MINERVA BC NEWMAN
CEBU CITY— Limited resources and few policies
supporting the implementation of community-based disaster risk reduction and
management (CBDRRM) are key factors that hinder community resilience in small
islands in the Philippines.
This is according to a new study by the Harvard
Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) in partnership with the Ateneo de Manila
University and the University of Santo Tomas entitled “Community-based
leadership in disaster resilience: The case of small island community in
Hagonoy, Bulacan, Philippines” authored by Ateneo de Manila University’s Mark
Anthony Abenir, and HHI’s Lea Ivy Manzanero and Dr. Bollettino.
The HHI study report highlighted the case of
Pugad Island that applies to disaster-prone small island communities in the
Asia-Pacific and equatorial regions. The study examined the factors that
contribute to or impede the success of community-based leadership of the
residents of disaster-prone Barangay Pugad, popularly known as “Pugad Island”
in Bulacan Province in the Philippines to achieve disaster resilience.
The report said that financial aid and DRRM
policies are essential not only locally but also for all small island
communities in the Asia-Pacific and equatorial regions which face similar
disaster and climate-related challenges, especially when relocation to other
safer areas is not a feasible option.
HHI Resilient Communities Program Director Dr.
Vincenzo Bollettino said in a statement that support for low-lying island
communities throughout the Asia-Pacific must be a priority for the
international community.
“We know that these communities will have to
bear a terrible burden for a climate crisis they had virtually no role in
creating. Larger states have both a
strong moral and practical duty to support adaptation measures and think
through feasible strategies to support communities where forced migration is
inevitable,” Bollettino said.
According to HHI that the research used
participatory action where the researchers formed the 10-15-member community disaster
resilience assessment (CDRA) team in 2020. The team consisted of eight barangay
officials and one leader or representative from organized sectors of the
community such as women, fisherfolks, persons living with disabilities, youth,
adults, and the local church.
All
members of the CDRA team were above 21 years old and roughly half were females.
The data gathering and focus group discussions, in the Filipino language, were
held from February to April 2020.
Report
cites lack of budget and DRRM policies
The barangay officials and sectoral leaders or
representatives in Pugad Island have voluntarily undergone DRRM capability
training sessions and created their CBDRRM plans that have been well-integrated
into their overall barangay development plan.
However, the study found that the
community-based leadership in Pugad continues to struggle with limited funding
for the effective implementation of their CBDRRM plans. Pugad is not alone in this since the issue
they face is but a mere reflection of scarce resources across the entire
country.
The report cited that although there is an existence
of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF), the Local
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF), and the Quick Response
Fund (QRF) which is a portion of the NDRRMF, such financial resources are not
proportionally allocated across provinces and tend to be heavily focused on
disaster response rather than preparedness and resilience.
The report further explained that marginalized communities
in the country such as small island communities are prone to routine destructive
typhoons and being hit by only one can bring them to a disaster trap. Thus, it
is increasingly important for the government at all levels to focus on
pre-disaster investments.
The study report urges government units and
agencies to take a closer look at the situation of small island communities
under their jurisdiction because such communities need policy and financial
support in their CBDRRM plans.
The report further said that it will be good to
start with assisting such communities in terms of disaster risk financing and
disaster insurance education, alongside a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to
DRR and gender mainstreaming in disaster management.
HHI Study
recommendations: The report recommends that when tapping into
partnerships with development actors, Pugad’s community leaders must focus on
generating resources for pre-disaster investments, such as disaster risk
financing. It can include local government purchase of insurances to protect
government assets and actively promoting disaster insurance education to
grassroots communities through formal and informal strategies.
Formal strategies can include developing
policies to promote the use of disaster insurance in the public and private
sectors, allocating more resources for making disaster insurance affordable,
and integrating disaster insurance education in basic education.
Informal strategies can include role models and
testimony from local or community leaders, champions, and celebrities, and
promotion of disaster insurance education via community-based organizations to
reach the grassroots level.
For infrastructure, the study also proposed
that the residents in Pugad must invest in stilted housing rather than spending
much of their savings and external financial support they receive on regularly
fixing their damaged houses due to floods and land subsidence.
Stilted housing can be the most effective type
of adaptation strategy for people in small island communities in the
Philippines who choose to stay over relocation measures, the report suggested.
The study also noted the following other key
findings in Pugad that are crucial in CBDRRM: There is accountability,
transparency, and maintenance of peace and security of their community
leadership but getting the active participation of wider members in the
community remains a challenge.
There is consciousness in upholding the right
to life, liberty, and personal security but lacks policies and projects to make
people fully aware and claim their rights.
There is the inclusion of vulnerable sectors,
including women, in disaster risk reduction and management efforts through a
convergence strategy, but gender hierarchy and division of labor still permeate
in the community-based leadership. (Photos: HHI/Google Images)
