Officials say the new season would simply formalize what everyone already experiences every year
The national weather bureau floated a proposal this week to formally recognize a sixth season on the Philippine calendar, tentatively named Extreme Humidity Appreciation Month, which officials describe not as a new weather phenomenon but simply as an honest acknowledgment of conditions that, in their words, the entire country already experiences annually without any formal recognition at all.
A Season That Technically Already Exists
According to the proposal, the new season would span a roughly six week period during the transition between the dry and wet seasons, a stretch of weather the bureau’s own internal data shows consistently produces some of the highest heat index readings of the year, driven less by raw temperature than by humidity levels that regularly push the perceived heat well beyond what the thermometer alone suggests. A bureau spokesperson explained that while this period has always existed meteorologically, it has never received the kind of formal seasonal branding enjoyed by the more conventionally named wet and dry seasons.
Every single year, without fail, we get the same public reaction, the spokesperson said at a press briefing held, appropriately, on an unusually sticky afternoon. People act surprised that it is this humid, as though it has not happened at the exact same time every single year of their lives. We thought, why not just name it. Give it a season. Let people plan their outfits and their patience accordingly.
Public Reaction Is Mostly Amused Recognition
The proposal quickly circulated on social media, where reaction ranged from genuine support to gentle mockery, with several residents noting that whatever the bureau chooses to call it, they had already been living through Extreme Humidity Appreciation Month informally for their entire lives, typically marked by frequent complaints about sticky commutes, aggressively humming electric fans, and a shared cultural understanding that ironing a shirt before leaving the house is, during this period, essentially a wasted effort.
One popular social media post joked that the new season should come with its own set of official symbols, proposing a national flower made entirely of sweat and a designated anthem consisting solely of the sound of an oscillating fan. Another commenter suggested the bureau simply rename the period Aircon Bill Season, arguing it would be more immediately understood by the general public than a formal meteorological term.
Meteorologists Defend the Scientific Basis
Despite the online jokes, bureau officials have emphasized that the proposal carries genuine scientific merit, noting that formally naming and tracking this transitional period could improve public health messaging around heat related illness, since heat index warnings during this stretch are frequently more severe, in practical terms, than during the officially designated peak of the dry season itself. A bureau meteorologist explained that humidity, rather than raw temperature, is often the more dangerous factor in heat related health risks, since the body’s ability to cool itself through sweat evaporation drops sharply as humidity rises.
Coverage of the proposal, circulating alongside broader weather reporting from outlets including the Philippine Star, noted that the bureau has previously introduced similarly targeted seasonal terminology for specific weather patterns, including formal naming conventions for the habagat and amihan wind patterns, suggesting the new proposal fits a longer standing institutional practice rather than representing an entirely novel approach.
What Happens Next
The bureau says it plans to gather public feedback over the coming weeks before deciding whether to formally adopt the new seasonal designation, with officials noting that any decision would ultimately depend less on public amusement and more on whether the terminology proves genuinely useful for public health communication going forward.
In the meantime, residents nationwide have already begun using the proposed name informally, with several offices reportedly posting handwritten signs near thermostats reading, simply, Happy Extreme Humidity Appreciation Month, alongside a small collection of increasingly creative desk fan arrangements.
Bohiney.com will continue tracking the proposal as it moves through what officials describe, somewhat appropriately, as a slow and sticky review process.
Businesses Weigh In With Enthusiasm
Several businesses have already begun preparing informal marketing tied to the proposed new season, with electric fan retailers and air conditioner installation companies expressing particular enthusiasm for a formally named period they say could help justify seasonal promotional campaigns that, until now, lacked an official calendar hook. One appliance retailer said he had already sketched out a rough advertising concept built entirely around the proposed name, joking that Extreme Humidity Appreciation Month practically writes its own sale slogans.
Public health officials, for their part, expressed cautious optimism that a formally named season could help standardize public messaging around heat related illness prevention, noting that consistent, memorable terminology tends to improve public compliance with health advisories more effectively than technical meteorological language most residents rarely encounter outside of this exact kind of news cycle.
The bureau says a final decision is expected before the next transitional period begins, with officials noting that regardless of the outcome, the underlying weather pattern will, as always, arrive precisely on schedule, official name or not.
A handful of local government units have already indicated informal support for the proposal, with two city halls reportedly expressing interest in coordinating public advisories under the new terminology should the bureau formally adopt it, a level of early buy in officials described as encouraging for a proposal that began, by their own admission, as something close to a joke.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com