Representatives from Weathernews Inc. (WNI) visited the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (IESM), University of the Philippines Diliman, on 4 March 2026 for a meeting with IESM officials and faculty members. The delegation—Adonis Manzan, Hirokazu Koro, and Chihito Kusabiraki—visited in representation of the WNI WxBUNKA Foundation, an initiative that supports collaboration and knowledge exchange in weather and climate science. The visit marked their second engagement with the institute. They were received by IESM Director Dr. Cherry Ringor, Deputy Director for Research and Extension Dr. Mayzonee Ligaray, and meteorology faculty members Dr. Rafaela Jane Delfino, Dr. Bernard Alan Racoma, and Dr. Gerry Bagtasa at the IESM building.

The meeting included discussions on the first Satellite Observation Data Utilization Contest held in 2025, during which the WNI team sought feedback from IESM regarding the implementation of the inaugural round of the competition. The contest previously recognized Hans Bosshard of the UP Diliman Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute as the winner, under the mentorship of IESM faculty member Dr. Bernard Alan Racoma. WNI representatives also announced plans for the second iteration of the contest scheduled for 2026. From March to May 2026, the organizers are reaching out to universities that may be interested in participating, with the submission period for statements of intent to join expected to take place from June to July 2026. Additional details will be announced through the WNI WxBUNKA Foundation website.

The delegation also noted the successful conduct of the inaugural Weather and Climate Forecast Conference (WCFC) held in Tokyo, Japan in December 2025, where IESM was invited to participate and was represented by Dr. Gerry Bagtasa. Plans for the next conference are currently underway, with further details to be announced through the WNI website. Both parties also discussed potential future activities aimed at strengthening collaboration between WNI WxBUNKA initiatives and the IESM community.