UST-NSTP
offers a wide range of activities and participation for Disaster Risk Reduction
Management and it is abundantly excellent. Consequently, a Barangay Hall Visit
is conducted to put into practice all the learnings that our NSTP
facilitator, Sir Adrian Romero- has imparted to us.
DISASTERS, RISKS
AND
VULNERABILITIES
1. EARTHQUAKES
(The
aftermath of the 1990 Luzon earthquake. Photo from PHIVOLCS, taken from
Rappler)
The
Philippines struggles for having been in the Pacific Ring of Fire where the
incidence of strong intensities of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
transpire.
2.
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
Taal
Volcano eruption. Retrieved from https://www.thinglink.com/scene/679207465870426114
Identical
to what I have stated above, Volcanic eruptions are abrupt in the Philippines
as a result of being a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The
aftermath of typhoon Yolanda. Photo retrieved from
http://learn.eartheasy.com/2013/11/6-ways-you-can-help-philippine-typhoon-victims-today/
3. TYPHOONS/FLOODING
Philippines – also due to its location along the TYPHOON BELT, has
experienced a number of devastating typhoons such that of Yolanda – cited as
one of the strongest tropical cyclones in the world, destructed the whole of
Eastern Visayas, destroyed properties and took thousands of lives away.
© Photo courtesy to the rightful owner
4. LANDSLIDES
A number of houses have
been buried under mud due to Philippines’ vulnerability to landslides,
especially that of the mountainous parts of the country.
CAPACITIES
From
this point, the government should have an output which figures out certain CAPACITIES to
be progressed. According to The National Capacity Self-Assessment Project of
the Philippines:
1.
Philippines should develop
Resource Mobilization and Sustainability strategies.
2. Develop activities to
cultivate necessary capacities in the short, medium and long terms.
3. Conduct research and
systematic observations.
4.
Integrate climate change concerns in national policies.
5.
Conduct education and training.
RISK
REDUCTION MEASURES
&
PARTICIPATORY
MANAGEMENT
OF DISASTERS
With respect to the fifth point of developing capacities, (conduct
education and training) we should follow certain RISK REDUCTION
MEASURES and observe PARTICIPATORY MANAGEMENT OF DISASTERS to
be able to prepare before a calamity takes place and to execute such measures
and management when the time of severe distress comes.
While researching on certain measures, one framework has captured
my attention. This extent as part of the training module on Climate Change
considerations in the coastal zone and Disaster Risk Reduction conducted in
Semarang, Indonesia took me. As I was reflecting, I realized that we
should also adopt this measure as it is quite identical to our situation.
**This should summarize my understanding on Risk
Reduction and Participatory Management of Disasters.
DISASTER
RESILIENCY
© Photo courtesy to the rightful owner
Having been able to
surpass exhausting calamities such as earthquakes, typhoons/floodings, volcanic
eruptions, Philippines has shown DISASTER RESILIENCY in
metaphor to a BAMBOO.
A bamboo bends when a
strong ‘gust’ causes it to do so. Nevertheless, it bounces back, it never
breaks. The gust can be compared to the natural calamities injuring our
country, Philippines. Yet, our nation should remain to that in which bounces back
as a sign of resiliency through these disasters. Upon the course of time, we
shall remain as bamboos – RESILIENT TO DISASTERS.
FIRST AID
&
BASIC
LIFE SUPPORT
© Photo courtesy to the rightful owner
During our DRRM Practicals, we did this training
with our course facilitator. He taught us of First Aid measures and and Basic
Life Support.
Initially, First
Aid refers to the act of giving medical assistance to an injured
person when medics are not available within the area.
DRRM Seminar
Basic Life Support on the other hand is when you give primary measures to confirm the
consciousness of a victim thus, providing him life-sustaining measures to
ensure his vitals.
© Photo courtesy to the rightful owner
** The need for First Aid and Basic Life
Support are practically necessary in times of disaster. Everybody should go
hand-in-hand. Whether you know the person or not, it is your social
responsibility to help whenever you see someone in need during the course of
calamity. **
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BAHAY-TAO-BAGYO
GAME
The Disaster Risk
Reduction and Basic Life Support Training culminate with the Bahay-Tao-Bagyo
game which involves a deeper meaning, not just merely a game as such. The game
primarily delves to that in which in times of devastating calamities (BAGYO),
we should lend each other (TAO) a hand. We can show our power of Bayanihan by
letting those who are mainly affected in our homes (BAHAY) – literally and
figuratively. Figuratively in the sense of offering what we have to them, whose
valuables and properties were taken away by such calamities.
IN
ADDRESSING
THE ISSUE
OF DISASTERS…
Philippines has struggled on the perils of disasters for a number of
times already but there is still a strong need to address these issues to the
country.
The Philippines is truly subject to disaster and
climate change with 80% of the land area prone to such fiasco – listing the
capital city of Manila at an extreme level of risk. Typhoons and storms account
for the highest number of mortality rate and majority of damages within the
country (respective to the fact that the Philippines is a TYPHOON BELT);
followed by earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions.
According to Give2Asia, “Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the location of
90 percent of the world’s earthquakes, the Philippines has experienced numerous
high magnitude seismic events. The country also has 22 active volcanoes. Both
events are rare, but extremely destructive.” This statement alone is self-explanatory for the need to address
these issues in the country. The people should always be prepared for the worst
– it could happen any time. By doing so, we lessen the risks as well as the
number of casualties.
© Photo courtesy to the rightful owners
CONDUCTING THE
PCVA WORKSHOP
As a partial requirement, we conducted a PCVA workshop to assess
the certain hazards, vulnerabilities and capacities as
well as the necessary actions needed to be implemented by our
area leaders within the locations of our respective communities.
We have conducted the activity throughout the given time by our
NSTP facilitator. We were given equal number of papers to write upon the data
needed such that each of us assessed our local communities in an organized
manner.
The assessment proper……
In our group, C-AB-11, majority of us lives in the province such
as Bataan, Batangas, Bicol, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan. Therefore upon
deriving the conclusion, we generalize that with certain similarities – our
local communities suffer from the hazards of flooding –
mainly. For our groupmate living in Bicol, the eruption of the Mayon Volcano is
a major hazard. While our group mates living within the area of Metro
Manila suffer from the hazards of flooding and pollution.
Here
are actual photos taken from our house when typhoon Lando devastated Pangasinan
this year:
\
This photo is taken by
my cousin, who should be celebrating his 18th birthday on that
day. View of the flood from the roof of their house.
Vulnerabilities of the communities
in the provinces of Bataan, Batangas, Bicol, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and
Pangasinan include:
1. Locations are within low-lying areas
2. Catch basins of water from dikes and rivers when
flooding takes place.
3. Eruption of Mayon Volcano in Bicol
Capabilities such as:
1. Having a Bayanihan system
2. Supportive Local Government Units
©Photo courtesy to the rightful owner.
(Retrieved from inquirer.net)
Plan of Action:
1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
2. Proper Segregation of Waste
Materials (Proper Waste Disposal)
3. Risk
Reduction measures/training for the community.
©Photo courtesy to the rightful owners
We also
listed Local
Beliefs
involving…
The appearance of a group of flying dragonflies
indicate that a strong typhoon is approaching the area
Photo taken from our church after Typhoon Lando
Orange sky means a long duration of rain
©Photo courtesy to the rightful owners
MY
REALIZATION AND INSIGHTS ABOUT THE PCVA TRAINING
The PCVA training held
was very participatory. The facilitator is very effective and the students were
all hands-on. I took this activity seriously, so as a result – I gained further
understanding and knowledge about the hazards, vulnerabilities and capacities
of our local communities especially in my province in Brgy. Torres Bugallon,
Mangatarem, Pangasinan. Through this workshop, I was also able to plan possible
actions needed to address the issue of disasters in my location.
Through this training, I
was enlightened that preparedness to calamities is a MUST for every citizen as
several natural catastrophes like earthquake and tsunami chooses no time. It
can happen today, tomorrow – any time.
I also learned that a certain amount of knowledge
of the community’s weaknesses and strengths can help in planning for easy
mobilization of the people when calamities come forth.
Another thing is that I realized that the local government units play a major
role in the disaster risk reduction management. Their part also includes the
reflection of good governance – the effective the leaders are, the mobilized
their people are, also.
VISITING
BARANGAY TORRES BUGALLON,
MANGATAREM, PANGASINAN
BARANGAY TORRES BUGALLON,
MANGATAREM, PANGASINAN
"
Basically, I personally went to one of our
barangay officials’ house for an interview regarding our community’s Disaster
Risk Reduction Management Plan. Barangay Kagawad Susana Costales-Marcelo widely
accepted my request and she comprehensively explicated the barangay’s DRRM plan
and its programs for women, elderly, children and the poor.
So, Barangay Torres Bugallon’s DRRM Plan can be
summarized as follow:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF BARANGAY TORRES BUGALLON’S DISASTER RISK
REDUCTION MANAGEMENT PLAN:
Just when a coming
typhoon is reported on TV, Torres Bugallon’s barangay officials deploy to
remind the community to prepare atleast the following:
1. Medicinal Kits
2. First Aid Kits
3. Food Stocks
4. Flashlight
Now, when signal
warnings were already reported, our barangay officials deploy again to check if
each houses prepared for their requirements. Consequently, they ask each family
to elevate their valuables on the second floor of their houses or on somewhere elevated.
The barangay also prepares space for the evacuation center for those living in
Torres Bugallon.
After the calamity, the barangay gives a
Calamity Relief stated as follow:
CALAMITY RELIEF
- Sacks
of rice
- Sardines
- Noodles
- 1
pack of Relief Goods per house which contains: 2 kilos of rice, 2 sardines and
noodles.
35,000 = calamity fund
**Repacking of Relief Goods for typhoon/flood
victims is done by barangay officials and volunteers**
Initially, the barangay copes with the preparation and mitigation of disasters
by taking full responsibility of the barangay’s populace. They pioneer the
preparation before a typhoon or any other natural calamities. They make sure
that everyone has an emergency kit listed above – this is affirmed not just
when typhoons approach. The barangay council insisted that every member of the family should have an
emergency kit, whether there is a typhoon or none, as natural calamity such as
earthquake, is deemed unpredictable.
To reduce damages and casualties, the barangay implements certain projects such
as:
1. Bayanihan Project- Cleaning and declogging of canals. RESULT: Excellent
2. 50 meters Project in the riverside, to control the level of
water in the river just above Torres Bugallon – which accounts for the major
cause of rapid flooding within the area.
3. Proper Waste Disposal Project – the barangay imposes new policies
regarding proper waste disposal in order to reduce the perils of flooding.
Barangay Projects Intended For:
HEALTH
1.
Bloodletting Project
2.
Immunization
ENVIRONMENT
1. Bayanihan
Project- Cleaning and declogging of canals. RESULT: Excellent
2. Proper Waste
Disposal Project: implementation of new policies
3. Zero Waste Management Seminar for the people in the community
WOMEN/ELDERLY
1.
Pastoral
Project – group of women and elders upon leading prayer vigils within the
community.
CHILDREN
1.
Feeding
Program (every day)
2.
Day Care Classes
INDIGENTS
1. 4Ps Project – the indigents were given money once in two months such that for their Education: 300 pesos is given for each of a family’s child in elementary and 500 pesos for each child in high school; Health: 500 pesos is given per family for their children’s health benefits.
2. Cash For Work Project –
selected 4Ps beneficiaries are given certain jobs to help improve their lives,
somehow.
RECREATION (especially
for the YOUTH):
1.
Basketball Court in Barlin Street would be improved by the
barangay.
GENERAL PROJECTS for the
COMMUNITY:
1.
Road Widening Project
2.
Street Lights in Gutierrez Street
3.
Municipal Training on Child Policy spearheaded by the Commission
on Education & Commission on Peace & Order in partnership with the
Torres Bugallon Barangay Officials.
Here
are some documents from the Office of the Barangay, indicating their plans and
projects:
MY ROLE
AS A FILIPINO
The lead to take charge starts within the
smallest unit of the government – that is our local community. I let my voice
be heard by our barangay officials through the initial step of conducting the
Barangay Interview. I am not just doing this for the sake of the requirement
for our NSTP course, but I am doing this solely for addressing the
vulnerabilities of our barangay as well as increasing its capacities.
Actually, this is not the first time that I was
involved in community works. Three years ago, when I was still in my third year
in high school – I was a candidate for the Chief Girl Scout Medal Scheme award.
In respect to this, I adopted our barangay for an environmental project and I
am proud to say it was a success. Together with my family and friends, we
helped clean the murky part of the barangay and planted flowers and plants for
beautification.
11. Community typhoon awareness
2. Flood forecasting and warning systems
3. Trained volunteers for disaster management
4. Improving drainage systems and management
On the other hand, to increase the capabilities
of Barangay Torres Bugallon, I strongly suggested our barangay officials to
address the people regarding the significance of the BAYANIHAN system. And
personally, I opt to help for implementing the Plan of Actions I have proposed
to lessen the risks of disaster in our barangay.
THE CULMINATION
For my personal
perspective, there can be no specific ‘best’ time to address the issues of
Disaster Risk Reduction Management, because for me – ANY TIME IS THE BEST TIME.
We must consider this contemporary phase where the whole of the world, not just
the Philippines suffer from fiascos driven by natural disasters. We should be
ready ANY TIME for several calamities such as earthquakes and tsunamis as they come
in the most unexpected time. For volcanic eruptions and typhoons, WE SHOULD ALL
BE AWARE AND VIGILANT AT ALL COSTS and shall we observe risk reduction measures
for our own safety.
Upon addressing these issues, the whole of the community should be
involved as well as the certain actors such as the LGUs. In other words, all of
us are relevant when it comes to this matter. We need someone to guide us in
times of severe distress in the person of our Local Government Unit and
respectively, we have ourselves to rely onto. We should also be responsible for
ourselves – we should always be vigilant and prepared. In this way can we
properly execute the disaster risk reduction that makes a great difference upon
reducing the number of fatalities that may occur as an aftermath of such
calamities.
REFERENCES
Dela Cruz, G. (2014, July 16). Remembering the
1990 Luzon Earthquake. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/63417-remembering-1990-luzon-earthquake
Disaster Preparedness and Resilience: The
Philippines. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://www.give2asia.org/disaster-preparedness-and-resilience-philippines/
Jessie, W., & Anne-Sophie, B. (2013, October
11). Philippines: A country prone to natural disasters | Asia | DW.COM |
10.11.2013. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from http://www.dw.com/en/philippines-a-country-prone-to-natural-disasters/a-17217404
The National Capacity Self-Assessment Project of
the Philippines. (2005). Retrieved November 15, 2015, from https://www.thegef.org/gef/sites/thegef.org/files/documents/document/ncsa-philippines-fr-ap.pdf
Training Module on Climate Change considerations
in the coastal zone and Disaster Risk Reduction. (2008, October). Retrieved
November 15, 2015, from http://www.unisdr.org/files/8918_RTCDisaster20Risk20Reduction20Concepts.pdf
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