On December 13, 2019, my father and I walked to the Barangay Hall of Barangay 164, intending to arrange an appointment with the Barangay Captain for the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Kwentuhan. When we arrived at the Barangay Hall, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I did not need to set an appointment, as two Kagawads were present and ready to entertain any questions that I might have. Without hesitation, I initiated our BDRRM Kwentuhan, and I was happy to hear what they had to say. Pictured above are 1st Kagawad Alfredo Dela Cruz (left), and 7th Kagawad Virgilio Nicolas (right), during our kwentuhan and after our kwentuhan.
From our kwentuhan, I learned numerous things about our barangay and the efforts that our local barangay officials are exerting toward better disaster risk reduction and management. I will admit that at first, I was skeptical that the barangay was even doing anything for DRRM in the local community, and even worried that there is inaction in the community. As the kwentuhan proceeded, however, I learned that the barangay is well-prepared and well-equipped for handling the hazards that the community is most susceptible to. This activity opened my eyes to see how lucky I and the members of my community are to have a barangay that is thorough and meticulous in its DRRM efforts.
Barangay 164 is a small community bounded by the Tullahan River, which runs along the boundary of Caloocan City (where Barangay 164 is) and Valenzuela City (to the north). To the south and to the west of the barangay lies the boundary between Caloocan City and Quezon City. Kgwd. Dela Cruz explained that because of this geography of the barangay, the community is most susceptible to the hazard of flooding, which occurs when the water level of the Tullahan River rises beyond the critical level because of strong monsoon rains (Habagat) and tropical storms or typhoons. Of the residents of Barangay 164, households along Road 1, Road 5, and the Pasong Mapalad compound are the most susceptible to flooding hazard because of their proximity to the river.
Recently, however, the Tullahan River has not flooded because of a general lack of strong rainfall. Typhoon Tisoy was not strong enough to cause the water level in the river to rise above the critical level, and the last time that the Tullahan River flooded the community was a few years ago because of Habagat, and Ondoy before that.
The barangay’s efforts in implementing early and preemptive evacuations, as well as early warning alert systems have prevented casualties and deaths in the event of Tullahan River’s overflowing. This, in addition to their relocation efforts for residents of Pasong Mapalad, as well as the building of a retaining wall around Tullahan River in cooperation with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has greatly reduced the barangay’s vulnerability to a flooding hazard, as everywhere else in the barangay is inland and on higher ground than the river’s level. Strictly speaking, the safest place to be in during a hazard is in the safety of home (aside from residents of Road 1 and 5, and Pasong Mapalad) and the local school (Talipapa High School). This puts the barangay at low risk of the occurrence of a disaster arising from a flooding hazard.
Aside from this, the barangay is also prepared to respond to the aftermath of storm and flooding hazards, as the barangay is equipped with generators for when power goes out in the evacuation center (the local school) and tents for families who are evacuated. Additionally, a mobile vehicle equipped with medical supplies for first aiders and a mobile vehicle for food are also present in the event of an evacuation, preemptive or not. The barangay also has a rescue vehicle, and even rescue canoes or “bangka” to rescue and salvage people or belongings swept along by a flood.
Pictured below are Tullahan River along the length of Road 5, and Talipapa High School. We identified these to be the most vulnerable place, and the safest place in the community respectively during our community walk. The bridge is especially close to the river, and sudden surges in level expose this area to danger. Meanwhile, Talipapa High School has a large empty space which can be used for evacuations.
Pictured below is our residence, which is considerably safe because of its location and also because of its construction of concrete and thick steel beams, although again, realistically, any house in the community is safe as long as it is not on a street bounded by the Tullahan River.
Based from these observations, it is plain to see that my local barangay has a very high capacity for dealing with hazards, for preventing these hazards from turning into disasters, and responding accordingly after these disasters or hazards have passed. Most concerns that are issues in other communities are non-issues in my barangay because of the hard work of our local officials. The only identifiable issue that stands out to me as jarring is the lack of preparation for a big earthquake and the lack of promotion and awareness campaigns, and even drills for such a hazard.
Besides this, another issue that is identifiable is the voluntariness of the evacuations for flooding hazard. Despite their best efforts, the barangay still has troubles getting evacuation rates for the pertinent vulnerable areas in the community up to 100% because some residents do not sufficiently understand the danger or the harm of a given hazard.
These issues are easily solved simply through the arrangement of seminars, drills, and awareness campaigns by the barangay which will involve the concerned individuals and families, as well as the community at large to encourage more efficient evacuation and awareness within the community.
As I think about these activities and what I’ve learned from them, I realize just how lucky my community is in comparison to the rest of the nation. While we have a high capacity to prepare for, and to handle and cope with passing hazards, many other less fortunate barangays and communities in the country do not. Barangay 164 is an exception, and the disaster situation in the Philippines is not any better for it. The Philippines suffers too much and experiences disasters which can be prevented through proper action too frequently. That many people’s lives are lost to natural hazards every year is testament to this. That every year, much economic loss is incurred due to natural hazards is testament to this. And so, I realize that I must be thankful for my community’s good position, but I also realize that I must work so that all communities may be just like mine.
We need to address the disaster situation in the country as this is one of the challenges that the country faces before it can achieve sustainable growth, and before it can progress. As citizens, we can do this by remaining vigilant, and knowing what to expect and look for in our government officials who are in charge of their units’ DRRM efforts. By increasing awareness within the citizenry, more pressure is put on our government to remain competent with regard to DRRM. Therefore, as a student, one of the concrete ways that I can begin to help addressing the country’s and my local community’s vulnerabilities is to stay vigilant, and to stay open to communicating concerns about perceived vulnerabilities in the community to my local community’s officials. In truth, by doing this module, I am already taking part in the solution to address vulnerabilities and increase capacities of my local community by bringing to light concerns that need addressing. Therefore, one of the things that I can do to improve capacity in my local community is by bringing my experience from modules 3 and 4 to my local barangay hall in continuing the dialogue which has already been established.
In conclusion, each individual is responsible for community safety, and our voices and vigilance is key to making sure that less and less people are hurt by natural disasters. By remaining vigilant to the efforts of our local government, and by simply being aware of the most basic concepts of DRRM, we are already helping our community and our nation, even if it is in a small way.
