Written By: Jeremiah Morales
The CCARPH Team, together with the Master of Disaster Risk and Resilience (DRR203/DRR207) class of Dr. Emma Porio and Dr. Noralene Uy, in partnership with the Barangay Council of Loyola Heights, is doing a Participatory Community Risk Assessment (PCRA) to serve as a preliminary input to the Barangay’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (DRRMP). The students conducted an integrated risk assessment (i.e. participatory methodologies integrated with HazardHunter of GeoRisk Philippines, among others). (For more information about HazardHunter, you may visit hazardhunter.georisk.gov.ph)
Brgy. Loyola Heights Kagawad Florentino D. Murao Jr. presented Operation Plan YANIG: Preparation for the Big One to CCARPH Team, and the Master of Disaster Risk and Resilience (DRR203/DRR207) class of Dr. Emma Porio, and Dr. Noralene Uy of the Ateneo de Manila University.
In the orientation, Barangay Kagawad Florentino D. Murao Jr. presented their “Operation Plan YANIG: Preparation for the Big One”. OPLAN YANIG contained the locations of evacuation sites and various disaster response methods for fire, flood, and earthquake. The presentation also contained rough estimates on the possible number of casualties that may happen during such events. According to Mr. Murao, there is a difference between the number of affected people on a temporal basis. During the day, the highest possible affected population is the transient population, which primarily includes university students; conversely, residents in the Barangay may be of high risk at night.
With Quezon City being the largest city in Metro Manila, Barangay Loyola Heights is strategically situated to raise the need for a risk assessment in preparation for disasters as it is composed of several residential areas and subdivisions, business establishments, primary and secondary institutions, and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) such as the Ateneo de Manila University.Prior to conducting the PCRA, Dr. Porio and Ms. Emily Roque-Sarmiento (Project Manager-Research, CCARPH) conducted a study in the area, entitled “From Skies to the Streets: An Ethnography of Street-based Population and their Local Knowledge Systems Regarding Environmental Pollution and Climate Disaster Risks in Metro Manila, Philippines.”
This input of the Master of Disaster Risk and Resilience (DRR203/DRR207) class of Dr. Porio and Dr. Uy will be beneficial to produce a risk map that could help the residents and the transient population of the Barangay Loyola Heights in increasing their awareness, as well as in resiliently preparing and responding to the possible disaster risks.
Jeremiah Morales received his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management at Ateneo de Naga University in 2019, and is currently a Research Assistant in the Coastal Cities at Risk in the Philippines. For comments and suggestions, you may contact him through jymorales@ateneo.edu, or CCARPH at ccarph@ateneo.edu
