One in preparedness, One as a community
04 December â My NSTP class required me to contextualize all my learnings from my e-read lectures and discussions of DRRM lessons by turning it into a personal learning adventure. The visit itself taxed me minimally since the community I visited was literally one block away from my apartment. Overall, it was truly a learning experience and I am glad to have met the wonderful and warm people of Barangay 459, Sampaloc, Manila.
Kagawad Anthony M. Reyes was the one kind enough to answer all our questions about his little community. Barangay 459, was a minuscule barangay compared to the ones surrounding it, only covering streets from MF Jhocson up to Moret Street. Found along Espana Boulevard, across University of Santo Tomas. The Barangay hall itself is located under the overpass, right infront of The ONE Torre De Santo Tomas.
It is best to emphasize that this is really a small community, located in a commercial area in the university belt, it hardly suffers any disasters that most barangays in the provinces unfortunately go through. With that being said, that doesnât mean they totally donât experience any diasters at all, it just that theyâre really minimal. As thomasians, we have all experienced those hazardous floods caused by torrential rains, along espanya most especially. However, floods arenât that much of a problem now compared to how bad they were before. Flooding is still very much a possibility but the situation has improved. The local government and the Metro Manila Mayorâs office has been working hand in hand to fix the drainage issues along UST.
Aside from this, the most issues they have faced are the stubborn people from the older generation. The barangay itself has implemented a lot community projects for the improvement of the community like the Mon-Fri daycare center that is free for use for single parents in the community. But these goals can be obstructed if the people in the community donât cooperate so teamwork is a must.
That being said, the barangay officials are still trying their very best to address possible needs the community might need in the face of disasters. As we went along with our interview, I noticed a pattern in the way Mr. Anthony Reyes answered my questions about how they deal with issues in the community during tough times. He always spoke about cooperation and working as a team. Which I think is one of their best qualities. They have this mentality of not leaving anyone behind in the face of danger. When asked if there was one specific task assigned per person in their community, he said formally there are services that each person is asked to provide. However, in real life, they do the best that they can to help each other no matter the formalities. Team work makes the dream work as they often say.
Unfortunately, despite their very righteous and bayanihan mindset, it was quite disappointing to hear that they do not have a detailed document at hand about what to do during disasters and a hazard map to identify the problem areas of their community. This is due to the fact that since Mayor Isko Morenoâs election in the office, most barangays had to revamp old plan of actions in order to accommodate the passing of times. Barangay 459 still has not finalized their most current plan of actions or DRRM plans in times of calamity. Another problem I have identified is that they donât have a formal go-to evacuation center in times of an earthquake. Kagawad Reyes answered that this is because they are a small community. So there was not really a need for it, if there came a time that an earthquake will struck the place he said that the LGU and the Mayorâs office will help them in relocating the residents near the Municipal hall of Manila. Therefore, there really is no convenient safe space in their tiny barangay, an open area to rush to in times of a dangerous event. Lastly, another issue is that since Kagawad Reyes was unable to provide concrete documents I doubt they have trained their citizens on the dos and dontâs during a calamity which is a very important thins to do.
After a short 11-minute interview with Kagawad Reyes, we proceeded to walk around the streets of MF Jhocson until Moret Street in order to identify hazard places and their best practices in the community.
These are the identified vulnerable elements that may put people at risk in times of calamities. Most of the buildings surrounding the barangay are made out of stronger materials and are built to withstand strong earthquakes. However, since this is still a residential area before it was even commercialized as we see it today, there are old houses that needs to be renovated with smarter materials. Kagawad Reyes explained that these are the places they keep monitoring as these are the parts of the community most people are vulnerable when danger might strike.
Local eateries and street vendors fill the place along with houses and dorms. The barangay itself is kept in very good shape considering how populated Sampaloc is and how many people pass through here even though they donât live here. The barangayâs best practices involve the recycling of their wastes. This is very important as it can help in the drainage issue they experience during floods.
However, there are still a few bad seeds mixed with the mostly good ones of the community. Some still donât follow the regulations posted around the place. Like the No Smoking sign found in the picture above. If you zoom in, youâd find little cigarette buts along the sign itself. Then we found the one place in the community where you can see a bit of trash piling up. These may be done by those who are passing through the community and not those who actually live there.
Overall Reflection and Learning
Overall the activity itself helped me learn a lot, reading DRRM and disasters from my e-reads is vastly different from walking along the community and talking about the possibilities of a disaster. It made me be more observant in my surroundings, what places to avoid and what places should be improved. Barangay 459 itself is a very strong community, characterized by the discipline exemplified by its citizens, the teamwork that can be seen through its barangay officials, the general welcoming atmosphere that can be felt when you talk to the people living there, the alertness and genuine care to the community I observed while I was talking to Kagawad Reyes was hard to come by especially coming from a government official.
The attributes I mentioned should be embodied by all the people here in our country, the alertness and willingness to help should be a no brainer already. Climate change is upon us, we are currently experiencing its harshness little by little. Itâs not the time to stand by and belittle what being prepared for future calamities can benefit us. Geographically, the Philippines is very much susceptible to disasters and calamities alike since we are in the pacific ring of fire. Volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes are something that should be prepared for in every community and should be taken with the utmost seriousness it deserves. To acknowledge and address the impending environmental issues we may or may not experience is paramount to saving thousands or millions of Filipino lives.
As a member of this community and nation, the vulnerabilities I have seen and observed in Barangay 459 is very common around the urban poor areas and the provinces. Structurally sound houses should be a priority, of course this could only be addressed properly if all people had the means to maintain a house with a good structural framework. However, considering our economy this is simply not possible without financial aid from the government. People in destitute areas are very much vulnerable when danger strikes, so their survival must be prioritized over those who has the privilege to save themselves. In correspondence to this, awareness, seminars/orientations on what to do when something bad happens should be made normal and implemented all over the country. Knowledge is power as they say, it can make or break one personâs possibility of survival.Â
