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One year after Ondoy, many still living in danger zones


One year ago, Mega Manila became Water World. Tropical storm Ondoy’s record rain produced an epic flood, submerging places in the metropolis that never saw water before in its streets, or at least not that high. The devastation, public trauma, and government’s slow and anemic response prompted the usual finger pointing and vows of change. One year later, how much has really changed? How prepared for the next Ondoy are the 15 million or so people in the affected areas?

EXPERTS WEIGH IN

There's a saying that goes, "Never let a good crisis go to waste." Have the lessons we learned from Ondoy and Pepeng gone to waste? Are Filipinos safer now than they were last year? Experts from academe, civil society, and the government weigh in. Guillermo Q. Tabios III Professor of Institute of Civil Engineering and Director of National Hydraulic Research Center, UP Diliman. I do not have a straight answer except the following discussion in broad terms. Flood risk management is the set of individual or community responses undertaken to minimize flood risk. Our communities have fairly developed and established response and recovery strategies. With regard to preparedness and alertness, medium term solutions are possible and one major effort in this respect is on flood forecasting and early warning for Metro Manila and eventually for the whole country by Sec. Montejo of DOST. However, on prevention and mitigation, long-term efforts and major investments are needed in which Sec. Singson of DPWH is quite keen on seeking efficient and sustainable solutions. Noli Abinales Advocate for community-based disaster management Buklod Tao, Inc. Are Filipinos safer today than one year ago? In our country today we do not have yet a model for disaster resilient communities. The mode still is response and not disaster risk and vulnerability reduction. Informal settlers dwelling on top of eroding river banks are increasing. Our newly ratified Republic Act 10121 (the 2010 Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act) has yet to be localized. There is still a gargantuan task to build safer communities today. Carlos Padolina Deputy Executive Director, Citizen Disaster Response Center We are not yet really prepared. Though some groups have prepared within their own capacity, we think this is not yet sufficient. We need to make big investments. The implementation of the law will take a long time to realize. For example, local government need to have their own disaster risk reduction management offices. This will require additional funding. The provinces also need to set up programs for disaster management. Of course, with new programs, we will need additional funding. But the 2011 budget is not yet available. Dr. Rosa Perez, Climate Scientist Are we prepared? The answer is no. Maybe we are moving towards that direction but not yet. It's been one year since Ondoy, and people in Metro Manila (at least in Pasig and Marikina) are still scared whenever it rains heavily. There could be some rational basis for this fear. Our climate is getting warmer and the oceans are also getting warmer which could be conducive to the formation of tropical cyclones. So when the waters are warmer than previously, there is a greater chance of having very intense tropical cyclone. When waters are warmer, evaporation is faster and greater, and tropical cyclones can carry more water (more rainfall). With climate change, we're going into that situation favorable to formation of intense or wetter tropical cyclones. In terms of disaster risk reduction and management capacity, I think the authorities and officials are already aware of such possibilities as above. They have to make plans and put up the necessary budget or resources. But funding could be inadequate. Snehal Soneji Country Director, Oxfam Philippines Yes, they are safer. While gaps exist, provincial governments have strengthened capacities of their disaster coordinating councils, including reviewing contingency plans, investing in buying basic equipment, and training their staff in partnership with UN agencies, INGOs like Oxfam and othercivil society organizations. Communities are better prepared due to the increased awareness of their role in managing emergencies using local resources and mechanisms and also due to increased coordination with civil society and local governments as part of their preparedness efforts. Benito Ramos Executive Director, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Yes, after "Ondoy" hit us until today, our safety consciousness as a people coupled with collective preparedness actions have generally increased. NDCC member agencies and most local governments are better prepared with an increase in their capacity to respond better. Limited funds, on the other hand, has delayed the relocation of affected families. Local governments should therefore augment their capacity, strengthen early warning systems, and implement pre-emptive evacuation whenever necessary. Ultimately, every community can become safer through regularly dredging or cleaning of clogged rivers, waterways, drainage systems, upkeep of pumping stations, stockpiling of relief goods; prepositioning of relief and disaster equipment; inventory and preparation of equipment for emergencies/disasters; upgrading of operations/coordination centers; improvement of alert and warning information systems. Atty. Tony La Viňa Dean, Ateneo School of Government We are not any safer from last year. While we have a new law on disasters, which establishes disaster risk reduction as our national policy, the facts on the ground have not yet changed. Congress took its time in approving the new law and so the implementing rules are just being finalized; the same circumstances which worsens the impacts of heavy rains are still present; and the same institutions with their inherent weaknesses will be responding. I do think some agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development and local governments of Metro Manila, especially in Marikina and Cainta, are better prepared this time. But overall, I expect a repeat of Ondoy. Of course, I will jump with joy if I am proven wrong! Atty. Eunice Agasoay-Sano Legal Counsel, Disaster Risk Reduction Network The determination of whether Filipinos are safer today from the risk of disasters such as what Typhoon Ondoy brought about a year ago should be approached by examining people’s vulnerabilities, which entails looking at the root causes that involve social, economic, environmental, and political factors. As such, it would be clear-cut to assert that Filipinos are not necessarily safer. As a matter of course, we Filipinos should be more prepared now because Ondoy should have made us more aware. But awareness, if not translated into action and used as a catalyst for social transformation, does not automatically reduce risk to disasters. Joey Salceda Governor, Albay Province Surely, the tragedy prompted positive changes. However, all together counted, they fall below the level of preparedness and risk reduction needed to secure zero casualty which should be the socially desirable goal in disaster response. Generously reckoned, there would be 35 percent less deaths than before and only because of improved response capacity. NDCC is better organized under Gen. Ramos with more designated strategic evacuation centers. Forecasting, detection, and warning communications have been tightened. LGUs have acquired more rescue equipment and households are more aware. The key to disaster risk reduction is simply relocation and engineering intervention. Of the 120,000 lakeshore and 45,000 riverbank households in NCR and Calabarzon, at best only 2,000 have been relocated. Flood mitigation and river control projects have yet to be funded and implemented. All because Special National Public-Private Reconstruction Commission did not take off. Multilaterals and bilaterals were mostly predisposed and prepared to foot the $4.42 billion reconstruction bill based on the post-disaster needs assessment, but we had no absorptive capacity at both national agency and local community levels and understandably the elections took away national attention. The verdict? Disasters happen faster than people and institutions can change to deal with them.
The experts agree that while there have been some technical improvements and fresh hope with a new national law on disaster reduction, the biggest risk factor remains: Over 150,000 households in the most hazardous locations are still there. [Do you live in a flood-prone area? Use an interactive map produced by GMANews.TV to find out.] "The key to disaster risk reduction is simply relocation and engineering intervention," said Governor Joey Salceda of Albay Province. Under Salceda's leadership, Albay has been recognized in recent years as a "global model" of disaster management in local governance. Yet in urban centers throughout the nation, so-called “informal settlers" consider relocation an even greater threat than disasters. They are willing to risk living in the potential path of destruction just to be near their sources of livelihood. As a result, relocation efforts have been slow at best. "Of the 120,000 lakeshore and 45,000 riverbank households in NCR and Calabarzon, at best only 2,000 have been relocated," lamented Salceda. As former President Arroyo's economic adviser during the Ondoy and Pepeng calamities, Salceda had initiated the creation of a Philippine Reconstruction Commission to oversee the rehabilitation of areas devastated by the two storms,. Many of the worst-hit communities last year were located in flood plains, where the risk of submersion is very high. Those at risk include both communities of informal settlers, such as those along the Manggahan Floodway, and middle to upper class subdivisions such as Provident Village in Marikina. The international humanitarian organization Oxfam has also highlighted the need to relocate vulnerable communities. According to a post-Ondoy report recently released by the organization, only around 7,000 out of 100,000 families in Rizal province displaced by the Ondoy floods have so far been successfully relocated by the provincial government. According to the report, "the local government estimates that a total Php14 billion pesos is required to provide homes for the remaining 93,000 families ... Most relocation sites are very far and in upland areas, those previously residing in lakeshore areas and dependent on fishing for income are now experiencing extreme difficulties." The thousands of informal households living along the Manggahan Floodway are not just at risk but pose a danger to the rest of the population. The 9-kilometer floodway was constructed in the 1980s as an outlet for channeling water from the Marikina River to the Laguna de Bay. But because of the estimated 25,000 informal households lining the floodway, its original width of 260 meters has since been reduced to a mere 220 meters, constricting water flow. Much of the water that inundated the Marikina valley last year could have been diverted to Laguna Lake if there was more space in the floodway. What local governments could not do, nature’s brute force accomplished as Ondoy swept away homes along the Manggahan. But many residents have since returned to build even sturdier homes. Urban poor advocates have asked the government to ensure first that these settlers have alternative livelihoods and adequate housing before removing them from the area, and have even asked President Aquino to issue a temporary moratorium on relocations. Benito Ramos, the executive director of the newly-renamed National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council or NDRRMC (formerly the National Disaster Coordinating Council or NDCC), has said that his agency has little power to act upon the issue of informal settlers. "[Local governments] are accountable. They are responsible for that," he said, but also admitted that "limited funds" have "delayed the relocation of affected families." New law on disaster risk reduction There is a flicker of light at the end of a flooded tunnel. Last May, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo passed the 2010 Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, a landmark law that intends to re-focus government resources, efforts, and organizational structure on disaster preparedness rather than emergency response. "Ang pagbabago diyan, glaring. Dumami ngayon ang line agencies ng government [na kasali sa council]. So because of the new law, all of society has a holistic comprehensive approach in responding to disaster. Hindi lang response ang responsibility natin, kundi sa mitigation pa lang," says Ramos, who assumed his role as executive director of the NDRRMC only last July, after President Aquino was sworn into office. (The changes are glaring. There are now more line agencies in the council. So because of the new law, all of society has a holistic comprehensive approach in responding to disaster. Our responsibility is not just to respond, but to mitigate disaster.) On a national level, the new law also establishes a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to replace the former National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC). The new law also ensures that every local government — every municipality, city, and provincial government – creates its own Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. Each of these offices must ensure that their constituent communities are always prepared for disaster and receives around 5 percent of their local Internal Revenue Allotment. With the new law just a few months old, its impact may be months, perhaps years down the line. “While we have a new law on disasters, which establishes disaster risk reduction as our national policy, the facts on the ground have not yet changed," says Atty. Tony la Viňa, dean of the Ateneo School of Government and an expert on environmental and disaster governance. “Congress took its time in approving the new law and so the implementing rules are just being finalized; the same circumstances which worsens the impact of heavy rains are still present; and the same institutions with their inherent weaknesses will be responding. I do think some agencies like the DWSD and local governments of Metro Manila, especially in Marikina and Cainta, are better prepared this time. But overall, I expect a repeat of Ondoy. Of course, I will jump with joy if I am proven wrong!" Community preparedness In the absence of major progress at the national level, civil society organizations have been advocating for disaster preparedness at the community level. Over the past year, NGOs like the international humanitarian organization Oxfam and the Philippine-based Citizens Disaster Response Center have been training provincial and local governments, and even barangays, to come up with their own disaster preparedness plans. Carlos Padolina, Deputy Executive Director of the CDRC, said that there are simple ways for communities to prepare for disaster. "Puwede sila maginstitute ng sariling warning system-- ang mga improvised na mga measurement ng kung gaano na kabilis umaakyat o tumataas ang tubig a kanilang tubig ilog, para makikita nila, at sila rin mismo, makakagawa sila ng paraan para magevacuate," he explained. (They can institute their own warning systems and improvise ways to measure how fast the water is rising. This way, they know what they need to evacuate.) Ramos of the NDRRMC has also echoed the need for communities to take responsibility for protecting themselves. "Ultimately, every community can become safer through regularly dredging or cleaning of clogged rivers, waterways, drainage systems, upkeep of pumping stations, stockpiling of relief goods; pre-positioning of relief and disaster equipment; inventory and preparation of equipment for emergencies/disasters; upgrading of operations/coordination centers; improvement of alert and warning information systems." More to come A recent report by a Brussels-based Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) named the Philippines as the “most disaster prone country in the world" , while climate scientists say that storms like Ondoy may no longer be as rare as they used to be, thanks to global warming. “When waters are warmer, evaporation is faster and greater, and tropical cyclones can carry more water (more rainfall). With climate change, we're going into that situation favorable to formation of intense or wetter tropical cyclones," says Dr. Rosa Perez, a climate scientist with the Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change.
NDRRMC Executive Director Benito Ramos shows one of 8 telecommunications kits donated by the European Union. The kits have satellite phones and wi-fi enabled laptops that can be used to coordinate disaster response operations in areas where communications are down.
Early Warning System At least, the country is now better equipped to anticipate whatever heavy rains are arriving. Ondoy called public attention to the dire need to upgrade PAGASA's weather and flood forecasting equipment. A year after Ondoy, there are now two operational Doppler radar systems in the country -- one in Baguio City and another in Baler, Aurora. "Mas accurate kasi kapag meron kang radar system. Makukuha mo ang sentro ng bagyo and at least makukuha natin kung anong magiging direction for the next two hours," said Vic Manalo, Officer-in-Charge of the NCR Pag-Asa Regional Services Division. (We can more accurately predict the weather now. We can easily pinpoint the center of the storm and predict its direction for two hours.) With two working Dopplers in place, PAGASA is now capable of predicting the amount of precipitation in an oncoming storm or typhoon. While this is an improvement, it's far from comprehensive. More Doppler systems are needed to provide coverage for the entire country. "Mayroon man tayong improvement, hindi gaanong tumaas ang accuracy ng prediction natin," admitted Manalo. (We may have improved, but our predictions are still not fully accurate.) Manalo said that eight more Doppler systems will be constructed over the next three years in different locations around the country-- in Virac, Catuandanes; Guian, Samar; Aparri, Cagayan; Tagaytay City; Subic Bay; and in Hinatuan and Tampakan in South Cotabato. He added that these were funded by a mix of sources including the Japanese International Cooperation Agency or JICA, the Philippine government's own calamity fund, and by the Philippine congress. "Kung marami tayong estasyon, maraming tayong mga data na pagkukuhanan, mas accurate ang ating output." (If we have more stations, we have more data to use, and our output will be more accurate.) Improved forecasting will give people time to flee to safety. But it will not protect their homes or prevent the destruction of communities in danger zones. Real safety will require the permanent movement of everyone in harm’s way or massive new infrastructure to defend people against nature's onslaught. – HS, GMANews.TV
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