MSU-IIT hosts a forum on Mainstreaming Flood Disaster Preparedness

Iligan City – The MSU-IIT Sustainable Development Studies Program of the School of Graduate Studies and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension partnered with ECOWEB and CAFOD in hosting a forum on Mainstreaming Flood Disaster Preparedness on Friday, January 13, 2012. Mainstreaming basically means an approach in responding to a hazard which necessitates massive information drive to make all stakeholders be informed about the impact of the calamities, their responsibilities in reducing risk and their roles in the implementation of the action plan. Representatives from civil society organizations, government entities and private sectors joined the affair.

The first resource person Dir. Malu Fellizar - Cagay of the Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP) shared The PHILIPPINE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT (DRRM) Act of 2010 which is REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10121. It’s an “An Act Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System, Providing for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Framework and Institutionalizing the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan, Appropriating Funds Therefore and for Other Purposes” This law highlights disaster prevention and risk reduction rather than emergency relief and response. She explained 5 priorities for action for disaster risk reduction, namely: Vulnerability Reduction, Risk Assessment, Governance, Knowledge Management and Disaster Preparedness. Vulnerability refers to people’s exposure to risk due to one major reason: the geographical location. Philippines for instance is located in the western segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the most active part of the earth, were the active volcanoes and earthquake generators are found. Also, Philippines is located in the Pacific typhoon belt. Hence, the country experiences an average of 20 earthquakes a day and an average of 20 typhoons a year, 5 of which are said to be destructive. Those living along the river banks, seashore and landslide prone areas need to transfer to other locations to reduce vulnerability. She also emphasized the role of the government specially the Local Government Officials to have political will in implementing the law. It’s a matter of consistently and diligently pushing forward the advocacy to make things work. Risk assessment delves on the evaluation of the level of existing risk and potential hazards that may cause harm to human beings, environment and properties. This leads to tailored-suit planning and forecasting for risk preparedness.

Dir. Regina Antequisa of the Ecosystems Work for Essential Benefits, Inc.  (ECOWEB) facilitated a participative identification on the vulnerabilities to disaster risks and the local capacities to respond to the identified hazards. The participants wrote their answers through meta cards and were placed on the board. Several hazards were pointed out including flashfloods, landslide and storm. On the socio-economic aspect, poverty tops the list. This includes poor design of houses and its location in disaster-prone areas. Lack of early warning signs, lack of expertise and disaster unpreparedness were also brought out. Then the local capacities were assessed to include the budget, equipment and infrastructures, a number of volunteers and cooperation from all sectors of government and non-government organizations. It is in the hope that the capacities will be maximized to respond to the existing predicament and future calamities.

Dr. Rex Victor O. Cruz, Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Los BaÑos was the second resource person who talked about the practical guidelines for Integrating Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. He shared the predisposing factors to flooding like rugged topography, steep terrain, narrow valleys and plains, erodible soil, poor vegetation cover and reduced infiltration. If there will be an excessive rainfall, erodible soil is prone to landslide because of its composition. In the recent Sendong typhoon, the heavy rainfall has caused the narrow valleys of Barangay Rogongon become widened from 1 meter to 16 meters wide. Some portions of the forest eroded which brought muddy water to the lowland areas.  He also pointed out aggravating factors such as the rising sea level in which waterflow heading towards it will be blocked. Participants confirmed that it was high tide during the onslaught of the Sendong Typhoon. Moreover, Dr. Cruz elaborated ways to respond to floods like sustained public education and information about flood risks and the proper response to risk. This is very important so that everyone will be vigilant should there be signs of calamities. “Effective communication is seeing people take appropriate action, he shared.” Improved management of forests was also discussed which should be a multi-stakeholder driven approach for better results. 

The third resource person was Dr. Nathaniel C. Bantayan, Head of the UPLB Geographic Information System and Environmental Modeling Specialist. His topic focused on Estimating the Impact of Natural Hazards Using GIS & Remote Sensing. He shared the importance of geographic information system as a basis for evaluating the impact of the hazards. The updated information will be valuable to researchers and decision makers on what will be done should calamities strike and to what extent is the damage that needs timely response. He also talked about remote sensing. The energy coming from the sun will be absorbed by the earth’s surface, the reflection of which will be analyzed in a satellite sensor. This will serve as the source of data for receiving stations subject to relevant interpretation of experts for users’ appreciation. 

Inquisitive participants heighten up the informative nature of the forum. One lady challenged everyone to implement everything in CLUP because it seemed that “it is just on the table.” She further suggested that it’s about time to localize the plan by applying it in the community level where constituents are made informed of their roles and are encouraged to take part in the clarion call for risk prevention and disaster preparedness. Another person voiced out that activities such as the forum should not just be for compliance, but more of an advocacy that everyone should be involved with.

Dr. Alita Roxas, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies expressed her gratitude to everyone who took part in the said forum. It is indeed a jumpstart for an action planning for disaster risk reduction and management in the city. “The flashflood in Iligan way back 2007 ignited a call for preparedness but when streets were cleaned and houses restored, plans were forgotten,” she remembered. Hence, she encouraged everyone to join hands in responding to the situation as well as in facing future disasters.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sukarno Tanggol, Chancellor of MSU-IIT commended the organizers of the forum for it is indeed timely considering the devastating effects of the flashfloods caused  by Sendong typhoon. On this note, he said that we need an accurate forecast and complete scientific data to be better prepared. He further emphasized that disaster preparedness needs much collaboration from all levels of the society including the community whose constituents will be greatly affected when calamity occurs. A multi-disciplinary approach is indeed important. Good governance, he recalled from his learning in Public Administration courses, necessitates partnership - a collaboration between and among government and non-government sectors.