Barangays front liners in disaster response

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

WITH the conduct of the three-day community-based Disaster Risk Management Training for members of the Bacolod City and Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management Councils currently running at the L’Fisher hotel, the organizers and resource speakers saw the need to actively engage the barangay, being the front liners in disaster response and preparedness.

Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia, Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, Councilors Em Ang, Caesar Distrito, Al Victor Espino with the participation of Smart Communications, Dr. Cedric Daep, a UNDP and JICA consultant, a provincial risk reduction officer of Albay with Hilda Cleofe of the Corporate Network for Disaster Response, an agrupation of multi-national corporations like Smart and Ayala, helped in making the training possible for Bacolod City.

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“This is a project conceptualized as early as November or before the Sendong incident,” said Leonardia.

“This is part of our thrust to give risk reduction and preparedness the due attention that it requires because we are totally aware that the nature of disaster preparedness is not a matter that, we can say by its nature, is contingent by what has happened to us all over the world. We are told that this is a matter something we can expect anytime,” he added.

Bacolod has been recognized as one of the three best prepared LGUs in disaster preparedness in the Philippines. The two others were Olongapo and Makati. Thus, Bacolod is No. 1 in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“We believe that there is still room for improvement and the learning process never stops, as climate change keeps changing, circumstances will also keep changing and we will have to adapt to that. We cannot stop the forces of nature, neither can we run away from it. The only thing to do is to prepare for any eventuality,” stressed Leonardia.

Leonardia said that this training and information should go down to the barangay level.

“The most effective disaster plan should involve the barangay captains. They are supposed to be the first responders and we believe that they must and should function. That is what they are for. This is a process and another step towards it. We are aware they might be some cultural barriers and considerations as others won’t believe and take for granted disaster warnings. But this is now a wake-up call for us, seeing the disasters happening all over the world with Sendong as the recent disaster that has a severe impact in the country,” he said.

According to Councilor Distrito, “This is the start and we would like to implant the campaign to our leaders in the barangays because they are the forefront in disaster management.”

“We are happy that this is a start and a way of telling our officials down to purok level up to each and every family who knows that they need to prepare and get ready for any disaster. The best thing to do in terms of countering disaster is preparation. This is another step. Although we have already the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office created by the City by virtue of the City Ordinance authored by Councilor Em Ang, we are hoping that with this start, the barangay will also organize their own disaster risk reduction management team,” he said.

Dr. Daep said that the plan for Bacolod is to prepare the community, not just the disaster responders.

“We will define the partnership team work among the city, barangay and community so that they have a delineated responsibility inter-complimenting with each other. We will teach the barangay on early warning system on flood, real time warning, communication protocol and evacuation procedures so that, once the barangay is responding to the situation, they will just request the City of Bacolod for just a support. There are situations that the actions should be done in the barangay and the city will support for a quick response. If the city will do it, it will have possible delays and it will be dangerous,” said Daep.

Councilor Ang added, “We have lined up a series of seminars, trainings and even drills for barangays and other stakeholders. This seminar will involve the barangays, being frontliners in terms of disasters. There will be another session for the city having a different module.”

“It opens our minds to a lot of things. We in the City Government recognized and emphasized that disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness is our top priority. This seminar was planned even before Sendong happened. And more so when we saw the grim tragedy brought about by Sendong, all the more that we feel that this is really necessary for us. We cannot wait for Sendong to happen to Bacolod,” Ang stressed.

She added that “this is something that we should work together. The preparation is very important. One thing that interests her, the hazards will always be there but if we have the timely preparations in evacuating the families living in disaster prone areas, then there will be no disaster. The evacuation happens before the hazard strikes, then we have no problem.”

This seminar will teach us to coordinate our efforts in the city, barangays, private sectors and others during calamities, she said.

Moreover, Mayor Leonardia said that even in the AIM, GTC, USAID findings, Bacolod is No. 2 in terms of quality of life, including the safety and security of the population. The Communication on Technology and DTI, Business Processed Outsourcing, in terms of business and risk reduction management, Bacolod is No. 1. We believe that we have continued to see to it that improvements are implemented in Bacolod.

“We need the support of everyone and the media here for awareness. Let’s train our people that we should not ignore warnings. I believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Ms. Cloefe said that they are increasing capacity of high risk communities in the area of disaster preparedness.

“We have been here for the past 20 years. We started as emergency response mobilizing the private sector if there is a need for emergency response. We are preparing communities on how to cope with the impact of disasters,” she said. (CNC)