Phandil criticized the Meteorological Department for requesting a 492 million baht budget supported by only one document, while the House of Representatives voted to approve Article 16 of the Digital Ministry budget with 280 votes in favor, 141 against, and 53 abstentions.
On 8 Sep 2026 GMT+7 at the parliament, during the House of Representatives meeting, Phandil Nuamjerm, an MP from Bangkok representing the Prachachon Party, debated the Meteorological Department’s budget request of 492 million baht, noting they submitted only a single sheet of paper. However, the majority committee did not reject it. He received a four-page document anonymously, revealing that the Meteorological Department itself stated it conducted a Proof of Concept with the company Tomorrow.io over three months, from Dec 2025 to Feb 2026. Yet, the department’s news release claimed a results meeting was held on 5 Feb. The whistleblower’s document cited quotation number p.io 25124 dated 4 Dec 2025, before the full budget was prepared, amounting to 497.55 million baht, sent to the Meteorological Department Director-General. If this document is genuine, it means the package and price were established at the start of the Proof of Concept, even before its conclusion. Subsequently, the government set the budget at 492 million baht, just 1% less than the quoted price. This raises the question whether the price was independently surveyed or simply based on a service provider’s quotation. If the document is false, the department should present the original and receipt registry to refute it. If true, the government must explain who knew the internal needs first, who set the budget, and who was given the opportunity to test this project first.
After the MP’s debate concluded, the assembly voted to approve Article 16 with 280 votes in favor, 141 against, and 53 abstentions.