yabilavadia

[yabilavadia]

Barangay San Gabriel Tuguegarao City, Cagayan

Disasters can happen anytime and anywhere. With that possibility, different barangays all over the Philippines have their own ways in order to combat future challenges and minimize the number of possible casualties. For this specific topic, I went to the barangay hall to answer my curiosity about my grandmother’s barangay, which is Brgy. San Gabriel in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan preparedness whenever there will be disasters that will hit the barangay where I belong. I was able to interview one of the barangay kagawad which is my grandmother, Mrs. Juana S. Lavadia, to give answers to my curiosity.

The questions asked were divided into three different sets to better address the questions orderly.

Under the topic HAZARD IDENTIFICATIONMy first (1st) question was all about the disasters that hit the barangay. Just last week, a widespread flash flood engulfed a big portion of Tuguegarao City, including Barangay San Gabriel. This was caused by the non-stop rain due to the tail end of a cold front triggered by the monsoon and the Super Typhoon Tisoy that struck the Visayas regions. The flood affected almost all of the constituents of Barangay San Gabriel even if geographically, the village is situated at a higher area than other Barangays. The barangay does not experience flooding like other places in the city as well.

For my second (2nd) question, I asked what are the dangers that affected our community. She then narrated that besides the natural calamities, the dangers than can affect the community are the man-made disasters like chemical hazards brought by burning of plastic and toxic materials which are now banned by the law. This greatly contributes to the climate change which is a very big problem right now.

For my third (3rd) question, I asked about the signs if there is an imminent catastrophe. Fortunately, there are easily accessible media where concerned agencies like the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration, PHILVOLCS, OCD, NDRRMC can send out alerts regarding incoming calamities.

For my fourth (4th) query, I asked how frequent disasters happen in our barangay. Though it can’t be predicted, it can be stated that calamities pass through the community on a quarterly basis.

Next topic I tackled during the interview was all about VULNERABILITY, ASSESSMENT AND PEOPLE AT RISK

The first (1st) question I asked under this topic are the people that will be most affected in case of any disasters, where is the most vulnerable area and the safest place to go in case of any emergencies. It is said that the villagers with houses constructed at the Maya Street in this barangay will likely to be affected the most.

For my second (2nd) question, I asked about the problems of the barangay that he believes is hindering the barangay from developing. One thing that can be observed that is a hindrance against the growth and the comeback of the community after being hit by a calamity is the waste management. Some people just tend to dump their garbage or the things that aren’t useful anymore with no proper segregation. This becomes a big problem when the garbage gets piled up on the streets.

Another topic is all about CAPACITY AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT

For my first (1st) and second (2nd) queries, I asked what the barangay is doing in preparation / evacuation and in the event of any major danger such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes. She showed us a paper containing their plans in case of any disasters. He further explained about what is written on the paper which is that they assigned tasks to different teams to oversee different situations. Some are responsible for the traffic flow, food, evacuation, security maintenance, fire, relief operations and medical support. Other than that, there are those who volunteered themselves to help in the barangay in case of any emergencies. He also said that they have trainings and seminars for the people, especially those in their team, to better prepare them of any disasters.

For my third (3rd) question, I asked about the current programs, systems, tools, facilities or capabilities does the barangay have that can help people, services and livelihoods recover from the impact of the disaster. He reiterated about the barangay’s action plan, seminars and trainings, taking drills seriously, such as the earthquake drill conducted nationwide just previously. He also said that the barangay has four different evacuation centers that catered to the people way back 2017 when the big fire happened that until now is serving its purpose.

For my last question (4th) under this topic, I asked who are in charge of preparing, dealing with and responding to disasters. Primarily, the barangay officials are tasked to carry out the preparations before the calamity strikes. They will then be assisted by the city local government and the Philippine national police when needed. She said that the different teams are in charge, with the guidance and help of the admins and kagawads as well in case of any problems that might occur.

After the interview with Kagawad Lavadia, I walked around my barangay and captured some photos that best portray the following:

a.  Hazardous practice-  As mentioned in the interview by Kagawad Lavadia, the barangay’s biggest problem is the garbage management. I think that the insufficient trash cans around are the biggest factors why there are a lot of garbage being collected. Here is one example of a hazardous or unwanted practice.

b.  Safest Space-  The streets around the barangay are rather clean and peaceful, therefore I can say that I consider these places as the safest space. During the interview, She was able to share that they make sure that the streets around the barangay are always safe.

c.  Best Practices-  Even with the garbage problem in the area, they still do their best to combat these and here is one example. It is garbage container where we put our weekly wastes. I think that even if the barangay is facing garbage problems, they still do their best to provide the people a solution to the problem and I think that it helps the people in cleaning their spaces and observing proper segregation.

After the interview and my “walk” around the barangay, I begun to appreciate the actions done by the barangay to secure the safety of the people in case of any disasters that will happen. Since my family frequently stays at my grandparents’ house during vacation, I also felt somewhat safer because of the details I learned and it is good that I have knowledge about the places I can go to and must avoid in case of any emergencies. Like what they say, it is really better to know something just in case of sudden calamities. I have also learned that proper waste management will really help a lot in decreasing the effect of calamities.