LDRRMP FORMULATION FRAMEWORK
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Plans, Policies, Programs
International Level
As mentioned earlier, one of the proponents, Ramon Ilagan, is the incumbent Mayor of the Municipality of Cainta. And during his nine-year term, he has been invited to four international meetings and conferences that focus on Disaster Risk Reduction and/or Climate Change. He identified two international organizations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), as partners in translating and transferring global policies and programs into more concrete implementation activities at the local level. His experiences in the two most recent international conferences he attended in Kobe, Japan on November 21-25, 2011 and in Bangkok, Thailand on December 6-9, 2011 provided the proponents with a glimpse on how the global movement towards disaster and climate- risk resilience is gaining ground with local leaders.
A. Kobe, Japan, (the birthplace of the Hyogo Framework for Action) November 21-25, 2011
The five-day conference in Japan, organized by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and Senator Loren B. Legarda, was a caucus on linking disaster-risk reduction and climate change adaptation in effective risk governance. It was held in Kobe, Japan, the city where the World Conference on Disaster Reduction was held in 2005 when 168 member-states adopted the present Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015. The other participants were Undersecretary Eduardo Garcia Batac of the Department of National Defense; Director Susan Rachel Galang Jose of the National Economic Development Authority; Director Ronald Ignacio from the Office of Civil Defense; Ms. Maria Cecilia Dayot Panlilio from the Senate; Undersecretary Corazon Tecson Jimenez of the Metro Manila Development Authority; Quezon City Vice-Mayor Joy Belmonte; Vice-Mayor Alfredo Aranas Arquillano Jr. of San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu; Plaridel Escalona Sanchez VI, former mayor and Board Member of Pandan, Antique; DZBB’s Nimfa Ravelo and the Philippine Star’s
Edith Regalado.
The UNISDR officials, led by Yuki Matsuoka, Etsuko Okazaki, Jerry Velasquez and Manny de Guzman, accompanied the participants as they toured the Hyogo Disaster Management Center, the Toga River and Yakigahara Dam, and a courtesy call on Hyogo Prefecture Governor, Toshizo Ido. The caucus highlighted the Hyogo Framework for Action and the role of local government officials in adapting them, and this was embodied
in the Memorandum of Agreement drafted and signed by the participants at the end of the caucus.
B. Hyogo Framework for Action
An approach to reduce disaster risks was set out in the United Nations-endorsed Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), adopted in 2005. (Benjamin, 2009) The HFA is a global policy framework that directs actions to address and reduce disaster risks and build resilience of nations and communities by the year 2015. It is a highly influential framework, having been most acknowledged in disaster related research and papers since 2005. It tackles disaster risks at the global, regional, national and local levels and is considered to be the latest important intervention in the field of disaster risk reduction. The expected outcome of the HFA by 2015 is the “substantial reduction of disaster losses, in lives and in the social, economic and environmental assets of communities and countries.” (United Nations, 2005) This outcome will “require the full commitment and
involvement of all actors concerned including governments, regional and international organizations, civil society, the private sector and the scientific community” The
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) system provides a vehicle for cooperation among the actors to assist in the implementation of the Framework. (United Nations International Strategy on Disaster Reduction, 2005)
Figure 25 provides a summary of the Hyogo Framework enhancing themes, cross cutting issues, actors involved in the implementation and the following strategic goals (United National International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, 2005):
1) The integration of disaster risk reduction into sustainable development policies and planning;
2) The development and strengthening of institutions, mechanisms and capacities to build resilience to hazards; and
3) The systematic incorporation of risk reduction approaches in the implementation of emergency preparedness, response and recovery programs. It sets out strategies for reducing disaster risks through five priorities for action: (United Nations International Strategy on Disaster Reduction, 2005)
1) Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation;
2) Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning;
3) Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels;
4) Reduce the underlying risk factors; and
C. Economic Recovery in Post-Conflict/Disaster Situations, Thailand, December 6-9, 2011
The four-day conference in Thailand, participated in by two of the proponents, Lester G. Cavestany and Ramon A. Ilagan, focused on workshop sessions on economic recovery in post-conflict or post-disaster situations. Mr. Sanny Jegillos, the Regional Program Director of the UNDP Asia-Pacific, organized the workshop to emphasize a multi-sectoral approach in minimizing the adverse effects of conflicts or disasters on local
Figure 25 Hyogo Framework for Action: 2005-2015 Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters
communities, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized in society, such as the poor, women, children, people with disabilities, and the elderly. Mayor Ilagan presented the economic recovery initiatives in his municipality, showcasing the Water Lily Livelihood Program and the UNDP’s Cash for Work project. He also moderated a dialogue between the public sector leaders and the business sector panelists from Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka and Nepal about the potential challenges and opportunities for public-private partnerships. He facilitated this dialogue with respondents from the government, United Nations organizations and civil society groups who also shared their insights on how the partnerships among different stakeholders in post-crisis recovery can be strengthened to maximize benefits for communities affected by conflicts or disasters. Ilagan was accompanied in Thailand by another proponent, Lester Cavestany and the other delegates from the Philippines were Alma Evangelista, Team Leader of the Crisis Prevention and Recovery Team of the UNDP Philippines; Romeo Diocolano, Director of the Technical Management Services from the Office of the Regional Governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao; and Khannapi “Sonny” Ayao, board member of the Kadtabanga Foundation for Peace and Development Advocates, Inc. from the Municipality of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.
International Initiatives for Local Action
In our study of the Municipality of Cainta, the proponents found two noteworthy projects that have been initiated by international organizations. These are the following:
2) CIDA-funded “Resilience Project” A. UNDP’s Cash for Work
In 2009, UNDP through the Department of Social Welfare and Development Office Region IV-A, provided financial assistance to the victims of Typhoon Ondoy through the Cash for Work Program. The Ondoy victims were hired and paid to do community service. The table below provides details about the 700 beneficiaries who cleaned-up the streets and creeks and repaired houses damaged by typhoon Ondoy in the different barangays, with a cash total of about forty thousand US dollars. The positive experience gained through this temporary employment program helped in scaling up disaster recovery efforts to reach those most affected by the tragedy, especially the poor. This initiative is an effective social protection measure that compensated for loss and prevented further adverse effects in health, education, nutrition and productivity especially in the marginalized sector.
Following UNDP’s lead, the Municipality of Cainta, through its Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office, has adopted the Cash for Work scheme when assisting victims of fires, typhoons or floods, to complement the direct relief and financial assistance measures.
B. CIDA’s Resilience Project in Cainta
The Municipality of Cainta is fortunate to have been selected as one of three LGUs chosen by the UNDP and the Canadian International Development Agency for its “Resilience Project”, a 2 year-project that strengthened capacities for risk reduction. Key
activities included the creation of hazard maps, the training in the Rapid Earthquake Damage Assessment System Software, and the establishment of early warning devices for floods in Cainta, Marikina and Pasig. This project was implemented through the national agencies such as the weather bureau PAG-ASA, the volcanology and seismology bureau, PHIVOLCS and the Office for Civil Defense.
National Policies and Programs towards Local Paradigm Shifts
The plenary discussions in international conferences and in the national legislature play a vital role in addressing the impacts of climate change and natural disasters that are immediately felt by the people, especially those who have less financial resources. While this study was being made, the reality of natural disasters in Cainta, surfaced yet again in August 2012 when the weeklong monsoon rains and flooding disaster wreaked havoc in
Cainta and other areas. The Habagat disaster was comparable to “Ondoy”, prompting the
Sangguniang Bayan of Cainta to declare the entire municipality under a state of calamity. In the aftermath, up to 5,462 families consisting of 27,094 individuals in 43 evacuation centers were affected and the damage to infrastructure was estimated to be over a hundred million pesos.
The proponents found the following policies and programs that evidence the active and pro-active implementation of measures to address disaster risk and climate change risk reduction and management:
1) Enabling laws
2) Disaster Management Roles including response, preparedness, recovery and mitigation
3) Participatory local planning
A. Enabling laws
Less than a month after Ondoy, Republic Act 9729 or the Philippine Climate Change Act was signed into law, which recognized that the “State shall integrate disaster risk reduction into climate change programs and initiatives.” Months later, Republic Act
10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act was enacted, affirming the State’s duty to “uphold the people's constitutional rights to life and property
by addressing the root causes of vulnerabilities to disasters, strengthening the country's institutional capacity for disaster risk reduction and management and building the resilience of local communities to disasters including climate change impacts.” And on
August 16, 2012, President Benigno Aquino III signed Republic Act 10171, or the People's Survival Fund Act of 2012, that guarantees at least P1 billion annual budget allocated for climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. These laws ensure that the changes are institutionalized from the national agencies and spread across the local government units. One such institutionalized change is the mandatory creation of the local disaster risk reduction and management office in all the local government units. This is in line with one of the principles in government bureaucracy that one of the most effective ways in institutionalizing change is by creating an office for the change you want to create. And in Cainta, a priority resolution of the local council in 2012 was the creation of the Cainta Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction And Management Office. This enabling resolution paved the way to get the manpower and to allocate the financial resources needed to formulate plans and to implement them.
Another effect of the enabling laws is the paradigm shift in the role of the government, both national and local, when it comes to disasters. In the past, LGUs were reactive first responders. And they were only allowed to use their calamity fund during calamities. But the DRRM Act of 2010 changed the “Calamity Fund” and renamed it “Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund.” And the change in name translated
into the expansion of the role of the LGU from their primary role in disaster response, into their roles in Disaster Mitigation, Preparation, and Post-Disaster Recovery. These are the criteria looked into by the DILG in their “Seal Of Disaster Preparedness.”
DILG Memorandum Circular 2012-73, through Sec. Jesse Robredo+, gave this order: “All local chief executives are hereby enjoined to utilize their local disaster risk
reduction and management fund to ensure that basic rescue and response equipment are procured.”
The Municipality of Cainta knows too well the importance of having rescue and response equipment. Adequate life-saving equipment must always be on standby and the emergency response staff have to be well trained. The lesson of Ondoy was clear: lack in the administrative and technical capacity to respond to disasters leads to a much bigger disaster, translating to more lives lost and more damages incurred. Before Ondoy, only coastal towns had boats. After Ondoy, almost every local government unit, including Cainta, now has one or more rescue boats.
In the recent Habagat disaster, the rescue teams in Cainta were able to use their emergency response training and rescue equipment to save the constituents from the dangers of flooding in their homes. And fortunately, Cainta had zero casualties in the Habagat disaster, due to the heroism and selfless dedication of the various rescue teams composed of the Cainta Bureau of Fire Protection headed By Major Rosete, the Cainta Philippine National Police headed by Col. Briones, the Cainta Public Safety Office headed By Mr. Dinoy And Mr. Arevalo, the members of the Philippine Army and the Philippine Navy, the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office headed by Mr. Apostol, and other rescue volunteers and personnel who came to the aid of their constituents.
Aside from the regular drainage clean-up programs, the local government purchased heavy equipment for the dredging and desilting of the Cainta River and the other major
waterways. A drainage interceptor was also constructed in one of the barangays to ease the flow of drains and sewers.
From National Policies To Participatory Local Planning
According to Senator Legarda, the principal author of the Climate Change Act of 2009 and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, the logical step in disaster preparedness is “to put in place proactive measures to reduce our risk to disasters. We cannot be complacent and wait for another Ondoy or Pepeng.” Or another Habagat,
for that matter. And these proactive measures should begin with good planning. R.A.9729 mandated the Climate Change Commission to formulate a National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) which would serve as a guide for LGUs in writing their own local climate change action plans. On the other hand, R.A. 10121 required the development and implementation of a Comprehensive National Disaster Risk Reduction And Management Plan (NDRRMP) that would serve as a template for the LGUs in crafting their own local disaster risk reduction and management plan. Through this study and with the help of the Office of Civil Defense, the Municipality of Cainta drafted a 5-year LDRRM plan and also the contingency plan for Climate Change, formulated in September 2012.
Hazard Assessment and Climate Change Impacts
Climate Change Impacts Risk Assessment
Among the 10,020 people randomly surveyed in the community, 6,714 of them mentioned climate change as one of the underlying factors of the hazard they experienced at the barangay level, garnering a high 67 percent awareness rating. In particular, they identified heavy rainfall and increased intensity and frequency of typhoons as the main impacts they know. This means that people at the barangay level of Cainta are generally informed about the extreme weather events that climate change brings.
According to the maps by the Manila Observatory and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the province of Rizal is identified to have a projected medium to high level of typhoon hits during the wet season due to climate change.
Figure 28 Projected Rainfall Change (Dry Season)
Hazard Identification
Based on the community disaster risk assessment conducted at the barangay level, the community identified the following potential hazards for the municipality:
1) Severe typhoons 2) Floods
3) Landslides 4) Road accidents 5) Utility failures
6) Major fires in commercial areas and densely populated areas 7) Earthquake - Ground Shaking and Liquefaction
Table 14 below summarizes the community's assessment regarding the identified hazards. Table 13 Hazard Assessment Summary
HAZARD LEVEL OF RISK UNDERLYING FACTORS
Typhoon High Proliferation of informal settlers
Most of the structures are made of light materials
All seven barangays are affected
Climate change - increased typhoon intensity and frequency
Flooding High Flood “catch-basin”
Degraded and ruined rivers and waterways Poor drainage system
Malpractice of waste disposal – community, people, establishments
Climate change - heavy rainfall
Landslide High Loss soil
Denuded environment
HAZARD LEVEL OF RISK UNDERLYING FACTORS resulted to overload of electricity Structures are made of light materials Congested communities
Earthquake (including liquefaction)
Moderate to High Proliferation of informal settlers Structures are made of light materials Absence of retrofitting scheme Soft soil
Flood Hazard Risk Assessment
According to a Geographical Information System (GIS) flood risk management case study of Cainta by Gatchalian et.al., (2011), the geographic location of the Municipality of Cainta and its physical conditions make it generally prone to flooding. Cainta's location in the Marikina Valley, where its elevation is significantly lower than the neighboring towns with rivers and water systems surrounding the municipality, makes it more susceptible to flashfloods. Figures 27 and 28 show that Cainta is a natural flood plain since it is a low-lying area that becomes the catch basin of rain water from the mountains of Antipolo. Flooding is further aggravated by the presence of informal settlers occupying the banks of the waterways, and the siltation of rivers and streams. According to MSWDO data, 13,744 families are living in flood prone areas (i.e. near river easement) and are highly vulnerable to flooding.
Table 14 Flood Prone Areas and Number of Affected Families
BARANGAY LOCATION/ AREA NO. OF FAMILIES
Sto. Niño Renea Compound 119 Total: 190
N.N. Fernandez 25
St. Dominic Creekside 28
C. Cruz 18
BARANGAY LOCATION/ AREA NO. OF FAMILIES
San Andres Planters Bern 1,015 Total: 5,178
Buklod Maralita 463
Lakas Tao 1,500
PFCI Berm 1,500
Kabisig Lower/Kampi I & II 700
Sto. Domingo Village East Ph. 1 50 Total: 3,834
Villarica 200 Kasibulan 200 Ascona St. 260 Cobra St. 60 Broncho St. 39 Dagat Dagatan 120 Gruar 1,300
Back of Puma (UMS) 200
San Buena 1,200
Country Homes Subd 30
Kamagong St. (St. Joseph) 41
Irma St. Marick Subd. 134
San Juan Villa Cuana Riverside 50 Total: 3,934
Arinda 1,154
Exodus Berm 140
Apras 1,300
San Franscisco Special Block 30
San Francisco Berm 130
Don Mariano Creekside 50
Tabang 45
Bagong Silang 1,000
Sitio Pag-Asa 35
San Isidro Mabolo St. 130 Total: 194
Waling-Waling 18 Isidro Avenue 21 Atis St. 20 Pasco St. 36 UE Creekside 36 Ruby St. 3 Emerald St. 1 Finance St. UE Village 2 Sampaguita St. 10 Ilang-Ilang St. 6 Easter St. St. Gregory 2 Tribu Bayanihan 28 Sitio Dagat-Dagataan 62 Signal Corp 1 Franchesca Creek 4 Macopa 3 TOTAL 13,744 PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL POPULATION 24%
Figure 30 Cainta Elevation Map
According to the incident report prepared by the Municipal Disaster and Coordinating Council (MDCC), the rains brought about by the tropical storm Ondoy in 2009 submerged 98 percent of Cainta in flood water with heights ranging from 3 to 10 feet. It affected 45,000 families representing more or less 285,000 individuals. Figure 27 below shows the flood hazard map identifying Barangays San Andres, Sto. Domingo, San Juan, San Roque, Sta. Rosa and Sto. Niño as high-risk barangays in flooding.
Earthquake Hazard Assessment
Cainta is in the Rizal province, identified as an earthquake prone area having 29 to 47 projected annual earthquake hits with intensity ranging from 7.3 to 7.6 in magnitude.