NSTP Module 3, Disaster Risk and Management
By: Ace Ross P. Arceo
College of Education, NSTP-CWATS EDU4
This blog is a synthesis, analyzation, and reflective blog that summarizes my interaction and on-site community walk and “kwentuhan” with a barangay kagawad about the preparedness and the overview of their plan of actions with regards to the risks and hazards in their community, situated at Brgy. 431, Zone 46, District IV (Navarra St.) in Sampaloc Manila.
The Whole Barangay is said to be considered as a High Risk- Area when it comes to Flooding. Juaning Street in the other hand, is an adjacent street beside Navarra St. that is also part of their barangay responsibility when it comes to Disaster Preparedness, is considered as a Fire and Earthquake high risk-area among all the streets under the barangay.
According to the barangay Demographical Information, there are 1,872 people living in this barangay alone, 320 Households, 270 Families, and 56 Senior Citizens. The Barangay Area is composed of the streets of Antonio, Austurias, Rosarito, Navarra, Juaning and a portion of Dapitan and Laon Laan Streets. The Area is also near in the University of Santo Toms and Perpetual Help College- Manila. The whole barangay is considered to be vulnerable when natural disasters manifest; Heavy Rainfalls and Earthquake, there are no existent records of any “specific places/infrastructure ” within the barangay that is under provision when it comes of being a high-risk building/infrastructure.
Not only the residents of this barangay is affected when it comes to the natural hazards and disasters, the students of the local area is also greatly affected. There are canteens, places of socializations, and transportation stop areas that is being visited by the students everyday. This is why, the local barangay decided to preside Earthquake drills and sanitation and unclogging of drainage to somehow alleviate the effects of the Earthquake and Rainfalls that could lead to flooding because of poor maintenance of drainages. The University of Santo Tomas serves as an evacuation area when the Big One strike Metro Manila.
When it comes to Fire hazards, Raha Fire Stations and Ambulances are expected to easily respond when Fire accidents happen in the local vicinity. Juaning Street is considered as the high-risk area of the barangay when to comes to fire accidents because of the presence of Canteens. Trash bins are also provided by the barangay to secure the sanitation and healthy environment within the vicinity, especially when students come to eat and drink within the local area.
There are still issues in this community when it comes to proper sanitization, as I walked through the street of Navarra, there are trash bins but there are also trashes everywhere, even in the Barangay Hall’s vicinity itself. Navarra is known by the students because of its Billiards Game House. That is why, students are visiting this street everyday, resulting to inappropriate treatment of the place especially when in terms of noise, congestion of cars and other vehicle, large crowds, and throwing of trashes. I think the barangay officials must mandate strict protocols with regards to these problems because it affects the daily lives of the residents there. They must set some rules like, official punishments for people who manifest or contribute to the aforementioned problems.
These problems are also evident in our whole country, sanitation problems, clogged drainages resulting to flood and health issues in the communities, crowdedness in Metro Manila, Noise and Pollution in the air. These can all be achieved by strong execution of the existing laws and mandates about our environment, but most importantly, the proper education for the younger generation. I think NSTP is doing its very best to improve the awareness and self-initiation to act for their environment. Lastly, while accomplishing this module for our NSTP course, I learned how to initiate efforts for our community by communicating with our barangay officials with regards to the problems it faces and try to offer little help to them by raising the awareness through this blog.