MAINSTREAMING DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IN PILOT BARANGAYS IN CEBU CITY (Apas, Bulacao and Kalunasan. (October 2008 to April 2009)

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Fire, landslide, and flooding are the three most common disasters in Cebu City. These disasters mostly affect the urban poor who live in congested areas where most of the houses are made of lights materials; or in danger zones, particularly, beside creeks or in riverbanks.

The Bureau of Fire Protection Region VII has yet to release its official, but between March and May this year, two major fires occurred in Cebu City. In March, a day after the sirens blared to signify the start of Fire Prevention Month, at least 40 structures were razed by the fire that left four people injured and more than 80 families homeless in Barangay Tinago. The damage was placed at P800, 000. In May, more than 447 families or around 2,400 individuals lost their homes in the blaze that hit sitios Bato and Kasilian, Barangay Ermita. The damage was estimated at P2.2 million.

Fire authorities identified electrical misuse as the common cause of fires. On the other hand, Cebu City Vice-Mayor Michael Rama and City Councilor Gerardo Carillo identified the narrow roads, especially in urban poor communities, as the number one difficulty of fire trucks responding to the incidents.

Also in May, some 2,000 people were displaced due to the landslide and flooding spawned by heavy rains. The Cebu City Government, in fact, declared 26 barangays under a state of calamity.

Cebu, being an island, is also threatened by the rising sea level brought about by climate change. Note that big urban poor communities are living in Cebu City’s coastal barangays (i.e. Mambaling, Duljo, Pasil, Ermita, and San Roque). A mere one-meter rise in the sea level will surely submerge these barangays.

The Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council (CCDC) articulated the need to come up with effective and efficient disaster preparedness plans at the city and barangay levels.

The aforementioned instances strengthened FORGE’s resolve to pursue the advocacy for DRR, particularly, by integrating it into the development plans of partner-barangays.

Pilot areas for this project are barangays Apas, Bulacao, and Kalunasan. Based on the Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Analysis (PCVA), two years ago, separate landslide and flooding incidents severely affected a total of 600 households in Apas and in Bulacao, and 1,700 households in Kalunasan[j1] .

Most of the vulnerable residents in Bulacao are living near the Bulacao River, which has a history of overflowing soon after Sta. Lucia Subdivision was developed in the mountain part of the barangay and its adjacent place, Talisay City.

On the other hand, the most affected residents in Kalunasan are living near the famous Guadalupe River, where a portion of its bank (located in Sitio Lower Kalunasan) has not been rehabilitated by the City Government. If this area remains un-rehabilitated, landslide and flooding spawned by heavy downpour will continue to be a major threat.

PROJECT CONCEPT

Community organizing and provision of technical assistance to the barangay local government units (BLGUs) are the indispensable strategies in carrying out the project’s three major components, namely…

1. Social Protection[j1] through Physical Protection, Structural, and Technical Measures:

Under this component, FORGE will build and strengthen the capacities of the urban poor communities and the BLGUs of Apas, Bulacao, and Kalunasan for disaster risk reduction. Major target outputs include the formation of qualified and functional barangay disaster brigades; the regular conduct of community drills as part of the communities’ early warning system; the communities’ familiarization and understanding of the basic concepts of DRR and climate change adaptation through study circle session and thematic discussions; and the construction of slope protection in the landslide-and flood-prone areas in Barangay Kalunasan.

2. Environmental Management through Solid Waste Management and Tree Planting Activities:

Poor or absence of solid waste management in the barangays adds up to the risks of flooding, as garbage will clog-up the canals and other passageways. Hence, FORGE will help set-up the waste management systems of the pilot barangays. FORGE will ensure that waste segregation and regular garbage collection are incorporated in the pilot barangays’ development plans.

On the other hand, deforestation is among the major causes of landslides. Hence, FORGE will encourage the regular conduct of tree planting activities, especially in Apas, Bulacao and Kalunasan landslide and flood prone areas.

Further, FORGE will encourage partners to get a copy of the geo-hazard maps of Cebu City. The plans will provide them with information relevant in coming up with DRR activities for their respective barangays.

3. Planning

Target outputs for this component include the formulation of a Comprehensive Five-Year Barangay Development Plan incorporating the realistic and attainable DRR plan; a Resolution adopting the five-year BDP, and the passage of Barangay Ordinance on the comprehensive utilization of 5% calamity fund[j2] of the BLGU. FORGE will ensure that the planning will be participated by the various stakeholders in the community.

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[j1]Social protection normally takes a particular meaning in the context of DRR. This refers to interventions that guarantee social rights.

[j2]What do you mean by this? What do you mean by comprehensive utilization?

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[j1]What community was affected by the landslide and what community was/were affected by flooding?

What underlying factors render communities to be at risk to flooding and landslide? These underlying factors should be the main target of risk reducing interventions.

Name of Organization	FORGE, Inc. -Cebu
Location	Cebu City
Contact Person	Vidal Auxilio and Antonio Balang
Address	Cebu City
Contact Number	(032) 4126862 and 0921-7275858
Email address	vg_auxilio@yahoo.com.ph
	antoniobalang@yahoo.co.uk