Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — After unprecedented flash floods earlier this week in Cagayan de Oro and other areas in the Visayas region, Senator Richard Gordon said the government needs to raise the salaries of scientists at the Philippines' weather agency.

Gordon warns, failure to do so would mean losing scientists and experts needed to help the country prepare fo natural disasters.

The loss of scientists in the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is "lethal" and "a responsibility of the government," Gordon told CNN Philippines' The Source on Wednesday.

"PAGASA has a lot of problems. All our seasoned PAGASA people have been pirated," Gordon said. "You should put the best and the brightest in PAGASA. Pay them well."

Gordon, who is also head of the Philippine Red Cross, said he observed a lack of preparation for the flash floods in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental, which he said "disturbed (him) well enough."

Around 11 people have been found dead across Visayas and Mindanao because of the prolonged heavy rain and resulting floods. This also prompted officials to put Cagayan de Oro under a state of calamity on Monday.

Related: Heavy rain causes flash floods in CDO, Misamis Occidental

Gordon said that such disasters "cannot be unanticipated" because Doppler radars and other instruments to measure rain are at the government's disposal.

He urged government agencies to "predict, plan, prepare, practice."

Other workers whom Gordon believed were entitled to higher salaries were scientists, teachers and health workers such as doctors and nurses. He identified them as "the foundation of building our society."

Gordon said that he "did not believe" in salary standardization that increases the salaries of government employees across the board, including military and police officers.

The hike was enabled in an executive order by previous President Benigno Aquino III. It is also supported by President Rodrigo Duterte, who promised and budgeted for the standardization this year.

But Gordon believes "the military can take care of itself," and priority should be given to scientists.

"I believe there's a technological revolution going on, and if we don't pay them well, we will lose them," he said.

However, Gordon also said he did not "want to talk ahead" of what he planned to do to address the concern.