Prominent Meteorologist,
Mr. Mike Padua
by Jeonoah Kali A. Fornoles*
For
years, he has already been in the forefront of local Meteorology, particularly
on typhoons as he would be time and again be proven to be accurate in typhoon
prediction. But, more and more people considered him to be a real expert on
typhoons when, in 2004, he correctly predicted typhoon Unding’s return to Naga,
something which was unexpected and irregular. Because of his accurate forecast,
he was able to save many lives and properties as the people were able to
prepare for the calamity. For this, a thankful Naga and its Mayor presented him
with the 2005 Mayoral Award.
He
is the son of Mr. Francisco A. Padua, Jr., a Retired Architect and Insurance
Manager and Mrs. Emerita V. Padua, the Vice-President
for Finance of the Naga College Foundation. He has also 5 siblings - 3 brothers
and 2 sisters. He is none other than “Mr. Typhoon” - Mr. Mike Padua.
Mr.
Padua was born on
His
parents, as he considers them, are the best parents because of their support,
care and understanding. Unlike other parents who dictate what they want for
their children, his parents let him pursue his interests and let him do what he
loves. In his family, there is love and support for all.
Aside
from typhoons, he was also interested in music during his high school days when
he collected records during those days. He said that his mother told him that
as a boy, Mr. Padua would go out of the house whenever a typhoon hits the area.
“Typhoons are in my blood” he said. Ever since the day he was born, the
interests in typhoons were already there. “Its God’s gift” he added.
Due
to his unique interest, he sacrificed going out with friends and sometimes, concentrating
more on typhoons instead of school. He
read many 
books on typhoons, and when the internet era began,
he extended his knowledge through online research.
During
college, he was supposed to take BS Meteorology. But since this course is not
offered in the
Even
today, where he is already considered an expert in his field, he continues
developing his skills through attending conferences both here and abroad, scanning
the latest research and models and using the most advanced technologies. He
does not stick to textbooks because; they might not be applicable or valid nowadays.
He does plenty of research. “Education is not a four-year course. It is a
continuing study on the new knowledge that you get” he stated. Studying should
be continued in order to be able to attain new knowledge, and ultimately, save
lives.
Many
people think of him as a scientist, but he said, “Actually, I’m just an
ordinary employee here at the Naga College Foundation”. You could see that
despite his popularity, his small office is just like any other ordinary one -
except, of course, his two computers which are constantly tracking typhoons and
other weather phenomena.
He
gives information to the public in such a way that every single person,
especially the poor and less educated persons could easily understand his
explanations. This special skill helps make him very popular. A typhoon’s
wrath, affects poor persons more than others, so by using laymen’s terms, Mr.
Padua could make them easily understand the dangers and precautionary measures
to be done in order for them to help them prepare for one of nature’s worst
calamities.
He
believes in instincts and gut feelings. But, in order to have correct
instincts, you should have the proper knowledge. An example of this was way back
in 1987, when typhoon Sisang entered the Philippine area of
responsibility, he already had a bad feeling that this was going to be a bad
storm and that it was going to affect the country, particularly, the Bicol region. Sisang developed into a super typhoon. He was able to
correctly predict what was going to happen even though he was just a 3rd
His
service to Filipinos is greatly appreciated. During the typhoon Reming, his
service was again badly needed. He was the person, who monitored the storm’s
hourly position, for several days, which he recalled was a tiring task.
In
the future, Mr. Mike Padua would like to put up a center and foundation where
he would teach persons on typhoons in order to help the public take the right
measures when a storm hits the area. He also dreams of having a family of his
own.
When
asked “What should Filipinos do to become better scientists or to produce more
scientists”, he answered that it should start within our own families. The
support should be there and parents must allow their children to do what they
want and not to dictate what the child should be. The country must also improve
its education and offer more courses in other fields so that learning would be
much easier. The country’s economy should also be improved. Some good
scientists would rather choose to go abroad because of the bigger salary. In
Mr. Padua’s case, he said that he couldn’t leave the country because its people
really need help and the typhoons, which his work revolves around, are here.
“First of all, you must have the passion and
interest” he said. Since childhood, the passion and interest for storms were
there. And, today he has become one of the most famous meteorologists. But
despite his popularity, he remains to be humble, simple, unselfish and
friendly.
We
should all learn from him that we should follow our passion and interest
because that is what we really want to do, and, it is not just for our future
but for our country’s future.
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*Jeonoah Kali A. Fornoles is a 12-year old, 1st