LAGAWE, IFUGAO– Barangay council and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) officials in Alfonso Lista, Asipulo and Lamut towns in Ifugao will strongly pursue the national government’s disaster preparedness program, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO).
Officer-in-Charge PDRRM officer Dionisio Baguidudol said barangay government officials as well as newly-elected SK officials are expected to take the lead roles in implementing key action plans related to the disaster preparedness program.
“Disaster preparedness is seen as the most effective way of mitigating the effects of a calamity anywhere in the world,” Baguidudol said.
“It is undoubtedly seen as the most effective option to safeguard our people from the harmful effects of a typhoon, storm or earthquake,” he added.
Such therefore is the impact of the lessons learned by these grassroots level officials during the three-day Barangay Eco Camp activity at the Ifugao State University (IFSU) Review Center at barangay Nayon in Lamut.
About 45 village officials as well as other stakeholders in the government were in attendance.
“The government aims to bring barangay disaster risk reduction management blueprint to the next level by considering the interplay of economy, society and environment,” senior economic development specialist Jo Mique of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda)-Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) said in an exclusive interview with ZigZag Weekly.
“We sustain this approach by investing in the dedication of our barangay and SK officials and in their efforts to spreading the message to their constituents to take seriously the task of protecting the environment and taking precautionary measures against calamities, disasters and the likes,” she stressed.
Largely, the highly-successful staging of the Barangay Eco Camp was attributed to her and key PDRRMO personnel who served as facilitators and trainers.
Ms. Mique noticeably allowed the exchange of ideas among the participants and resource speakers.
Two contingency planning sessions were hallmarks of the activity. It served as ideal forum to gather and analyze latest information on resources available at the grassroots level in relation to responses to critical situations brought about by a super typhoon or a killer quake.
“These perhaps are the foremost challenges facing our officials in various barangays,” she pointed out.
All eyes are now set on these village-level officials, as they head back to their barangay halls and buckle down to work soon. Just-elected barangay council and SK officials assume their posts by noon of June 30 this year.
They should have learned the bitter lessons of the immediate past in Ifugao by now. There were three casualties in Hungduan when typhoon Lando hit the province a few years back. Massive damages to properties, facilities and crops were recorded. Yet, no declaration of a “state of calamity” was made by the provincial government to consternation of many. That’s the tragedy, in gist.
So many things can happen in the remaining six months of the year that may not be good for the public interest. An average of 22 typhoons is hitting the Philippines, a nation well within a region periodically experiencing strong tremors.
Facilitators and trainers taught the participants on the basic concept of disaster preparedness and practical ways on how to manage available financial resources. They reinforced the belief that it is wise to prepare villagers in times of emergency situations.
Among those who took part in the all-important activity were punong barangays (village chieftains), kagawads (councilmen), barangay secretaries, barangay treasurers, tanods (watchmen), barangay nutrition scholars, barangay nutrition action officers, SK chairmen and members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
The Alfonso Lista contingent included Punong Barangay Billy Gonsadan, Kagawads Benida Baliwang and Marlon Agbayani, barangay secretary Rosanna Agtarap, barangay treasurer Jinky Dogwaon, tanod Reynaldo Latorre, SK chairman Jerrymiah Bubod, Erwin de la Cruz of the MDRRO, PO1 Clyde Shalabo Pagaddut of the PNP and FO2 Terrence Allaga of BFP.
Composing the Asipulo delegation were Kagawads Randy Kitong, Jimmy Gumanga and Roselle Bumidang, BNAO Afrla Kate Gumtang, SK chairman Jandee Kitong, youth representative Ruth Darylle Pugong, administrative aides IV Leah Ullagon and Luzviminda Genay, Amos Flint Pumihic of the PNP and Chester Humalig of the BFP.
Kagawads Merlito Montenegro, Benjo Indopia, Christian Dumangeng, Luzviminda Nayao, Edwin de la Cuesta and Ronald Onlaya , BNS Lilia Guyguyan as well as Eric Cadayan, Charles Bryan Palos and Epifamia Bumidang comprised the host, highly-spirited Lamut team.
The Barangay Eco Camp is an excellent platform to promote awareness and consciousness of disaster preparedness program in the country’s basic unit of government. The Philippines has over 42,000 villages.
The PDRRMO, NEDA, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Baguio-Benguet-PICAG and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) believe that a well-enlightened citizenry will better ensure the successful implementation of the disaster preparedness program and engrain responsibility to each member of society.
As the NEDA gears towards this direction, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia has been helpful in extending all-out support to the disaster preparedness program. Pernia, a brilliant public servant, has been credited for pushing the agenda on climate-resilient infrastructure. He is an alumnus of the University of the Philippines.
Josie Dominong, another PDRRMO personnel and activity facilitator says, “Disaster preparedness education is a critical life tool that builds knowledge, skills and attitudes which will enable people to make informed and effective life-saving decisions.”
Clearly, this is also a means for citizens to know where evacuation centers are situated and services or amenities offered by the same.
An important aspect of the Barangay Eco Camp is the holding of interactive events throughout the activity such as hug a tree, tree canopy, micro-hike, amazing race, community singing and climate change skit, which will contain moving elements that will ensure that sustainability is the cornerstone of a barangay government’s disaster preparedness program.
Long considered a landmark program of the government, the disaster preparedness program counts a lot on the actions and invaluable contributions of well-knowledgeable persons like Ms. Mique.
Mique has attracted wide attention in the Cordilleras because of her strong command of the multi-faceted concerns on disaster preparedness and climate change.
Could barangay council officials remotely even enforce the “zero casualty” policy (successfully initiated by then Albay Governor Joey Salceda some years back) when a typhoon pummels Ifugao?
Ifugao, an impoverished province whose overall disaster preparedness program has been stymied for years by neglect, squabbles between the executive and legislative branches honchos and scarce resources, is obviously lagging her neighbors in the CAR thus, is nowhere in the range of coming close to the target. In fact, Ifugao is far behind many other provinces in the country. And the rationale for that is self-evident.
In the meantime, Kagawad Nayao of Poblacion West expressed hope that her colleagues in the barangay government will consider the interventions infused by the officialdom as an essential mechanism in further advancing the program.
Furthermore, the barangay government should put special emphasis on disaster preparedness program emergency gadgets and implements such as generators, ladders and flashlights, as well as food supplies at evacuation centers to guarantee at all times the availability, accessibility and affordability of said provisions. What is being done to increase or augment funds for the purchase of much-needed provisions and tools in the light of the high cost of prices? It is, therefore, a matter of basically providing it an emergency stimulus package at these uncertain times.
In the post-Barangay Eco Camp period for the participants there are several factors that could make it easy or difficult for them to work for the success of this program. Ms. Mique and a host of facilitators and trainers provided them every opportunity to be ready for the new demands brought by these interventions and developments.
The government, which has charge over the people, should monitor and evaluate the performance of the participants. It must also create more structures and systems to deliver services such as good infrastructure, particularly evacuation centers in distant villages. It is imperative for the government to distribute the burdens relative to the capacity of the people to contribute. For example, the provincial government should put up another evacuation center in barangay Sta. Maria in Alfonso Lista instead of letting the folks there just rely on a day care center as an evacuation center.
For her part, resource speaker Florita Narciza of the DILG-Ifugao said the participants have huge potentials in elevating to greater heights the level of disaster management in their villages.
This is indicative of what is happening in the other 173 villages in Ifugao. These programs support greatly the need to immediately conduct similar undertakings in Hungduan, Banaue and Mayoyao. The conditions there are not improving at all.
Considering limited funds of the barangay government, there is a need to source out funds from the private sector and foreign donors. However, the national government should not shrink from its responsibility of guaranteeing increased budget allocation for this purpose. It should be reminded that every peso given to the barangay council is not expense but an investment for the well-being of the people.
This further emphasizes actions taken of the participants to counter the ill- effects of man-made or natural disasters. With so many shortcomings of the government, barangay government officials have no choice but to make things work in their localities in times of crisis, they have to go back to the lessons they learned during the training at Barangay Eco Camp. Fortunately, the PDRRMO, under the able and strong stewardship of Dionisio Baguidudol, is improving its programs, projects and activities such that these enable Ifugao folks to have equitable access to services that will ensure their safety at most times. Unfortunately, the efforts of the men and women (who work 24/7 during times of emergency and crisis situations) of the PDRRMO are rarely given due recognition. **By Anthony A. Araos
