In 2013, one of the strongest super typhoons struck the Philippines. This was known as tropical cyclone Yolanda. It is one of the deadliest typhoons to date, with damages in billions and with a casualty of 6,300 people. The impact of the said storm had ravaged several communities and has created a critical awareness to the matter of disaster risk reduction and management. 

Today, I went home to Parañaque to take a walk around my barangay, who also experienced severe flooding of up to 4 feet high and various damages, to assess their current state of disaster risk reduction and management. I started with a walk to the areas I was most familiar with, which was the area around the barangay hall.  

As I was walking to the Barangay Hall, I noticed that there are several mesh bins with signs that say “plastic na bote, dito ilagay” which I thought was very progressive of my community to have put around. With this being said, there were also larger dumpsters. These were not as organized as the smaller mesh bins, with a few bags of trash beside and in front of the dumpster, instead of being in front. The positive thing was most areas surrounding the barangay hall had several of these trash vessels. 

I walked in front of the Barangay Hall, which was as organized as the surrounding areas. As I went in, I explained to the receptionist that I was a student of the University of Santo Tomas under its NSTP program. To my surprise, they were already aware of the students that were visiting them to ask about their DRRM. The receptionist immediately let me know that I could interview the punong barangay of San Antonio, Honorable Leopoldo “Pol” Casale, one of the most notable figures of our barangay. I sat down with him and talked to him regarding the disaster risk reduction and management programs and organizations of our community. 

First, I asked him to describe the environmental situation of San Antonio. He started by telling me what our barangay comprises of. There are at least sixteen gated villages around the area and several informal settlements surrounding them. Moreover, the administrative center of Paranaque lies within our own barangay; meaning the city hall lies nearby the barangay hall. This explains why most of the surrounding area is more well organized. However, there’s also a larger concentration of informal settlements around the area of the city hall. The area is also densely populated, with the different social classes amalgamated in one area. With this being said, the execution of its development has lead to the uplifting of the socio-economic well-being of its constituents. There isn’t much natural elements around the area, other than a creek that runs through its subdivisions. 

With this, I asked him to elaborate on the hazards that the area had posed to its residents. He explained that the gated subdivisions and areas with higher ground are not susceptible to much hazards, as they are the more developed areas. They do experience power outages, but not as much as they used to. The most affected areas of the barangay are the informal settlements. These areas are the most populated and dense with buildings and structures. 

These informal settlements are very packed and are extremely close to each other. They are also made of refurbished materials, a lot of which are largely flammable such as wood or foam. Moreover, there is also a lot of debris and rummage in these said areas, with the hazards present in them such as candles that are left unattended and wires that weave through the houses. The density of buildings and abundance of risk factors in the area pose to be a hazard to the settlers of the area. However, according to the punong barangay, there has not been any major disasters that have struck the area in recent times. The most devastating natural calamities that have ravished the are typhoons, which causes flooding.

“Why is this the most potent natural disaster?” I asked. He went on to explain that the creek’s water level easily rises due to the amount of debris in the river itself and the man made garbage from the settlements and actual houses. Ondoy, Yolanda, Pablo, and most of the strongest tropical cyclones have caused the most flooding and damage to the area. Again, this is because there has been a lack of proper waste segregation, disposal of garbage, and lack of discipline amongst the citizens. These areas are not safe, but then again: most areas are not. Over the years, the flooding has not been as extreme as the previous typhoons the city has experienced. 

The local government of Paranaque, hand in hand with its local barangays, has already taken action and preventive measures towards making the community a safer place. As I have mentioned earlier, barangay San Antonio has taken preventive measures in order to prevent the risk of higher floods. This can be seen with the mesh bins and dumpsters around the area. This has helped citizens to change their lifestyle accordingly and work towards changing their attitude towards recycling. 

As all of these risk factors have been assessed and taken into mind, there are actions that have been taken for after the said disaster. Such as having designated evacuation centers in the area. These are some of the safest places in the barangay. One example is the Paranaque Sports and Social Hall, a multipurpose hall that is an evacuation center for the nearby settlers, both formal and informal. The hall is large enough to house several families. It is on higher ground, just beside the city hall and is properly ventilated. Beside this is another evacuation area, the San Antonio Highschool. Both of these buildings are in the heart of barangay San Antonio, located near all the local government units. 

In front of the city hall, there are several vehicles and rubber boats to help the residents in their time of need. The locals have also been taught, through programs and seminars, about proper segregation and a zero waste lifestyle. Although much has to be improved towards the norms and attitudes of the residents, there has been great progress towards making barangay San Antonio a safer, less risk-susceptible barangay. 

Other than this, I believe that our local government and the barangays under it have worked towards the betterment of disaster management. They have commissioned the rehabilitation of the drainage system in several villages and settlements in San Antonio. This, however, causes a lot of traffic in the area, especially along the main road, where the city hall is also situated. I think this is one of the best courses of action that the government has taken in order to tackle the situation. It is a permanent solution that helps control and mitigate the water level in order to prevent flash flooding in the area. 

Personally, I would suggest that the local barangay continues to empower and strengthen the values relating to keeping our environment clean and safe for everyone. Programs that would begin in the school setting and expand towards the local community, such as teaching in classroom settings and regular waste drives. As a student of the NSTP program of UST, I could apply what I learn and help out the local barangay to educate my neighbours and create a better fellowship towards the development and progression of our community. 

This situation, on such a small scale, is already very hard to assess. There’s much factors you have to have an understanding of, having to create a progressive and empowered community. This small situation says a lot about the general issues of the Philippines itself. Like the citizens of San Antonio, Filipinos have also begun to become more aware of their situation and how their interactions and attitudes affect the environment. We, as a people, lack an awareness of the consequences of our actions. But nevertheless, we still work to create safer spaces and better environments that resist these natural disasters and situations. 

After the kwentuhan I had with Honorable Pol Casale and the walk I had through the community I grew up in, I realized a lot of things. Mainly, it’s that the situation has really changed. The impoverished back then were more irresponsible and least likely to contribute to improving their own situation and of the general community. Today, we tend to be more inclusive as people. We’re more open to involving the lesser privileged in our plans and programs. This is a very critical factor in community development and empowerment, because there is a large population of impoverished people in various communities, throughout our own barangay, city, and even country. 

This is the main issue we need to address as Filipinos. The division of social classes and the effects of capitalism and modernization has lead us to regress as a people, prioritizing materialistic commodities over our own manpower. The power to progress is in the hands of the people, not just the government alone. To address the situation of the widening gap between social classes, we have to recognize the lower classes as people who are of our own. We all live in the same Metro, under the same sun, on the same little archipelago in the middle of the Pacific. 

As an individual, as a student, as a mover, as someone who is obligated and duty-bound to help uplift the situation of my people and my country, there are actions I must take in order to become a better, stronger contributor to the community. The actions I’m meant to take are to empower the communities I’m involved in through community development programs and join organizations that will help progress and empower the people. 

To conclude, there are several risk factors we have to manage, by assessing the environmental factors and constituents involved in helping to improve the community. This starts at the most basic level: with the people. You have the power to control your situation, creating a better, more susceptible environment and attitudes. The development of the community starts with you and once you’re done with that, you expend those energies outwards in order to help others. 

Hand in hand, with empowerment in mind, we control the circumstances.

We reduce the risks.

We manage them.