MANILA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines will test the world's first national rain measurement system in June using mobile phone equipment, media reports said on Thursday.

    The technology involves monitoring signals sent between mobile phone transmitters and cellphones during rainy days. Heavy rainfall weakens signals between transmitter and receiver which explains the difficulty of sending and receiving text messages during typhoons.

    "The beauty of it is that the lost transmission is directly related to the rain rate," Tangonan said. "The more rain you have the less text messages that you get."

    Conceptualized for the last three years, the locally-developed project will initially measure rainfall at the Port of Batangas, a province 110 kilometers south of Manila, allowing researchers to build what may well be a prospective "typhoon warning system," Philippine TV network GMA News reported.

    The system "is very relevant to our understanding of how our society can predict the effects of major typhoons," said Gregory Ligot Tangonan, the project's head.

    According to Tangonan, the project will allow researchers to determine rain patterns, including other data which may help the Philippines prepare for floods. Once implemented nationwide, the project could also help policymakers in identifying areas prone tofloods.

    Tangonan added that Filipinos should be experts in this field, especially since the country is visited by 19 typhoons every year.