Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology executive has

asserted that every locality in the country will experience its own "big one,”

referring to quakes with intensity eight, thus the need to intensify preparedness to

mitigate risks. (Miasco, M. 2019)

Disaster have devastating consequences. They cause death, injury,

disease, the destruction of property and other assets, mass displacement, social

and economic disruption, loss of infrastructure and other services and damage to

the environment. Poor people living in low and middle income countries have

paid a disproportionate price in terms of human suffering. Their exposure to

hazards is exacerbated by poverty, lack of early warning systems, poor risk

governance and an absence of the civil protection mechanisms that are taken for

granted in high-income countries. However, while we can’t prevent a hazard from

occurring, we can use disaster risk reduction and management to understand

risk and vulnerability, prevent a hazard from becoming a disaster, and mitigate its

impact by making people more resilient.

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is a systematic approach to identifying and

reducing the risks of disaster. It aims to reduce socio-economic vulnerabilities to

disaster as well as dealing with the environmental and other hazards that trigger

them.
 The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction states that there is

no such thing as a ‘natural’ disaster, only natural hazards. Disaster risk reduction

aims to reduce the damage caused by natural hazards such as earthquakes,

tsunamis, floods, droughts and cyclones. Reduction of damage is done by

prevention.

This study will help the students to gain knowledge about the Disaster

Risk Reduction Readiness (DRRR). We, the researchers had conducted a deep

research and had interviewed Grade 12 students from Dominican School of Pilar

about their experiences and insights in studying this new curriculum that the

Department of Education has produce.

Research Questions

This research questions can help the researchers and the respondents to

gain more knowledge about this study.

1. What is the level of effectiveness of the DRRR to the respondents?

a. Preparedness

b. Curriculum Implementation

c. Community Involvement

2. What are the best approaches for school-based disaster risk reduction

and awareness?

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Significance of the Study

In 2011 alone, almost 30,000 people were killed in 302 disasters, and

206 million people were affected. Beyond the toll on human life, the costs

of disasters were estimated at more than US$ 2 trillion over the last two

decades. Earthquakes and violent weather-related catastrophes helped

make 2011 the costliest year ever for response and recovery from disaster.

Yet, many countries are still not investing enough in prevention and

preparedness, and many development actors are not prioritizing enough

such support to poor countries. The result is another stark reality of our

times – that striking inequalities persist, with global disaster risk

disproportionately concentrated in poorer countries with weaker

governance.

From a development perspective, therefore, disaster risk reduction is

vital for building a more equitable and sustainable future. Making

investments in prevention and preparedness, including through civil

defence exercises, is a necessary part of systematic efforts to increase

resilience to disaster.

There are five priorities identified for action: (1) to ensure that

disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority; (2) to identify,

assess, and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning systems; (3)

to use knowledge, innovation, and education to build a culture of safety and

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resilience at all levels; (4) to reduce the underlying risk factors; (5) and to

strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response and recovery at all

levels, from the local to the national.

Responsibility for disaster risk management does not lie with disaster

managers alone. It is rather a concern for everyone - from citizens who

must be empowered to make decisions which reduce risk, to political

leaders, government institutions, the private sector, civil society

organizations, professional bodies, and scientific and technical institutions.

(Clark, H. 2012)

The importance of this study is to be able to aid students to save their

lives by means of disaster readiness and risk reduction. Students will be

prepared and equipped before, during and after disasters. They will also be

aware and know the basic items for survival before, during and after disasters.

Hence, it would help the students to reduce the risks of disaster. Disaster

Readiness and Risk Reduction would engage the students to cope up with the

different kinds of disasters.

Conceptual Framework

The Department of Education of the Philippines implements one of the

provisions of the Philippine disaster risk reduction and management act of 2010

(DRRM Act 2010) to integrate DRRM in the school curriculum and other

educational programs, and to heighten the level of resiliency of students towards

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natural disasters. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the disaster-related

knowledge, preparedness and readiness, adaptation, awareness, and risk

perception of Senior high school students. Materials and Methods: A total of 120

respondents answered the survey questionnaire about DRRM. Responses of

Senior high school students were assessed using the five-point Likert scale.

Results: There is a high percentage of students who understood some disaster-

related concepts and ideas. Moreover, Senior high school students are ready,

prepared, adapted and aware on the risks inflicted by disasters. However,

students were found to have low-disaster risk perception. Conclusion: Senior

high school students have high levels of disaster-related knowledge,

preparedness and readiness, adaptation, and awareness. This could possibly be

the effect of the integration of disaster education in senior high school science

curriculum. (Catedral Mamon MA, Vargas Suba RA and Son IL, 2017).

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Paradigm of the Study

PROCESS INPUT OUTPUT

Effectiveness of

Disaster Readiness
Interview
and Risk Reduction to Effective Disaster
Survey
the Grade 12 students and Risk Reduction
Observation
of Dominican School and Management
of Pilar, Academic

Year 2019-2020.

Figure 1 Paradigm of the study

Figure 1 shows the paradigm of the study following the IPO (input-

process-output) model to isolate the factors that causes the problem under

investigation. The information on the effectiveness of disaster readiness and risk

reduction to the Grade 12 students of Dominican School of Pilar, Academic Year

2019-2020 were gathered by conducting an interview, observing the students

and studying the research.

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 The expected output of this study is to gain insights on how the Grade 12

students of Dominican School of Pilar can prepare through devastating disasters.

Definition of Terms

Risk 1: possibility of loss or injury

2: someone or something that creates or suggests a hazard

3 a: the chance of loss or the perils to the subject matter of an

insurance contract

also: the degree of probability of such loss

b: a person or thing that is a specified hazard to an insurer

c: an insurance hazard from a specified cause or sourc

4: the chance that an investment (such as a stock or commodity)

will lose value at risk: in a state or condition marked by a high

level of risk or susceptibility.

Reduction 1:  the act or process of reducing : the state of being reduced

2 a:  something made by reducing

b:  the amount by which something is reduced

Hazard 1: a source of danger

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 2 a: the effect of unpredictable and unanalyzable forces in

determining events 

b: a chance event : ACCIDENT

Mitigate 1: to cause to become less harsh or hostile 

2: to make less severe or painful