Start Network started piloting disaster risk financing (DRF) approaches to move from reacting to crises, to proactively managing risks, so that we can ensure faster, more efficient, and more effective locally-led humanitarian action. Disaster risk financing as defined by START Network (2021) integrates the elements of science-based risk modeling, contingency planning, and pre-agreed financing to prompt humanitarian funding in situations that meet the threshold. This session was conducted with the aim of achieving the following objectives:
Background of the Sessions during the Webinar
Start Network supports inclusive locally-led structures to own, develop and implement financing strategies and systems in their contexts. In the Philippines, Start Network conducted studies to collect baseline information needed to establish a DRF system that is appropriate for the Philippine context. In this meeting, the outputs of three research studies on disaster risk management (DRM) financial flows, impact, vulnerability analysis, and gender mainstreaming will be shared to Start Network Members and local CSO partners in the Philippines.
Start Network is made up of more than 50 aid agencies across five continents, ranging from large international organizations to national NGOs. Together, our aim is to transform humanitarian action through innovation, fast funding, early action, and localization. Through the START Network, members and partners can quickly access funding for projects to save lives before a disaster strikes.
The need for disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures rises with more frequent and stronger disasters. Thus, disaster risk financing (DRF) systems should be prompt, adequate, and responsive to cater to the needs of the vulnerable sector, especially in the Philippines, being the ninth most vulnerable country in the world (Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft, 2020). However, disaster risk management (DRM) funding in the country is insufficient and unpredictable (Villacin, 2017), indicating deficiencies in the national DRF architecture. The development of a robust risk financing mechanism has been hampered by a lack of information on the nature, volume, and flows of funds from various sources.
This document showcases a three-year snapshot of Disaster Risk Financing in the Philippines.
View and download the full document here.
INCREASE recognizes the key role that local communities play in preparing for disastrous events. Hence, it conducts community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) training sessions to reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen people’s capacity to cope with hazards. As a supplementary material, this tarpaulin was created to remind local communities of the features of CBDRM.
INCREASE or “Philippines – Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards” aims to aims to increase the resilience of 45,00 women and men small scale farmers and fishers, including 720 extremely poor female-headed households, to natural hazards and the effect of climate change. The project will run from 2019-2021 in different parts of the Philippines, namely 36 barangays across 8 municipalities in the provinces of Cagayan, Mt. Province, Northern Samar, and Surigao del Sur. Its project components and activities include early warning systems, alternative livelihood, and climate and disaster governance.
INCREASE conducts contingency planning workshops along with local actors and vulnerable sectors to enable timely, effective, and appropriate response in the event of a disaster. The characteristics of a good contingency plan were summarized in this IEC material so community members and leaders can recall the concepts and apply them accordingly.
INCREASE or “Philippines – Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards” aims to aims to increase the resilience of 45,00 women and men small scale farmers and fishers, including 720 extremely poor female-headed households, to natural hazards and the effect of climate change. The project will run from 2019-2021 in different parts of the Philippines, namely 36 barangays across 8 municipalities in the provinces of Cagayan, Mt. Province, Northern Samar, and Surigao del Sur. Its project components and activities include early warning systems, alternative livelihood, and climate and disaster governance.
Strengthening BDRRMC capacities as a sustainable mechanism for IRM
by Brgy. Captain Edilberto Lacaba, Brgy. Badiangay, Sta. Fe
Barangay Badiangay is one of 20 barangays in the municipality of Sta Fe that is high-risk to flooding. It is four kilometres away from the town center, and situated in the interior part of the municipality. To reach Badiangay, one needs to ride a motorbike or “habal-habal,” the primary mode of transportation going in and out of the barangay. There are three sitios in the barangay namely Sitios Kamalig, Batoon and Proper. A total of 175 households or 710 individuals make up the whole barangay in which majority are children.
Both sides of the road leading to the barangay are bordered by rice fields, with a few houses dotting the sides of the road. Areas that used to be planted with coconuts have now been broken up to small patches of land planted with vegetables and root crops. Majority of the people work in rice fields as tenants or farm laborers. As farm laborers, they get paid P150-200 pesos for a whole day’s work. During lean months they work as laborers, house helpers or sales ladies in the neighbouring town of Palo or Tacloban. There is no water system that brings water into the homes directly. Drinking water in the barangay is delivered once a week by a truck from the Leyte Metro Water District (LMWD). The residents pay P5.00 per container of water. For bathing and washing, they fetch water from an open well near their houses. This has been the situation in the barangay for the longest time and is considered as normal for everyone.
Such is the situation of the barangay which Edilberto Lacaba calls home.
Edilberto Lacaba is the soft spoken and shy barangay chairman of Badiangay. Once you engage him in a discussion, however, he speaks with seriousness and sincerity. He explains that Barangay Badiangay is a low lying barangay surrounded by the Bobonon River from neighbouring barangay San Isidro and Dapdap and Malaihaw rivers from barangay Gapas, all in the eastern part of the barangay. Water coming from these rivers traverses their barangay thus with only a few hours of strong rain, flood is an inevitable hazard they experience. This constant flooding exacerbates the already difficult economic and physical conditions of the residents of Barangay Badiangay.
According to some elderly in the barangay, in the 1960’s they already experienced flooding. Back then they just stayed within the barangay and wait for flood waters to recede. They would only evacuate to the barangay proper or in some private houses that have second floors when water is knee or waist high. Flooding, at that time, does not reach the barangay proper. Only the two sitios (Batoon and Kamalig) were heavily flooded. Kap Edilberto says it’s different now. Flood waters reach up to 8 feet high, covering their roofs and also reaching the barangay proper. When Typhoon Senyang hit Leyte in the last week of December of 2014, it brought the worst flooding ever experienced in the barangay. The whole barangay was inundated. Left with no choice, they evacuated to the municipal gymnasium of Sta. Fe. Most of their belongings were left behind because they could only bring what they can carry. The fathers were left to take care of their farm animals and other valuables left behind. They built bamboo rafts and stayed on guard of their properties until the flood water subsided.
This was also the time when Edilberto, then the first Kagawad of Badiangay, was forced to act as the head of their barangay because of the untimely death of their Barangay Captain. He did not wish to be a First Kagawad in the first place. Being a Barangay Captain was farthest from his mind. His reluctance was based on his idea that being a Chairman is an enormous responsibility and this would require a 24-7 commitment from him. He was not sure then if he was up to that challenge. But he did heed the challenge after the people of Badiangay showed their support for him.
When ACCORD conducted the series of trainings on Disaster Risk Reduction as part of Promoting Recovery and Enhancing Resilience of the Most Vulnerable Communities that are Most Affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the barangay officials of Badiangay were not so enthusiastic to participate. Their initial reaction was the usual reaction ACCORD gets from almost all barangays and municipalities encountered for the first time. Flooding was a normal occurrence in their barangay and they have gotten used to it and besides, they have already attended numerous DRR trainings conducted by other organizations. But out of respect to ACCORD, the trainings pushed through.
As the series of trainings unfold, they started to see the difference. They observed that the activities during workshops are hands-on and based on their actual experiences. Every activity involved the community’s participation, and they can proudly claim every output as their own. Above all, the successive DRR trainings by ACCORD made them realize that they can do something to minimize the ill effects of flooding in their barangay, that they have capacities to improve their situation. After the community-based DRM training for barangay officials in Sta. Fe, Kap Edilberto surprised us when he made the commitment to accept the challenge posed by ACCORD. He will try to the best of his abilities to pursue the path towards resilience.
Indeed, because of the firm commitment Kap Edilberto made, and the changes showed by his fellow barangay officials, the BDRRMC of Badiangay evolved into a learning and responsible organization. Even Kap Edilberto said that BDRRMC officials and members were not active at first, but they showed they can change. Even the community members were not as participative at first. So much so that when ACCORD chose Badiangay to be one of two barangays to conduct a community flood drill, Kap Edilberto was worried if they could muster the support of the majority of the residents to participate in the drill. But he was challenged because this is what their community needs.
The community flood drill was nothing but successful. BDRRMC members and the whole community actively participated in all of the community activities leading to the drill. He was amazed at the seemingly unending stream of volunteers to do all the technical jobs required and all the public awareness activities that had to be done to ensure that everyone in the community was adequately informed. He also acknowledged that part of the strengthening process of the BDRRMC is the opportunity it provided to work with the MDRRMC. And they are happy to note that the MDRRMC has started to recognize its role in supporting the actions of the BDRRMCs.
When asked about his reflections of the project, Kap Edilberto said that what he appreciates most was the series of DRR capacity-building activities that aimed at strengthening their BDRRMC. He still could not believe that they were able to formulate their Contingency Plan and was able to test it through the community drill. Lessons learned were that if people are informed, they will participate. If the BDRRMC members understand DRR, and their responsibilities, they will eventually be active. Just like him, he said he also learned by doing. And what one does must be propelled by a sincere resolve to increase the capacities of a very high risk and vulnerable community.
To view and download a copy of this story, please click here.
Integrated Risk Management Training Manual (4 modules) Contents:
This manual is written for facilitators who will conduct training in communities that are vulnerable to various hazards.
It may also be useful for members of disaster risk reduction and management bodies in schools and at the community, barangay, city, and municipal levels; and other non-government organizations.
It is written in Filipino and presents the technical subject matter in terms that are easily understandable, and in a format that is easily readable. Among other resources, it contains tools to conduct community risk assessments.
Register to access and download the modules here.
(Building back better and safer by mainstreaming DRR in shelter project)
Ni Cristita Villablanca
Bgy. Macaalang, Dagami
Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat. Ako si Cristita Villablanca isang residente ng Brgy. Macaalang, Dagami, Leyte at isa sa mga napiling miyembro ng roving team sa shelter project ng CARE at ACCORD. Noong hindi pa tumatama ang bagyong Yolanda, masasabi ko na maayos ang pamumuhay sa barangay namin sa kadahilanang marami pa ang nakukuhang produkto sa niyog tulad ng copra na siyang pangunahing kabuhayan ng karamihan ng mga residente. Masasabi ko rin na sa mga panahon na iyon ay medyo nakaka-angat ang mga tao dahil marami pa ang nakakapag-aral ng high school sa poblacion ng barangay. Napansin ko rin dati na sa paggawa ng bagong bahay ay walang sinusunod na mga pamamaraan sa pagtayo o pagkukumpuni. Basta makagawa lang ng bahay ay tama na.
Sa pagtama ng Bagyong Yolanda ay naranasan namin ang pinaka matinding pagsubok na nangyari sa barangay namin. Halos naubos ang lahat ng pananim. Natumba halos lahat ng mga niyog. Nasira lahat ng mga bahay namin. Nagutom, naghirap at nagdusa kaming lahat. Nawala ang pangunahing pinagkukunan namin ng ikinabubuhay – ang mga niyog. Nagresulta ito sa paghinto ng mga anak namin sa pag aaral at lalong tumindi ang paghihirap namin.
Dumaan ang ilang buwan bago namin nakilala ang CARE at ACCORD. Noong Pebrero 2014, nagdala sila ng pagkain sa aming barangay na nagpagaan ng konti sa aming kalagayan. Lumipas ulit ang ilang buwan, bumalik ang CARE at ACCORD noong Agosto. Sa panahon na ito, ay hindi na food kung hindi ay shelter repair kits naman ang dala nila sa aming barangay. Dito na sa shelter project ako ay naging aktibong nakibahagi sa proyekto ng ACCORD bilang community mobilizer ng Shelter Roving Team.
Ang shelter roving team o SRT ay binubuo ng dalawang panday na lalaki at isang community mobilizer na babae na taga-barangay din. Nabuo ang SRT bilang isang pamamaraan na masiguro na nagagawa ang mga itinatayo o kinukumpuning mga bahay ayon sa mga tinurong mga teknik sa BBBS.
Nagkaroon kami ng mga pagsasanay para sa mga panday para ituro ang ibat ibang pamamaraan na mas mapatibay ang aming mga tirahan. Dito ko nalaman ang ibat ibang estilo sa pagpapatibay tulad ng 3 feet dapat ang minimum na lalim ng mga poste at dapat ay may ginawang ankla sa ilalim nito para hindi madaling madala ng hangin ang bahay pag bumagyo. Ang maganda pa dito ay kahit hindi panday ay maaaring sumama sa training upang matuto.
Marami akong natutunan sa pagiging community mobilizer ng roving team. Bilang community mobilizer, responsibilidad ko ang pag-monitor sa mga ginagawang mga bahay. Tinitignan ko kung nasusunod nga ba ang mga tinurong pamamaraan ng pagpatibay ng bahay. Sinusundan ko ang pagsimula at pagtapos at ang mga may problemang paggawa. Ang mga bagay na dati ay mga lalaki lang ang may alam sa barangay namin ay nagbago na. Alam ko na din ngayon, at ng iba pang mga nanay. Kailangan kong malaman ng mabuti upang alam ko din ang mga hindi tama ang pagkakagawa. Umabot din sa punto na habang isinasagawa ang proyekto sa barangay, ang mga nagpapanday na mismo ang nagtatanong sa akin kung eksakto at tama ba ang ginagawa nila. Minsan din hindi maiwasan na pinapaulit ko ang ginawa nila. Kinakailangan ng masinsing pag papaliwanag at pagpapaintindi na dapat maayos ang pagkakagawa ng mga bahay dahil kami din mismo ang titira at makikinabang.
Naging bago rin para sa akin at sa buong barangay ang naging paraan ng pagpapatupad ng shelter repair project ng ACCORD. Ang pagtatayo ng mga bahay ay isinasagawa sa pamamagitan ng bayanihan. May mga grupo o cluster na binubuo ng 10 pamilyang magkakalapit/magkakatabi. Inuunang pagtutulngang itayo ang mga bahay ng mga bulnerableng pamilya –mga bahay ng senior citizen o mga bahay na nanay na lamang ang nagtataguyod sa kanilang pamilya, at mga bahay ng mga PWD. Naging mahirap sa umpisa pero nagawang tapusin ng mga tao ang proyekto gamit ang pamamaraan na yun. Masasabi ko na maraming naging magandang resulta ang nagawang shelter project sa aming barangay. Nagawang magbayanihan para sa barangay na nagpakita na may napakalaking kapasidad pala kami. Nakita namin na ang pagtutulungan pala ay makadulot ng mas mabilisang paggawa at mas mura nguni’t maayos na paraan sa pagtayo ng mga matitibay na bahay.
Napakalaki ng pasasalamat namin sa CARE at ACCORD lalo na sa mga staff na pabalik-balik sa barangay kahit na mahirap ang daan. Ipinapangako ko, at namin sa barangay na hindi masasayang ang mga nadalang tulong sa amin at lalo na sa mga naiturong pamamaraan sa paggawa ng bahay na hindi na namin malilimutan.
Ika-26 ng Nobyembre 2015
to view and download a copy of this story, please click here.
When Typhoon Monang battered the coastal village of Sabang in1993, massive swells from the ocean engulfed houses near the shore and killed scores of residents. One local recalls fleeing her home under the heavy downpour together with her cousin, and losing grip of the other girl as raging flood waters swept them away. Her cousin wasfound dead the next day. This grim episode in the villagers’ collective memory has left them fearful of news of approaching storms. Preventing such tragedies was ACCORD’s mission in Calabanga, a municipality in Camarines Sur that is home to 11 storm surgeprone coastal villages, one of which is Sabang. This was done by implementing a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) program complemented by an Ecosystem Management and Restoration (EMR) strategy.
This approach requires the active and meaningful participation of local communities. Empowering them to become active participants rather than victims means equipping them with the proper tools to assess their risks and vulnerabilities, and guiding them through capacity trainings and education. This will help them plan courses of action that are well-adapted to existing hazards and their own social context. Incorporating EMR into the process will augment the overall results of the program, for instance, by creating healthier ecosystems which may decrease disaster risks in both coastal and upland communities and also contribute to creating sustainable livelihood opportunities.
ACCORD supported building the capacity of residents against climate and disaster risks while mainstreaming the protection and management of natural resources in communities that are located near the shores and in upland areas. Part of its DRR program in Barangay Sabang is the introduction of mangrove reforestation as a small-scale mitigation measure to help reduce the adverse impacts of disasters in this time of anthropogenically-induced climate change.
A similar approach of rehabilitating ecosystems to complement disaster risk reduction and management was introduced in barangays and municipalities of Davao de Oro and Agusan del Sur. ACCORD and CARE implemented EMR activities such as riparian reforestation using indigenous tree species, slope erosion mitigation, and tree planting in portions of the upper Agusan River basin, and the Agusan Marsh.
Years after the implementation period of the projects described in this study – one project was launched in 2009 and the other, in 2015 – ACCORD continues to nurture ties with these communities and link them with opportunities for capacity building. The communities have also been able to sustain their EMR efforts.
View and download the full document here.
Originally Written: August 19, 2014
By Darwin Masacupan
This feature story was also published online by Rappler.com in time for World Humanitarian Day 2014
If you asked her if she thought of herself as a humanitarian hero, the shy and unassuming Nay Belen would probably tell you, “Di naman (Not really).” But indeed she is. She is one of the products of the ACCORD model to disaster risk reduction – building the capacity of the most vulnerable so that they themselves can work towards strengthening their resilience. From beneficiary to community volunteer to full-time staff, Nay Belen is an archetype of someone empowered to serve others like her.
Vulnerability
Evelyn Asaldo, fondly called Nay Belen, is a native of Calabanga, Camarines Sur, She has been married to her husband Edwin since 1982; their union has been blessed with 8 children. She helps her husband, a fisherman, by making pawid (nipa shingle). Combined, they make up to PhP 150.00 (around US $3.50) per day. It was a happy but difficult life. They really had to work themselves to the bone just to make ends meet.
In 2006 came Reming (international name: Durian), one of the strongest typhoons the Philippines has ever experienced. With wind speeds reaching up to a maximum of 320 kph, the storm washed out and totally damaged their house.
She considers herself fortunate to be chosen as a beneficiary of three successive projects CARE Nederland and Assistance and Cooperation for Community Resilience and Development (ACCORD) in partnership with the Disaster Preparedness Programme of the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (DIPECHO) implemented in the aftermath of Typhoon Reming. But it was ACCORD’s fortune that Nay Belen was willing to be more.
Knowledge
The three projects under DIPECHO focused on strengthening the risk reduction capacities of schools, local authorities, and high-risk communities like her own. This included the conduct of several trainings by ACCORD in their barangay, which seemed to have quenched her thirst.
She has always had a thirst for knowledge. Not satisfied with merely attending trainings, Nay Belen volunteered as a community facilitator. She helped the staff not only in preparing visual aids and other workshop materials but more importantly in encouraging her neighbors and friends to attend.
Seeing that Nay Belen had potential, the staff asked her to undergo further training as a community facilitator – and that training was in front of teachers. She recalls, “I prepared well for my session on evacuation center management, but I still buckled down in front of them.”
It took an ACCORD staff pulling her into a room and telling her that she already knew these things which the teachers still have to learn to steel her nerves. She came back, continued, and aced her first workshop session.
Courage
In 2011, after five years, the ACCORD projects in the area were ending. As one of the trained community facilitators, Nay Belen was absorbed into the structure of the municipality. The new mayor of Calabanga had committed to continue the disaster risk reduction initiatives started by ACCORD. Nay Belen served as a community organizer in the municipal solid waste management program.
One year later, ACCORD contacted her and offered her a job as full-time staff. Nay Belen recalls, “I could not believe it myself. Why me? Can I do it?” They told her that they wanted her because she had lots of initiative and familiarity with the organization’s model. With the blessing of her family, she accepted and left the province of Camarines Sur for the first time in her life.
She was first assigned to Isabela province for the Scale Up Build Up Project (SUBU), which aimed to build on and replicate the successes of the earlier projects in partnership with DIPECHO. This was then followed by an emergency response project in Malinao, Aklan for those affected by Typhoon Yolanda in partnership with the United Kingdom’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).
She felt pangs of loneliness at times, saying that “I was happy because not everyone is given the chance to serve in other areas, but it was also hard to be away from your family.”
Nay Belen soldiered on though, and she found capacities she never thought she had. She experienced coordination work. “At first, I was intimidated at having to talk to the mayor and the municipal disaster risk reduction and management officer. But they were very kind and accommodating, so those fears went away.”
She was also assigned to do validation of beneficiaries’ selection and monitoring of shelter repairs. “I enjoyed it, because I was able to go house to house and meet people like me. To be able to help them was a blessing.” She did a lot of walking under the heat of the sun, riding the habal-habal (motorcycle with an extended seat for an extra passenger) into mountainous areas, and crossing rivers. Volunteers in the area who went with her would exclaim, “Ang bilis mo Nay! (You are too fast).”
Gratitude
She gives a lot of credit for what she has achieved to the rights-based approach taught by ACCORD in its trainings. “When it was first discussed with us, I cried. They told us that everyone has the capacity to be part of community development. It doesn’t matter if you did not finish college as long as you are willing and open to new ideas. It really resonated with me,” she shares.
She experienced it first-hand in how the staff treated her. Nay Belen recalls, “They did not treat me differently. They gave me lots of encouragement and always answered my questions when I was not sure of what I was doing. That motivated me to always give my best.”
Leadership
At 52 years old, Nay Belen is an example that age doesn’t matter. She did not finish high school but she managed to pass the Alternative Learning System (ALS) test last year, which earns her the equivalent of a high school diploma. She has also been trying to learn working with computers, though she admits that her speed in typing leaves much to be desired.
She has just recently left the organization to handle family-related concerns. But she says that she is willing to return once asked, saying that “ACCORD helped mold me. I want to show them that despite my age, my learnings can still be put to good use – in the service of others. ”
View and download a PDF version of this article here.
Originally Written: October 2, 2014
By Sindhy Obias
Teaching is undoubtedly hard work. But for teachers in a small school that is flooded for at least three months in a year, the challenges are even more complex.
Such are the circumstances of the elementary and high school teachers in Barangay Maharlika, one of the river barangays of Talacogon in Agusan del Sur province. Talacogon is part of the Agusan marsh, which serves as the catch basin of the Agusan-Davao plain in Eastern Mindanao. With its geographic location, communities along Agusan River like Barangay Maharlika experience slow-onset and prolonged flooding during the months of December until March.
Maharlika Elementary School and its adjacent Maharlika High School have both five teachers, covering 204 and 58 elementary and high school students, respectively.
Travel to schools from the municipality’s Poblacion, around 25 kilometres away, normally takes two hours. Travel is by hired habal-habal (motorcycle) going to a small wharf in Barangay La Flora, and from there, a one hour and 30 minutes boat ride. During flooding season, Agusan River swells and transforms La Flora and other barangays along the river into a huge lake.
Mrs. Bennel Joy Vistal, the Head Teacher of Maharlika Elementary School said that teachers went through a lot of adjustments when they were assigned in the school. To be away from their family, to fit in the community’s language and culture, and work with insufficient school budget, were some of the struggles they had to deal with at the start.
But the most challenging part of their job, according to Ma’am Joy, comes during the flooding and typhoon season. For one, teachers like her who do not know how to swim are afraid of the water and have to be extra careful. Ma’am Joy recalls that, despite being at the community for almost nine years, her knees would shake after riding a small canoe – the usual mode of transportation available. There was an instance when a boat capsized and a fellow teacher nearly drowned, had it not been for community residents who rescued her in time.
Annually, for three months, land in the barangay is practically out of sight. Flood water, usually rising up to 20 feet high, would inundate the classrooms and turn the whole school grounds into a huge lake. Typhoon Agaton, which was experienced early this year, brought more rains than the previous years and caused the flood to rise up to 30 feet high. Frequent flooding would leave damages to school buildings, fixtures like chairs and tables, and learning materials.
Despite these difficulties, the teachers are happy with the strong ties and good relationships they have with the community and their students. Respect, trust, and solidarity are some of the values that the school teachers, students, and parents share as one community. The parents helped construct the floating cottages to house the teachers who are not residents at the barangay but would stay during the flooding season. Those who have houses that are big enough willingly offer to accommodate the children and use their houses as temporary classrooms.
Conducting the classes in floating houses would require teachers’ creativity, according to Ma’am Joy. They need to keep in mind that a floating house with too many children inside may capsize. This would mean less movement and classroom activities for have to be limited to story-telling and “desk work.” However, there are no desks and chairs, the students would all sit on the floor designated by their teachers.
It also helped that the schools and the community are part of the DRR Program of CARE Nederland and its partners ACCORD and AADC – the Scale Up, Build Up Project which concluded last year, and the Partners for Resilience Project which is being implemented until next year. Ma’am Joy shared that the lessons they learned from capacity-building activities contributed to their heightened awareness on the risks that they are facing and provided them clear directions in addressing these risks. These learnings are important and timely for them, now that the hazards are becoming more extreme and more frequent. Through the discussions and workshops on integrating disaster risk reduction in their School and Community Improvement Plan, they were able to identify the measures to improve their conditions. The floating cottages for teachers were, in fact, conceived during one of their planning workshops. Floating cottages were made stronger to withstand strong winds during typhoons. They also realized that school investments for development like putting up structures should be well-planned, with the main consideration on the situation of the community. They have built a concrete fence in the past, only to be damaged by frequent flooding and typhoon. They now plan to use bamboos for the fence instead.
Communicating the risks and influencing the community to deal with the concerns related to disaster risk reduction, ecosystem management and restoration, and climate change adaptation are also some of the roles that the teachers are taking on. Classroom discussions now include lessons on DRR, EMR, and CCA to bring these concepts into the consciousness of the young students.
The schools plan to have mobile boats for the students. They are also thinking to have more “dormitory-type” cottages to house the children who are coming from far-flung areas in the barangay. Planting bamboos with the community is also one of the activities that the schools want to do.
Although the municipality of Talacogon plans to relocate the residents in the future, the community and the school have to go with the flow of rising waters whenever the Agusan River swells.