LAGAWE, IFUGAO – – Several village chieftains in Alfonso Lista town are now vigorously pushing for the construction of evacuation centers in their far-flung barangays. One of them is Punong Barangay Renato Colayco of Calimag. The reason for this is quite obvious.
“We are aiming to address the problem of bringing our people to a safe and comfortable place for shelter in times of emergency,” Punong Barangay Colayco said.
Currently, the Calimag Barangay Council is looking out for funds for this project. Calimag is one of the fastest-emerging villages of this farming town.
The goal, of course, is to seek assistance elsewhere- municipal or provincial government and even the national government, since funds of the barangay government are not sufficient.
An evacuation center should be an easily accessible, safe and comfortable shelter for the people of a certain area in times of a calamity or a disaster. However, the evacuation centers in Alfonso Lista are concentrated at Barangay Sta. Maria where the municipal hall is located. To date, there are two evacuation centers. A third is under construction. They are not accessible to people from far flung areas. Isn’t this intriguing? Maybe even puzzling?
Let’s say that the leaders of Barangay Sta. Maria appreciate more the importance of evacuation centers. But Barangay Calimag is catching up. It has become a fraction of what the Alfonso Lista evacuation center story is all about. Punong Barangay Colayco’s initiative to build an evacuation center gives this small village a chance to upgrade itself and assure its residents a safe and comfortable shelter in an emergency.
“Today, the wisdom of having an evacuation center in a remote barangay such as ours is widely accepted by our people. For this, we are doing our best to address this problem at the soonest time,” he told the ZigZag Weekly in an exclusive interview at Lagawe.
This explains Punong Barangay Colayco’s persistence and perseverance in pursuing his mission to protect the well-being of his constituents.
Constructing multi-purpose evacuation centers at distant barangays is essential in spurring economic growth at the grass-roots level. It is about time to put up one in Barangay Calimag, a relaxing countryside with scenic fields.
To be told that there are no funds available for a project one knows to be vital can be very frustrating. But Colayco is not giving up. His eloquence, earnestness and humility make him a winner. Punong Barangay Colayco is truly a blessing to the barangay and Alfonso Lista. He is a dedicated leader always thinking of how to best serve his constituents. He serves as a role model to the other punong barangays.
It is always in the midst of difficulty and disappointment that one is able to discover new strengths. He/ She learns much about him/herself and gains deeper insights into people and the world.
A word of advice: Be ready to make adjustments or modifications to your project plans. Anticipate changes in government decisions. By doing so, you can set a more achievable goal. Getting the support and cooperation of each member of the Sangguniang Barangay and the Sangguniang Kabataan is another important fraction to the realization of the big project.
There is merit in barangay officials’ developing innovative strategies to secure funds in these peculiar times. If at all, the value of their hard work is, by and large, the positive response to their funding request. This is a clinching element in winning the next election.
The recurring demands of village chieftains for the construction of evacuation centers in their barangays have germinated ideas for resolving disaster management-related problems. These calls reached their peak during the “Build, Build, Build” program of President Duterte.
The provincial government faces the challenge of providing each barangay in all its towns an evacuation center. But does it have the funds? That is the big obstacle. Public servants at the grassroots level need to show their determination to make this happen not by relying entirely on the provincial government but also by seeking the help of others in their communities or elsewhere. This is the start of better governance at barangay halls. A blend of wisdom and ambition is required to having a multi-purpose evacuation center built in one’s barangay.
Building evacuation centers is one problem and putting them into full use is another. Operating an evacuation center is one big challenge. Educating the people on how to properly use these facilities is vital. Intensive as well as extensive information dissemination to the populace is called for. This task needs perseverance, patience and wit.
Right now, not all the people understand the dangers of prolonged rains, typhoons and earthquakes. Experience is a great teacher. We haven’t really seen much of these disasters but we all have to understand that with global warming and climate changes, these can happen anytime. Other places around the world have recently experienced these once-in-a-hundred years disasters and they were not prepared for lack of experience. It has caused some their lives. It is in this regard that the public information agency of the town would play an important tole.
Another problem is that existing evacuation centers are not really being used as they should be. The evacuation center serves as a place to repack and distribute the food packs for evacuees. Instead, food packs ended up for repacking at barangay halls. At barangay halls, the expiration dates of these food packs were not properly monitored.
Lives are precious. Evacuation centers are a necessity, most especially in far-flung villages.
Barangay officials will definitely not regret working hard to push the building of an evacuation center in their barangays as by doing so they would have given their best service to their constituents.” **By Anthony A. Araos
