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The manpower of the people in the country is the most precious and the most prioritized sector in country because they are the ones who make everything possible in a country, they are the brains and the arms of the country. In every country, disaster has  always  been and forever be present. Disaster isn’t just about just about natural calamities, in our country, even our “War on drugs” and even the past Maguindanao Massacre is considered a disaster. In an easier term, we could say that something is a disaster when it is life-threatening.   In the place where you live, it is important that you know the capacities and vulnerabilities so that when disaster comes, you are knowledgeable of the things that might happen for you to prepare. 

As a student, the vulnerabilities in every place is inevitable and I believe that vulnerabilities or in an easier term- problems, it all starts in within us. The typical vulnerabilities in every place are flood prone because of clogged drainage or could be diseases because irresponsible waste management. Those vulnerabilities started with just one act of an irresponsible member of the community. The key to these vulnerabilities is SENSITIVITY and AWARENESS. People of community are always hoping for a good and clean governance from the officials and but can’t even manage to follow the “Tapat ko, linis ko” or they dump their waste anywhere.

Good and clean governance is the second most essential ingredients for an ideal community. If people are attentively doing their duties as a part of a community and yet there is  corruption going on, people will be like their leaders too, in Filipino term “nakakawalang-gana at nakakapagod”               Leaders are called leaders because it is their duty to lead and facilitate orderliness in the communit, but how will people respect them if they don’t perform their duties as a leader and catalyst for change. 

I am very fortunate that I belong in a safe community. The typical problem in our Barangay is the flood near the creeks and before the creek overflow and wash out the residents, the barangay has safeguarded the residents in the respective evacuation areas. In Ampid I, every subdivision and compounds have their own multi-purpose covered court not just for recreational but this serves as an evacuation area when disaster happens. The barangay with the coordination of the municipal they prepare (1) Relief goods, (2) Rescue boards, (3) Monitoring the water level, and (4) Power Supply, generators. Before the rainy season comes, the barangay has been coordinating with the municipal in repairing the flood control, declogging the drainage and mosquito fogging.What’s something to be proud of with my barangay is that they have their own ambulances and it is very helpful for the less fortunate residents of Ampid 1 in case they can’t afford the private ambulance.

 Overall, Ampid 1 is safe, it is just that the residents near the creeks are at risks.

getting ready before rainy season comes

one of newly constructed covered court in Ampid 1

I am very proud of our barangay officials because of their fast action in times of problem in our Barangay

repacking of relief goods

Capt. Hector Reyes, our hardworking Barangay Captain! 

One of the ambulance of our barangay

This is the place most hazardous place in our barangay- Pag-asa because it is near the creek. 

Pag-asa during heavy floods

another hazardous place is Zone 6, this is near the too. 

Mosquito fogging in different parts of Barangay Ampid I

A job well done to Ampid I because of low cases of dengue according to barangay. 

Drainaige clean up in some places in Ampid I

The map of Ampid 1

Let’s move on with the Disaster Plans of Ampid 1

In every sector like youth, women, elderly, poor and PWD or Persons with disability there are projects and activities for them.

in the Youth sector, Kagawad Denzel Diaz is the one in charged with those activities. 

swimming lessons every summer

team building every summer as well

Summer league Basketball and Volleyball

E- library of Ampid I which is already on its 3rd year

Association of youth per subdivision

E-library by Kagawad Denzel

In the Women sector

HELP Ladies- association of Women but it is under the municipality

Zumba- project of Vice Mayor Tina Diaz but implement in all barangay  and in every subdivision in Ampid 1

In the sector of Elderly

association of Senior Citizen of Ampid 

Christmas party

Ballroom

FREE Cinema viewing at SM San Mateo

In the sector of Poor and PWD (Persons With Disability)

The 4Ps and livelihood projects

headed by Capt. Hector Reyes

OTHER ACTIVITIES OF BARANGAY AMPID I

The lighting of street lights, this is an excellent project to maintain peace and order ii barangay.

2. The Command Center of Barangay Ampid 1

-it has all the TV connected to the CCTV Cameras around Ampid I

-this is the old barangay hall of Ampid, now the new headquarters of Tanods and Command center

3. The three-year old barangay hall

the new and improved Barangay hall

4. Kontra- rabies and dog impound of Ampid I

In every barangay, problems are inevitable. In barangay Ampid I the top two problem are Waste Management and Traffic. 

Waste management has been Ampid I’s problem because of insufficient dump trucks. The dump trucks are even giving up with the volume of garbage they collect and their size aren’t enough to collects tons of garbage everyday.

The  irresponsibility of some residents of Ampid I when it comes to their garbage is alarming, they always blame the garbage trucks for not collecting their garbage so they tend to dump it anywhere they want. 

example of irresponsible resident of Ampid I

or they dump their wastes in the drainage

Garbage collection schedule

The problem of traffic is causing too much headache, because of that road widening and the widening of the bridge is the solution. 

In making this blog post, if there is something to be proud of with my barangay is that their fast action. Honestly, I feel safe with my barangay and this could be a role model to other barangays in the Philippines. 

As a result, within this year Barangay Ampid I was given a recognition for getting a grade of GOOD in Red-tape Act Survey.

I am proud of my barangay :)

I would like to thank Ms. Michelle Cruz the Barangay Secretary for making the interview possible :)

The words disasters, hazards, risk reduction, capacities and vulnerabilities are just simple English words but those mean a lot, those set of words are usually heard in the radio and television when there are calamities, but do you think every Juan know the meaning of those words?  Those words are the highlight of the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Seminar.

DRRM or Disaster Risk Reduction Management Seminar is helpful that every student must join in this kind of seminar because it is about awareness of the place you live in and it talks about responsibility that everyone must possess because we’ll never know when will disaster come. In the word DRRM which means Disaster Risk Reduction Management, the word Disaster means chaotic, destruction, or not in order. We say that there is a disaster when something is not in order and it is unbearable, like a big fire rapidly eating the shanty houses or a strong typhoon that could lift up the roof of houses.  

The word Risk is almost close to the word disaster, it is just that the risk is the tolerable version. In a practical example, risk is like there’s a typhoon and you found out that there is a hole in the roof of your house (it’s a risk), instead of getting your whole roof replaced by a new rust-free roof; you just placed a pail in the spot where there are dripping of water, it didn’t solve the problem on your roof but it did solve your problem on water drippings, you just did the easy thing and not the right thing. In Risk Reduction, “PREPARE” is the word, not just simply prepare, but prepare in the right time.

During the DRRM we played Bahay-Tao-Bagyo Game and that was not my first time to play that game but when we played it during the seminar I realized that that street game isn’t just about its gestures but it symbolizes our country during disasters. The “bagyo” symbolizes the disasters approaching, the “bahay” symbolizes our houses that when there are disasters it is at risk, the” tao” are the people who don’t have a safe house, so they tend to transfer to evacuation centers and what if there’s no space in evacuation areas so that tao becomes the it or taya in the game. This children’s game teaches us the value of preparation and alertness especially when there are disasters like the tagline in GMA News TV “I am Ready” we should be ready at all.