VM recommends tool to reduce risk of disaster

CEBU, Philippines - Vice Mayor Alfredo “Al” Arquillano of the municipality of San Francisco, Camotes revealed a strategy to reduce disaster risk by establishing an early warning system and organizing the community.

The “Hyogo Framework for Action” is an available tool that can be used by the community in order to reduce the disaster risk.

Arquillano earlier said that a disaster is waiting to happen in Cebu and the best thing to do is to establish an early warning system and organize the community.

He said that the Hyogo Framework for Action is an instrument that is building resilience of nations and communities to disasters and one of the existing instruments for this action is the “Purok System” in Camotes Island.

Arquillano was recognized for his work in empowering local communities in reducing disaster risks and adapting to climate change through the Purok System, which is an indigenous method of self-organization at the sub-village level.

He cited five basic steps to perform the said action which starts with prioritizing Disaster Risk Reduction. Second, know the risk and then do something about it. Third, increase the level of awareness. Fourth, reduce the risk and fifth is being prepared and ready to respond.

“This instrument is available. This is the guide to help the community to plan on what to do, if this will be done then the community will be resilient,” said Arquillano.

He also shared that the past leaders in the country had their lapses since he observed that the infrastructure came first before the development.

“Ang nahitabo man gud, nauwahi ang infrastructure kaysa sa development. Nabutang daan ang mga balay usa ang mga dalan ug mga drainages, (Infrastructure was overtaken by development. The houses were built first before roads and drainage.)” he said.

With last week’s floods, he thinks that Manila had not learned that much from the Ondoy experience in 2010.

“Kung naa silay gihimo aron dili na mahitabo balik ang na-experience nila pag-Ondoy, I don’t think dili ingon ana kadaku ilang nabuhat kay nabalik man gihapon. (If only they did something to prevent a repeat of their Ondoy ordeal. I don’t think they did something major to prevent that because it happened again.” he said.

He cited factors that caused the disaster which include climate change and that development led to denuded forests, concrete pavements, small canals and clogged drainages.

“We should focus on how we can reduce the risk. We’re so good at response, rescue and reconstruction it is unending compared to addressing the root cause of the disaster,” he said.

He acknowledges the government’s plan of investing 2.2 billion for a dike as a solution so that the flooding will never happen again.

“This is one of the mitigations, somehow naa nay masubayan ang tubig ug dili na moadto sa mga balay. At least it is a solution,(…the water will now be guided away from the houses),” he said.

Arquillano also encouraged local government units (LGUs) to prioritize Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and added that the flooding in Manila is already an eye-opener to the local leaders to prioritize disaster risk reduction.

He said that it should be a priority since it is protecting lives and properties and it is an investment.

Under Arquillano’s leadership, San Francisco won the UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2011, for its community empowerment program to boost the resilience of a mostly poor population living below the poverty line.

Arquillano also implemented a system of solid waste management that contributes to better sanitation and drainage, which considerably reduces the risk of floods caused by clogged waterways. It is now touted as a national best practice example and is also being shared with cities in other nations such as Bangladesh.

Under his leadership, San Francisco constructed a flood control dam in a particularly flood-prone barangay. Manual and digital rain gauges were installed that are serving as early warning device supported by Plan International Philippines. —(FREEMAN)