Student’s Guide

COMMUNITY SERVICE
AND
PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING

BUREAU OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

Department Education
DepEd, Complex, Pasig City
 INTRODUCTION

This Guide was developed to serve as your source material in undertaking

Community Service and Public Safety Training.

The Guide starts with an introduction to the community – its physical

environment, history and people, community organization, problems, programs and

projects, and plans for development. The aim is to familiarize you with your community

so that you can identify yourself with it and, in the process, develop a sense of belonging.

The next unit presents to you ways by which you can serve your community,

individually or as a group. There are three areas where you can be of assistance:

environmental, social, and economic concerns.

The third unit exposes you to training for public safety. It may be in a small way,

but you can be of service in law enforcement, crime prevention, and disaster assistance.

The last unit will challenge you to make a commitment and take affirmative

action on this commitment. This is the opportunity for you to propose small community

projects on your own.

On the whole, your experience in this program will enable you to develop; a sense

of roots and a commitment to serve and become a useful member of your community

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 Unit I

Knowing the Community

You may be living in a farm, at the center of the town, or in a city. Is the place
where you live your community?

The passengers on a bus or a jeep, the men and women dancing in the hall, and
the people buying their needs in the market -- do they make up a community?

Find out the answers to these questions by doing reading I.

READING 1

MEANING OF COMMUNITY

A community may consist of only a few families. Their homes are built in a
group. They have many things in common. They know each other rather well, being
neighbors. Many of them go to the same church. They send their children to the same
school. They work together to improve the community.

Besides the people having things in common, a community occupies an area. In

some places a community can be called a nayon, and in others a neighborhood.

If you belong to a larger group of people who have common interests, such as the
people described above, you belong to a larger community. Maybe your community is a
barangay.

When you grow older, you may identify yourself with your town. Then the town
is your community.

Going farther than the town, you may say that you belong to a country, as indeed
you do. Then the country is your community.

In other words, a community may be small, with just few people, or it may be
large, with many people living in it,

Communities have many things in common:

 All communities have people.
 Communities occupy an area.
 People in the community have common goals and interests.

A subdivision, occupying a certain area with homes in it where people live, is also
a community. In almost all big cities, you may find subdivisions. Examples of

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subdivisions include the Philamlife Homes in Quezon City, Xavier in Cagayan de Oro
City, San Sebastian in Tarlac, and Jungle Town in Baguio City.

An industrial area where there are factories and homes and offices in the same
general area can also be a community. Examples of industrial areas are the Bataan Export
Processing Zone in Bataan Province, the Baguio Export Processing Zone in Baguio City,
and the San Miguel Village in San Fernando Pampanga.

You will also find what are called compounds. These residential areas, with
homes in them probably owned by a family and relatives, are also communities. One
example of a compound is the Madrigal Compound on Roxas Boulevard, Manila. Other
compounds are found in other towns and cities throughout the country.

In some other areas you find other groups of people living and working together,
perhaps under an employer. Examples of these are the pineapple farmers and employees
of the Philippine Packing Corporation in Bukidnon Province and the sugarcane farmers
and employees of Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac Province.

At an hacienda, the people have their homes, a school, a health clinic, a church,
and stores. Their community hall is used for general purposes like dancing, meetings, and
parlor games.

The Philippine Packing Corporation employs hundreds of people to grow and

pack pineapples for export and local consumption. In one of their camps, Camp Phillips,
the people have a school, a church, a hospital, several stores, and a playground. In the
smaller camps, the people have basketball and volleyball courts and community centers
where they meet to discuss their common problems and projects. In many of these
camps, there are string bands providing music for social events.

These are all examples of communities. Perhaps you know of other places where
people live together in the same residential areas. In large cities, these may be blocks. In
rural areas, these may be puroks.

These communities are not political units. They may belong to barangays or
municipalities but they are distinct groups because they have many things in common.

Questions for Discussions

1. Define community in your own words.

2. Is your barangay a community? Explain.
3. What do you think would be the most important characteristics of a
community? Explain.

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Things to Do

1. In group of 5’s, explore your community. Each group will be given an area
(purok) to observe. Consult your teacher for your assigned area. List down all
the things that you have observed
2. Interview some households to find out the activities that bind people in the
community.

Ask some people about their feelings of belonging to the community, If they feel
they don’t belong, find out why. Discuss your findings in class.

How well do you know the places in your community? The next reading will
introduce you to a familiarization experience with the physical environment of the
community. Use this as a model for getting familiar with your community.

Reading 2

YOUR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

Look around you. Do you live in a community near the sea? If so, you should
have a beach nearby. The beach is a part of your physical environment. Maybe the mouth
of a river is near your home. There may be a road, bridge not too far away. There may be
mountains and hills in the distance. And there may be buildings of various types –
residences, stores, a school, a warehouse, a government building. All these are your
physical environments.

Some parts of your physical environment are natural, meaning, they were made
by nature, like beaches, mountains and rivers. But others are made by men, like the
houses, school and government buildings.

Figure I. Sketch Map of a Community

Do you live at the foot of a mountain? There may be a forest not too far away.
That, too is part of your environment. Maybe there is a spring nearby or waterfall up in
the hills. There are roads and trails. These, too, are parts of your environment.

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 Do you live on flat area, like those in Bulacan or in Panay or Davao? Maybe what
you see is flat ground, almost all of it planted to rice or corn. And maybe there are
irrigation canals that feed the crops with water.

Look at the accompanying sketch map in figure I. It represents a small

community. Note the natural and man-made surroundings: a flat area, a river crossing the
community, a mountain, roads, and a bridge across the river. There may be houses along
the riverbanks, a schoolhouse, government buildings, and a market.

Maybe your own community does not look like this. You may have something
else that others do not have, like a police outpost, a cemetery, a drugstore and a doctor’s
clinic. These, too, are parts of the physical environment in some communities.

Questions for Discussion

1. What is the importance to you of knowing the physical environment of your

community?
2. How do you think does physical environment affect the life in the community?

Things to Do

1. Study the map of your community

a. Describe its location.
b. Point out the important landmarks in the community.
c. Identify the resources in the community.

2. Find out which area in the community is the most populated. Which is least
populated? Mark these areas on the map. Give some possible reasons why these areas are
thickly populated or thinly populated.

Going further than being familiar with the community and its environs is the need
to know the beginning of one’s community. A short history of a community starts by
describing its location. Then it tells when it started. It names the founder or founders of
the community if they are known. Then it gives the changes that have taken place since
it’s beginning. The changes could be in population, roads, and buildings. Sometimes the
leaders of the community are mentioned. The history ends by telling what the community
is like today.

The next reading gives you a model of a history of a community.

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Reading 3

THE ORIGIN OF DAVAO

The name Davao has many interesting meanings. Folk tales about Davao are too
many. The origin of the name Davao is more of folklore than fact.

Davao is said to have derived its name from the word Daba-daba, a region of
flames or fire as recorded in the books of early Jesuit priests. Some sources say this word
is of Bagobo origin, which is the name of sacred brush that belonged to the chieftain of
the early Bagobos named Datu Duli who lived in the rolling hills of Sandawa Mountain.
As time went on, Daba-daba was shortened to Dava and the letter o was added to become
Davao.

Some say Davao was derived from the name of Manobo rebel named Dabaw.
Others maintain that the name was derived from the word dabahan, a big basin used for
laundry by the natives. Still another derivation of the name was from the word daba
meaning earthen pot or palayok which the early natives made as their means of
livelihood. When mountain dwellers got down to the lowlands, the first thing they looked
for and bought was the daba.

But many native Dabawenyos prefer to believed that Davao derived its name from
a great river, which the early Tagabawa tribe called Dabu. The Guiangans called this
river, Duhwow, and the Obos, Davoh. Later, the three names given to the river by these
early natives were incorporated into what is now Davao.

Davao, in its early beginnings was peopled by different races and groups from
different regions and countries. The waves of migration into the Philippines from the
Asian countries of Borneo, Malaysia, Indonesia and Persia via Celebes Sea first landed in
Mindanao, then pushed their explorations toward the North. On their way, some of them
probably weary and tired from the voyage, settled and lived in Sarangani Island, then
later found their way to what is now Davao. From these migrations in history came the
aboriginal/ethnic tribes. These ethnic indigenous groups are of varied cultures and racial
types. The major indigenous tribes that compose the natives of Davao are the Bagobos.
Bilaans, Mandayas, Guiangans, Mansaka, Manobo or Manuba, Tagacaolos, and the
aboriginal Atas who live in the “heights”. These indigenous ethnic groups were forced
later to move to the hinterlands to give way to a new wave of migrants, the
Maguindanaoans from Cotabato, Zamboanga and Jolo. The Atas or the dark-skinned
short people were pushed to the foothills of the mountain like Mt. Apo.

The Muslin Maguindanaoans came originally to settle but the majority of them
did business as they were nature traders and merchants. These Moros (as the Muslims
were called then) became the settlers at the bank of Tagloc Rivers (as called by the early
natives) led by Datu Bago, their chieftain. Bago lorded the place from 1830 t0 1847.

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 Next to the Muslims came the Hindus and Arabian-Persians and then the Chinese.
The Chinese and the Indians (Hindus and Bombays) made up the biggest groups of
foreigners then.

The Europeans arrived when Jose Oyanguren came to conquer Davao for the
Spanish government. He brought with him his Spanish soldiers and their families. Some
native volunteer soldiers from Caraga and Surigao who were Christian converts joined
Oyanguren in the expedition to Davao.

After the Spaniards, the next to arrive in Davao were the Americans who were
soldiers discharged after the Spanish-American War and who later became plantation
owners, the American who were members of the first Survey Mission in 1902, the
American commanders of military units sent to maintain peace, the Japanese laborers
who were recruited to work in the plantations of the American Filipino hacienderos, and
the adventurous Christian Filipinos from Luzon and Visayas.

The well-known pioneer migrants from Luzon and Visayas were those who came
in the late 1800’s as political refugees and in the early 1900’s as professionals,
government officials and employees, homesteaders, and even plain job-seekers who later
became businessmen and hacienderos.

Life then in Davao was very simple. There was peace all around. The people lived
mainly by farming, weaving sinamay, stripping abaca, making copra, and fishing.

The late 1930’s marked the coming to Davao City of a group of young teachers,
fresh graduates of the Zamboanga Normal School, who were recruited by the
Superintendent of Schools John Stumbo to teach in Davao.

In 1937, the capital town of Davao was converted into a chartered city, now the
City of Davao, Davao City as it is known today was once part of Davao province before
it was divided into three provinces in 1967.

Davao City’s onward march to progress took place after the Liberation Period.
The principal industries were logging, copra, banana, corn, abaca, ramie, mining and
fishing. When the logging industry declined, next to flourish was the banana industry.
The coconut industry emerged as the Philippines’ biggest dollar-earner after the Second
World War.

Soon after the liberation of Davao City from the Japanese, the city government
was reestablished, with Atty. Leon Garcia, Sr. being appointed as mayor. This period saw
the unprecedented influx of people in this city. Among the more prominent migrants in
the 1950’s and 1960’s were the business tycoons Alcantara, Almendras, Angala,
Dakudao, Dizon, Floirendo, Maglana, Pamintuan, Robillo, Santos and Sarmiento. This
was the period of the logging industry. The banana and pineapple industries boomed later
in 1960’s.

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 Business of all sorts were established in the city. A great change in the city was
felt with huge concrete structures mushrooming everywhere. Civic organizations were
established like the Jaycees, the Lions Club, the Rotary, and Kiwanis Club, among others.

Many schools were opened and one state college, the University of Southern
Philippines, was established. Other schools and colleges were later established to
accommodate the growing demand for education in the city.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why is it important for you to know the beginning of your community?

2. What should you know about the history of your community?

Things to Do

1. Gather information about the beginning of your community.

a. Go to the municipal library and read the history of your community.
b. Invite one or two persons (may be elders) who can talk about its history.
2. Prepare a bulletin display highlighting the significant events in the history of your
community.

Behind the growth or lack of progress of a community are its people – the men and
women young and old – who have contributed to what it is today. The characteristics of
the population can influence what the community can become. Keep this in mind as you
study the next reading.

Reading 4

THE LUTAYAN SETTLEMENT

Lutayan settlement is located at the periphery of the Buluan Lake covering 2,000
hectares of fertile agricultural land and 9 hectares of residential area. It is 4 kilometers
away from the Lupayan municipality proper and 16 kilometers from the municipality of
Koronadal, South Cotabato. The settlement’s population is composed of 7,308 persons or
802 families. The average family size is 9.

The settlers are 99% Muslims and1% Christians. Most of them were either former
evacuees who were victims of the social conflict, and rebel returnees. They were resettled
by the National Coordinating Council (NCC) with other agencies in the local level
pursuant to PMO 516. Eighty-nine families were provided with individual nipa huts in a
150 sq meter lot. Other families who were not included in the housing project built their
own shacks near the banks of the Buluan Lake and the market site. Their shacks are
mostly dilapidated and a one-room affair, lacking in household fixtures. They have fifty
surroundings as the water remains stagnant because of poor drainage.

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 Gastro-enteritis and malaria are prevalent. These diseases have been attributed to
lack of sanitary toilets and poor health habits of the settlers. Malaria is attributed to the
mosquitoes that abound at the Buluan Lake and the stagnant water in the settlement.

Of the 7,308 population, 2,000 are pre-schoolers. However, only 36 of the

preschoolers were found to be malnourished. Many of these children could be seen naked
and unattended to. It was gathered from the midwife that the settlement has an average of
10 babies born each month.

Many residents, especially the women, were seen idle. There are not many job
opportunities in the settlement.

The average educational level of the residents is grade 4. Communicating with the
people is a problem as they are wary and uncommunicative. A community organization
worker who can speak the local dialect could be effective in working with the Lutayan
settlers.

Questions for Discussion

1. Describe the population of the Lutayan in terms of

a. family size
b. age
c. educational level
d. level of health and nutrition
e. level of employment
f. socio-economic status

2. Explain how each of the characteristics listed above could influence the progress
of Lutayan

Things to Do

1. Form a group of 4-5 members. Conduct a mini survey of an area in your

community. Your assigned area will be designated by your teacher. Find out the
following:

a. Age composition of the population

0-5 years old
6-21 years old
22-65 years old
66 and above

b. Family size (number of family members)

c. Sex

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 Male –
Female –

d. Level of Education

No formal schooling –
With some elementary education –
Elementary graduate –
High school education –
College education –
College graduate –

e. Employment

Employed –
Unemployed –

f. Civil Status

single -
married -
separated -
widowed –

g. Religion

Catholic
Protestant
Muslim
Others

2. Present your data in class. Combine these with what the other groups have found in
order to form a complete picture of the population. Draw implications from the data
(example: big family size may mean many children to be sent to school)

The people can be mobilized to develop their community through community

organizations. The next reading discusses the importance of community organizations.

Reading 5

MOBILIZING THE PEOPLE THROUGH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

Community Organizations as defined by Murray Ross is a process of identifying

problems and needs, prioritizing them, formulating solutions in solving
problems/attaining needs and implementing them through cooperative and collaborative

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efforts which result to improved capacity in community problem solving process and
community integration.

Through community organization, people are helped to deal more effectively with
their problems, needs and aspirations by helping them develop, strengthen and maintain
qualities of participation, self-direction, cooperation, and integration of efforts.

Philosophy of Community Organization

Community organization is anchored on the following philosophy” “Acceptance

of the right of the community to decide what it wants rather than having the organizer’s
views imposed upon it, belief on the capability of the people to find richer and more
satisfying ways of living if they are helped to use the resources within themselves and
their environment which are and could be made available to them.”

Focus of Community Organization

Community organization is focused on the following:

1. “Removal of block growth.”

Identified block to growth are ignorance, negative values such as bahala

na, ningas cogon, and mañana habit, exploitation of the weak and ignorant and
some oppressive social structures.

2. “The release of potentialities in the individual, group and community as a whole.”

This can be achieved through people’s participation in community

activities, projects and specially in the problem-solving and decision-making
process. The people have also to be recipients of training programs like leadership
training, seminars on cooperatives, nutrition, primary health care, livelihood
programs, skills training, disaster preparedness, etc.

3. “The development of the capacity of indigenous leaders to lead., to manage and

function in their assigned social roles in the community.”

Indigenous leaders’ capacity to lead can be further developed if given

important and challenging roles as committee chairman or in taking charge of a
community activity or project. They should be given wide latitude in making
decisions and the proper orientation and training for their assigned role. Learning
by doing is an effective method of developing the leadership potentials of an
individual.

4. “Developing the ability of different sectors in the community to function as an

integrated whole.”

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 This can be done if all sectoral plans and activities are integrated in one
community plan and when the implementation of said plans and activities are
done through the cooperative and collaborative efforts of the different sectors
involved in planning with the people. Thus the plan of the government sector, the
private sector (NGO’s, civic and business organization) and the religious sector
need to be integrated into one community plan to avoid competition and
duplication of services and activities involving the same target client system.

5. “Strengthening people’s capacity for problem-solving, decision-making and

cooperation”

The people should not be mere recipients of development efforts. They

should be involved in planning activities that affect their lives from problem/need
identification, planning for their solutions, analyzing their identified
problem/needs, implementing said plans and in monitoring and evaluating their
implementation. People’s participation in these community activities would
develop and enhance their capacity to solve their problems and meet their needs
in a cooperative manner.

6. “The full use of inner/indigenous resources before tapping external resources”

A self-reliant and self-managed community is the primary goal of

community organization. Thus the people should learn to tap and make full use of
their own resources before tapping external resources. A community no matter
how depressed, has its own resources to tap such as human resources and natural
resources like spring for water supply, raw materials such as forest products like
rattan, nito, wild fruits, wild honey, marine products, clay, etc. The value of self-
reliance needs to be inculcated as dependence on other resources stunts growth
and only delays the community’s development.

Purpose of Community Organization

The purposes of community organization are the following:

1. To solve certain problems and meet needs

2. To achieve selected social goals
3. To strengthen people’s capacity in dealing with problems, needs and
aspirations.

Through organized efforts, community organization aims to solve certain

problems that the people consider of great priority or attain their community’s
pressing needs and aspirations. It may be their problems on housing, drug abuse,
street children, on crimes and juvenile delinquency or the need for the water
supply system, primary health care, etc. The organized efforts may be composed
of neighborhood welfare council, ad hoc committee, task force, wherein the
government, the private and religious sectors are represented, committee, study

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 group and the development council depending on the kind of problems/needs to
be solved or met. The community organization worker is therefore required to
possess skills in organizing, coordinating and inter-group relationship, if he/she
has to effectively enable the people to solve certain problems and needs with their
active participation.

The community worker is expected to help the community to achieve

some social goals and objectives. It may be their aspirations for a better life
through ownership of the land and they till as tenants or the electrification of their
community to boost economic productivity. In this case, the community
organization worker need to act as broker with the landlord, the Department of
Agrarian Reform and the Department of Energy to help them attain their
aspirations. He/she may organize the people for cooperative projects such as
Consumers’ Cooperative, Credit Cooperative and Cooperative Marketing.

Strengthening the people’s capacity in dealing with their problems, needs

and aspirations would require adequate training through relevant seminars and on-
the-job training. Thus they should be allowed to determine what their priority
problems/needs and enunciate their own aspirations. They should also be allowed
to plan the solutions to their own problems and needs and implement these plans
themselves with the guidance/assistance of the community organization worker.
In this way, they acquire the capacity to deal with their own problems/needs and
enable them to become a self-reliant and self-managed community.

Questions for Discussion

1. What could be the role of a community organization in the community?

2. How can a community organization be of service in the community?
3. How can a community organization succeed in developing the community?

Things to Do

1. Find out from the barangay chairman the community organizations that are
operating in the community?
2. In a group of five, observe the activities of a community organization. Comment
on the importance of the projects being undertaken by the community
organization.
3. Interview some people in the community who are being affected by the said
projects. Ask them about their feelings and reactions to: a) the projects, and b)
the community organization itself.

The community organization in the barangay is usually formed in response to

problems in the community. You will have a better understanding of the
importance of community organization when you look at the problems of the
community. The next reading will expose you to some of these problems.
Examine if you encounter problems in your community.

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Reading 6

Community Problems

Being a part of the community, you cannot help but be involved in its problems.
Here are some problems that you will likely encounter.

You will see that the roads in your community are in bad shape. Holes are here
and there, rocks are coming out of the surface, and parts of the road are under water
during rainy season.

You also see unsanitary surroundings. People dump their garbage everywhere on
the road or on street corners and the waste is not collected. Hundreds of flies swarm in
garbage heaps. A dead cat, dog, or pig is rotting on the ground.

Public buildings, including your school, may look shabby. The paint is peeling off
and mud has been splashed on the walls by some school boys. There is writing on the
walls and on the desk or chairs. Many of the houses need repair.

Branches that have been cut off from big trees lie around. Dead branches of trees
have not been cut off. Banana trunks lie on the roadside, in canals, or in ditches. Empty
milk cans and beer bottles are scattered all about.

What do you feel when you see conditions like those described above? No doubt
you feel unhappy. Or may be you are embarrassed to have dirty surroundings like these.
If visitors come to your community, would you be proud to show them such disorder and
dirt?

You belong to your community. Though you are only a high school student, you
belong to it just the same. Conditions like those describe above show the character of
some people in your community. Their character does not speak well of your community/

Questions for Discussion

1. What are the problems identified in the reading?

2. What do you think are the causes of these problems?
3. How do you think can these problems be solved?

Things to Do

1. Form a group and do a survey of problems in the community. You may observe
the community or interview people about these problems.
2. Find out possible causes of these problems/
3. Recommend solutions to these problems

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 In response to the problems, the community undertakes programs and projects.
Some common programs are presented in the next reading.

Reading 7

Barangay Programs

The barangays are required by the law to carry out programs which will address
some problems and stimulate the development of the community. The Local Government
Code lists the following programs as having been delegated to the barangays:

1. Peace and Order Program

2. Disaster Preparedness
3. Youth Development Program
4. Barangay Justice Program
5. Codification of Ordinance
6. Barangay Assembly
7. Training Programs

Peace and Order Program

In a community life, peace and order is given prior importance. Without peace
and order, community life is disrupted. All plans and efforts for development will also be
at a standstill. Thus the barangays are mandated to have their own security measures.
They are to organize a Tanod Brigade to keep peace and order in the community.

The Tanod Brigade is to act as security officers of the barangay. They are
expected to maintain peace and order in the community and police its boundaries from
the entry of lawless elements.

In case of community disturbance, the Tanod is expected to investigate and quell

that disturbance. If the disturbance is in violation of existing laws and ordinance the
Tanod refers the case to the Police or Barangay Captain for the corresponding appropriate
action. There could be other security measures or ways of maintaining peace and order
besides organizing a Tanod Brigade.

The citizens of the community/barangay should be given orientation on how they

can help prevent crimes and disorder in their respective vicinity.

Youth Development Program

The Local Government Code created a Youth Council in every barangay. It has
been given the responsibility to “initiate programs designed to enhance the social,
political, economic, cultural, intellectual, moral, spiritual, and physical development” of

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the barangay youths. To carry out its mandate, the Youth Council is authorized to create
such bodies or committees to implement programs and activities they deem necessary to
carry out the objectives of the youth in the barangay and hold fund-raising activities to
finance their projects and activities.

Barangay Justice Program

Section 1 of P.D. No. 1508 created in each barangay a Lupong Tagapayapa or

Lupon composed of the Barangay Captain as Chairman and not less than ten and not
more than twenty members to be constituted every two years to settle amicably disputes
among family and barangay members without judicial recourse in order to promote the
speedy administration of justice and in the process preserve and develop Filipino culture
and the strengthening of the family as a basic institution.

Said barangay system of justice also aims to prevent the congestion of court cases
thus helping the courts administering justice. It is also designed to preserve the Filipino
tradition of settling disputes amicably. Can the Lupon settle all types of disputes? No, the
Lupon cannot settle the following disputes:

1. where the party involves the government of any subdivision or instrumentality

thereof;
2. where the party is a public officer or employee and the dispute relates to the
performance of his official functions;
3. offenses punishable by imprisonment exceeding 30 days or a fine exceeding
P200.00;
4. offenses where there is no offended private party;
5. disputes involving parties who actually resided in barangays of different cities,
municipalities except where each barangay adjoin each other; and
6. cases involving real property located in different municipalities.

Codification of Ordinances

Codification is the process of collecting and systematizing all pass Ordinances

through classification and integrating similar measures, updating those that need
modification and setting aside those that are no longer relevant. The purpose is come up
with a code for reference and proper implementation. The process of codification would
also enable the barangay officials to identify gaps and weaknesses in their legislative
duties. This insight would help them improve the quality of their future legislative work.
The process would also enable them to enact measures that are still wanting and relevant
to the contemporary community life.

Barangay Assembly

Pursuant to the Local Government Code. “the Barangay Assembly shall eb

composed of all persons who are actual residents of the barangay for at least six (6)

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months, who are fifteen (15) years of age and over, are citizens of the Philippines and
duly registered in the list of barangay assembly members kept by the barangay secretary.”

The Barangay Assembly is to meet at least twice a year to hear and discuss the
semestral report of the Sangguniang Barangay concerning its activities and finances.

It has also powers, “to initiate legislative processes by recommending to the

Sangguniang Barangay the adoption of measures for the welfare of the barangaya; decide
on adopting the process of initiative on questions and issues presented therein; and hear
and pass upon the semestral report of the Sangguniang Barangay covering its activities
and finances.”

Training Programs

Barangay leaders should learn to identify their own needs and immediately seek
the appropriate resource agency or trainors from government or private sector to provide
them their needed training with the assistance of the barangay worker.

Training usually needed by the barangay leaders are in the following areas:

1. administration and management

2. parliamentary procedures in holding/presiding over barangay sessions/meetings
3. development planning, policy formulation, decision-making, monitoring and
evaluation of plans and projects
4. disaster preparedness
5. Barangay Justice Administration

The Barangay residents should be given the opportunity to attend training programs
for their welfare and enhancement. The following trainings are suggested:

1. adult education
2. value formation and spiritual enhancement for the children and youth
3. drug abuse
4. leadership
5. family education
6. food preservation
7. fish culture
8. cottage industries
9. cooperatives
10. vocational skills training
11. seminars on primary health care and nutrition
12. herbal medicine

19
Questions for Discussion

1. What problems are being addressed by each of the programs presented in the
reading? Fill in the chart on the next page.

Problem Barangay Program

2. Why are barangay required to undertake development programs?

Things to Do

1. Find out from your barangay officials the programs being undertaken in the
community. The class may invite or interview the barangay chairman or any
member of the Barangay Council
2. Ask your barangay chairman or official which program is being implemented
well. Which program is encountering implementation problems? Find out why.

The programs are designed to promote the growth and development of the
community. The programs are generally long-term and area part of the development plan
in the community. The next reading will introduce you to a development

Reading 8

Community Development Plan

Development means positive change and growth in an individual’s and

community’s life and the capacity of people for participation, self-direction and
integrated effort in community affairs. It is performed by people living in the community.
It is executed through self-help, voluntary participation, self-direction and cooperation of
the people with technical assistance from government and private agencies as well as
individuals. Community development is concerned with all the people of the community
rather than just a segment of the population: total community life and needs rather than
just aspect of community life.

Planning for community development involves a systematic procedure in

preparing activities to achieve a desired goal taking into consideration available
resources, time and efforts needed.

20
A development plan consists of the following:

A. Definition and analysis of the problem

Example

The lack of peace and order refers to a condition where people feel
insecure about their life and property because of the threat of war or conflict.
Peace and order problem in the community stems from lack of education and
employment opportunities of the people.

B. Objectives

Example

To give scholarships to 10% of elementary pupils yearly.

To generate employment for 20% of community members aged 20-50
years.

C. Programs and Services

Example

Scholarships for 10% elementary pupils in the barangay

Livelihood projects for 20% of members aged 20-50 years.

D. Implementation

Example

A committee will be organized to screen potential scholars

Qualified barangay members will be given livelihood skills training

E. Monitoring and Evaluation

Example

The performance of scholars will be evaluated based on their report cards.

Only those whose general average is at least 80% will continue to be given
scholarship

The number of those who underwent training and those who are actually
employed will be monitored.

21
 The development plan when implemented well will enable the community to
solve its problems and prevent them from resurfacing in the future.

Questions for Discussion

1. Would you consider a community development plan important? Why?

2. What do you see would be your role in a community development plan?
3. What do you think is the role of the other members of the barangay in the
community development plan?

Things to Do

1. In coordination with your teacher, invite or interview your Barangay Chairman or

any barangay official for a presentation in class of the community development
plan. Prepare questions for discussion.
2. Give your comments about your community development plan.
3. Identify those areas in the plan where you think you can contribute.

There are many ways by which young people like you cans serve your community.
Turn to the next reading to find out how.

Reading 9

What Can You Do to Help Improve Your Community?

You can serve your community at the individual and group levels;
Individually, there are things you can do on your own. For example, a student
living in a rural area, submitted the following list of “small things” that he thinks he can
do.

1. I can plan fruit trees around my house. I will water them during the dry season
and protect them from animals and children;
2. I can keep our pigs in their pens so that they will not wander around;
3. I can rim the grass and clean the yard when I am not busy with my school work;
4. I can keep my surroundings at home as near and clean as I can; make my bed or
fold any mat and blanket when I get up, and put my books, notebooks, shoes, and
slippers in their proper places;
5. I can put away dirty clothes, socks, towels, combs, toothbrush, and toothpaste
where they belong;
6. I can help scrub the floor, dust the furniture, and bury burn trash and garbage; and
7. I can keep myself near and even if I have only a few clothes.

For her part, a girl who loves in a urban residential area submitted the following:

22
 1. I will dispose of our garbage in the proper place. I will not dump garbage in my
neighbor’s yards;
2. I will keep the sidewalk in front of my house free from trash and dirty water;
3. I will not make too much noise by tuning the on my radio very loud so as not to
disturb my neighbors;
4. I will keep the space in our house assigned to me as neat and clean as I can.

At the group level, you and your classmates can work together to serve your community

One way is to talks to your teacher and organize cleanliness “squad”. Each squad
is composed of several boys and girls – say – eight – and they work together. One
squad for example, could be a “Sanitation Squad”. Its principal job is to help clean
the streets, the canals and sidewalks, etc.

Another squad could be the “Neatness Squad”. Its members look around for
broken fences, ugly tree stumps, rock on the rod, empty bottles and cans. Used
straws, plastic bags, and other things that make the community untidy. This squad
picks up these ugly thongs and takes them away.

A third squad could be a “Cover the Holes Squad”. As its name indicates, the
members cover ugly holes on the road. It would be nice to see a group of high school
students working with shovels and pushing wheelbarrows full of sand or gravel.

Can you think of other squads? Here are a few more.

 Squad for the Protection of Trees

 Squad for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
 Squad to Assist in Traffic Control in Front of the School
 Squad to Help Little Children Cross the Street

If you do not like the word squad because it sounds military, use another word.
Examples: team., group, barkada and other names that mean cooperation, working
together, and volunteer work.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Have you experienced participating in community projects? What was the

significance of your participation? Relate your experience.
2. Why is it important for you to serve your community?
3. How can you encourage others in the community to do their role?

23
Things to Do

1. List 3 things, in the order of importance, that you commit yourself to do for your
community.
2. Form a small group and talk about what you can to together to serve your
community.

24
25
 You don’t have to wait to become old in order to serve your community. In your
own way you can perform a great service to your community. From simple things like
picking up the candy wrappers you see littering the road on your way to school, to big
things like reporting smoke belchers to the traffic authority, you will find a variety of
ways by which you can be useful. Improving the environment of your community will be
a good place to start.

The next reading will familiarize you with some environmental concerns. Be
ready to identify those which apply to your community.

Reading 10

The Problem of Pollution

Reducing waste discharges into the environment is essential for maintaining a

clean community. But, at present, the environment in both cities and rural areas continues
to deteriorate because of the increasing volume of air emission, solid waste and waste
discharges (pagtatapon). The health of the people suffers in the process.

Consider discharges into the air. In Calcutta, India about 60% of the city’s
population suffers from respiratory diseases related to air pollution. In some Chinese
cities, lung cancer is four to seven times higher than the nation as a whole. In Mexico
City, lead from vehicular emission is found in the blood of children high enough to cause
brain damage.

26
 In the Philippines, studies sponsored by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in
1992 to 1993 have shown that the total suspended particles exceed the WHO’s guidelines
by as much as 5.3 times. In one measurement, lead exceeded the allowable limit of 2.2
times. Carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides occasionally excess except standards and so
called PM 10 (very small particles) can enter the settle in the deep crevices of the lungs
exceeding acceptable level of three times.

The people that are most vulnerable to these problems are the urban poor who can
not afford to protect themselves with air conditioned houses or vehicles.

Pollution problems are more serious in squatter areas of the urban centers. The
squatter settlements are often situated along and within the rivers and waterways where
they are vulnerable to health hazards and where they also cause water pollution, flooding,
and drainage problems.

Another major pollutant that can be hazardous to health is solid waste. The bulk
of solid waste is generated by ordinary people. This constitutes municipal solid wastes
which include domestic refuse and non-hazardous debris. The other type of waste
consists of toxic and hazardous substances which require special handling.

In Metro Manila, solid waste generation is estimated at more than 3,400 tons per
day. About 93%of it is collected and recycled and the balance burned and thrown into
waterways and sewers. Part of this waste is toxic and hazardous.

Worldwide, the problem is lack of facilities and service for proper disposal of
waste. Over one billion people are expected to lack sufficient solid waste disposal service
by the end of the century. The result could be pollution of air, land and water and spread
of infectious diseases. About five million people already die yearly from waste-related
diseases. The problem is most serious in informal settlements of developing countries.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why is pollution a growing concern in most communities?

2. What are the major causes of pollution?

3. How do you think can pollution be controlled?

Things to Do

1. With five other students, go to your designated purok and do a survey of the level
of pollution area. Fill in the checklist below by putting a check () mark on the
appropriate column.

27
Environment Quality

Very Good Good Fair Poor

A. Land

B. Air

C. Water

2. Examine which aspect of the environment is rated “Poor”. With the same
grouping find out the causes of the poor status. Fill in the chart below.

Environment Status Causes

If there are no problems with any aspect of the environment, indicate below its
good status can be maintained. Fill the chart below.

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Environment Status Preservation

The condition of the environment may be further worsened by the depletion of

our resources on which the human life depends. The problem appears to be worldwide
and had now become a global concern as the next reading will tell you. The world
community is faced with a problem that is mainly of its own making.

Reading 11

Resources - - - Going , Going, Gone?

Today’s elderly, born at the

beginning of this century, started life
in a world with about 50% of its
ancient forests still standing. Though
far from pristine, it was a world of
oceans and land masses teeming with
all kinds of life; vast expanses of
wildlands were sparsely inhabited by
aboriginal peoples who knew how to
tap the land for medicine and
sustenance. Those who will be born
after the turn of the millennium will
come of age to find that previous
generations have squandered and
defiled their inheritance. . . .

Our grandchildren may have access to conveniences that further reduce the
drudgery of everyday life, but they will also inherit a planet with less than 20% of its
original forests intact, with most of the readily available freshwater already spoken for,
with most of the wetlands and reef systems destroyed or degraded and much of the

29
arable land under plough. They will inherit a stressed atmosphere and an unwanted
legacy of toxic waste in the soil and water.

The depletion of water resource. Not only is there pollution of water on a

grand scale, but much of it is also being wasted and mismanaged. According to an April
report from the United Nations and the Stockholm Environment Institute, by the year
2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will be affected by the water shortages. In
1995, 20% of the planet’s people already had no access to clean drinking water and
50% lacked proper toilet facilities.

Symptoms of the water crisis are everywhere. Around the globe, underground
water sources are being depleted, lakes are shrinking and wetlands crucial to the
survival of plants and wildlife are drying up.

Although the surface of the earth is two-thirds water, 97% of it is undrinkable

seawater, while an additional 2% is locked up in the polar ice caps. And the 12,600 cu.
km. of water accessible for human use is distributed quite unevenly. Surprisingly,
relatively little of the world’s freshwater is needed for drinking and other personal use.
About 25% of what we consume goes to industry, while 70% more supports farms and
ranches. So agriculture is where future water shortages will be most acute. While
irrigated land makes up only 17% of all farmland, it produces 40% of the world’s crops.
Since 1987, however, the amount of the land under irrigation per capita has been in
decline – in part because the world is running out of water to divert into irrigation
ditches.

Even when water is available, a crucial question remains: is it safe to drink?

Rivers and streams that run through human settlements are increasingly contaminated
with pesticides from agriculture, industrial waste from manufacturing plants and, of
course, untreated sewages. That makes water both the giver of life or life and the bearer
of disease and death.

The diminishing land. Adding to the problem of depletion of water resources is

the low productivity of the land. The problem is aggravated by the rapid population
growth. It is estimated that worldwide, there are 80 million extra mouths to feed yearly
and all the evidence shows that the Green Revolution has been losing momentum for a
long time. Growth in world grain production slowed from 3% a year in 1970s to 1% a
year over the last decade. Seafood is not a simple alternative, since supplies of many
kinds of ocean fish are depleted, and varieties raised on fish farms must be fed grain or
other food.

For many years it was easy for farmers to boost their harvest merely by
dumping more fertilizer, pesticides and irrigation water on their land. Now, however,
they are running up against the law of diminishing returns. Insects are increasingly
developing resistance to pesticide. Reliance on chemical fertilizer, rather than organic
nutrients such as manure or compost, makes the soil more compact and thus more likely
to dry out and eventually erode. Improper irrigation techniques can result in the

30
evaporation of too much water from fields, leaving behind salts that build up in the soil
and ultimately leave the land infertile.

Even if farmers know how to irrigate carefully, they may face stringent limits
on water supplies. Likewise, farmers could theoretically put more land under
cultivation, but that too is in shorter supply, as urbanization fills open spaces in
housing, shopping malls and parking lots. In China, during the early 1990s, some 3,000
industrial parks gobbled 1,215,000 hectares of farmland and at least 40 golf courses
occupy what used to be productive field paddies. . . Much of the fertile land not yet
swallowed by urban sprawl faces a variety of other assaults, from overgrazing by
livestock to wind and water erosion brought on by the chopping down of surroundings
forests that once protected the fields. One prominent longtime pessimist in the food
debate argues that the world is fast running out of usable land, adding that “we are now
in a transition from a half-century dominated by food scarcity.”

Experts at the United Nations Environment Program and the UN’s Food and
Agriculture Organization are more optimistic. They forecast that greater demand for
food will spur agricultural innovation, as it always has in the past, and that increasingly
valuable land will be converted from less profitable uses and put under the plow. In fact
the UN predicts that farmers will somehow increase the area of land under cultivation
by 27% over the next 18 years. But even in this very analysis, not every part of the
world will be self—sufficient. Heavily populated Asia is expected to run out of arable
land by the year 2020 and will avoid food shortages only by bringing in grain from
surplus countries like the US and Canada. The Philippines has been importing grain
from its Asian neighbors to help augment its rice production.

The dwindling forest reserves.

Like land, even our reserves are already
diminishing. The problem is worldwide.
The latest report from the United
Nations’ Food and Agriculture
Organization, which tracks forests,
disclosed that between 1991 and 1995,
tropical rain forests were burned and
bulldozed at a rate of 126,000 sq km a
year.

Just 40% of the world’s ancient forest cover remains intact, according to the
World Resources Institute in Washington. This, too, however, is seriously threatened
by air pollution. It is feared that if nothing dramatic is done in the next 10 years,
nothing much would be left of our forest cover.

Endangered wildlife. With the loss of our forests, the survival of wildlife is
consequently threatened. Plants and animals whose natural habitat in the forest are
facing extinction when trees are burned or are destroyed by indiscriminate logging,

31
kaingin (slash – and burn – agriculture), and pollution. Among those in danger of
extinction are the monkey-eating eagle, tamaraw, and mouse deer. Saving the forests
means saving the vanishing wildlife.

Questions for Discussion

1. Resources are being used up and can hardly be replaced. What does this mean
for young people like you?

2. Why is the depletion of resources a global concern?

3. How have humans contributed to the depletion of resources?

Things to Do

1. What is the general condition of each resource? Check the appropriate column
to indicate your assessment?

Resource

Condition

Plentiful Short Supply Depleted

A. Water

B. Forest

C. Land

2. Identify what resource in no. 1 is being depleted. Find out why the resources has
been depleted

3. With your usual grouping, survey the general condition of the resources in your
purok. Note down the wasteful practices of the people. Which practices may be
considered useful? Present your findings in the presence of the barangay
chairman or his representative.

32
 What can be done to save our resources for the next generation? The next
reading urges you to take some action. Find out how you can be of help.

Reading 12

Respect the Land

By Al Gore

When we consider a subject as sweeping as the environment, we often focus on

its most tangible aspects – the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we put on
the table. Those things are critically important. But. . . the environment is also about
something less tangible, though no less important. It is about our sense of community –
the obligation we have to each other, and to future generations, to safeguard God’s
earth. It is about our sense of responsibility, and the realization that natural beauty and
resources that took millions of years to develop could be damaged and depleted in a
matter of decades.

My earliest environmental lessons came from our efforts to prevent soil erosion
– by stopping the formation of gullies that would wash away the vital topsoil on which
our farm depended. For a time, some large farmers who leased their land for short-term
profits didn’t worry about soil erosion; that’s one of the reasons more than three
hectares of prime topsoil floats past. . . every hour, washed away for good.

Today, the threats to our environment are even clearer to see – and much greater
in scope and number. We live in a world where climate change, deforestation, holes in
the ozone layer and air pollution are growing sources of concern. Our challenge is to
find new ways to address those problems by reaching back to our oldest values of
community and responsibility – by inspiring a greater respect for the land and the
resources we share.

If we are to protect and preserve our environment on a global scale, we must all
do our part, as nations, as families and as individuals. The need for awareness has never
been greater, and the opportunity for us to make a difference is just as great. If we
practice and teach the right kind of care and commitment for our environment, it will
continue not only to bring us its natural gifts, but also to bring us together.

Questions for Discussion

1. What does it mean to preserve the environment and its resources with a sense of
community?

2. Why is it important for us to consider the environment and its resources with a
sense of community?

33
Things to Do

1. How can you promote the sense of community in preserving the ecological
balance in your barangay? Plan with your group what you can do together to
promote this sense of community among the members of the barangay. Be ready
to present your recommendations in class in the presence of the barangay
chairman and his purok leaders.

2. Implement your plan by doing a group project involving the members of the
barangay.

3. Evaluate your project in terms of the sense of community it has generated. Use
the following criteria

a) Willingness of the people to participate

b) Level of participation of the community (number of people

participating)

c) Quality of participation of the community (continuity of community

involvement in projects, that is, participation is not just ningas cogon)

The protection of the environment and its resources on a global scale requires
the participation of all people inhabiting the earth. This sense of community is
emphasized further in the following reading.

Reading 13

World Environment Month: A Renewal of Pledge to Save our Oceans and Seas

World Environment Awareness is set for the whole month of June on the theme
“For Life on Earth, Save our Seas.” Coinciding with the Philippine Centennial
celebration, the country has adopted a local theme “Karagatan at Kapaligiran,
Ipagtanggol sa Diwa ng Kalayaan” (Ocean and Environment, Defend through the Spirit
of Independence). This annual event is mandated by the United Nations Environmental
Program (UNEP) to attain a clean, healthy and balanced conservation of natural
resources.

The theme, which expresses the country’s commitment to protect the oceans
and seas, is a fitting tribute and support to the United Nations and to the International
Year of the Ocean for 1998. The importance of the sea to the 7,107 island of the
Philippines as a maritime nation is underscored. The sea offers a vast source of food; it
likewise makes navigation by a ship possibility. In addition, it is a supplier of energy,
minerals and medicinal substances. Thus, there is a need to protect our oceans as we
protect our land.

34
 Earth, the blue planet of the solar system, is dominated by two-thirds ocean
water and developed by thick stratified layers of the life-giving atmosphere. Both play a
major role in the hydrological cycle and global climate pattern. Three major oceans –
the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans – and about a hundred seas across the globe are
home to diverse ecosystems. Once, these oceans and seas served as repositories of
organic substances that have now been transformed into petroleum and natural gas.

The Philippines, as an early signatory to the United Nations Conference on the

Law of the Sea, has established a comprehensive regulatory framework that involves
provisions for jurisdiction, protection of marine environment, exploitation of resources,
and settlement of disputes. The Philippines signed the Dumping Convention which
prohibits the deliberate disposal at sea of waste and other toxic substances. Likewise,
our country played a significant role in the International Ratification of the Basal
Convention in the control of transboundary movements of hazardous waste and their
disposal.

The government is determined to educate our people in the protection of the sea.
Now is the time to translate the international conventions it has signed with the other
nations of the world into sustainable measures to protect and conserve out environment.
Our oceans and seas are among our planet’s most valuable resources and we should all
work together to protect them.

Questions for Discussion

1. What is the significance/importance of the World Environment Month in terms of

a. scope; and
b. urgency/needs

2. What is the basic message of the World Environment Month?

Things to Do

1. At the barangay level, what can your group contribute to the protection of the body
of water, (river, ocean, or sea) near your community? Examine your group’s ideas
and suggestions in terms of
a. significance
b. urgency; and
c. do ability (can I do it?)

2. If your barangay does not have access to any body of water related your ideas and
suggestions to the protection of the land. Use the same criteria in evaluating your
ideas.
3. Present your suggestions (those which your group prefers after examining them) in
class. Plan with the purok leaders those which they want to implement in the
community.

35
 Environmental problems, if not attended to on time, may become hazardous to
health. The concern is real as communicated in the next reading. Read on and see if you
have the same problem in your community.

Reading 14
Las Piñas Mayor Appeals on Garbage

Las Piñas City Mayor Vergel Aguilar asked city residents to manage and
dispose their garbage properly as the Carmona and San Mateo dumpsites remain closed
since March.
Aguilar also directed the City’s Environmental Sanitation Commission to
immediately solve the problems posed by the delayed garbage collection due to the
closure of the two dumpsites in Carmona, Cavite and San Mateo, Rizal and the onset of
the rainy season.
“We are doing our best to immediately solve this problem. Regular garbage
collection and efficient waste disposal should not be compromised. We are not only
considering the preservation and maintenance of the cleanliness of our surroundings but
the health and welfare of the people.” the mayor said.
Although garbage collectors are having difficulty in the use of San Mateo
landfill, the ESC is doing its best to continue the garbage collection on a 24-hour basis,
Aguilar said.
Muddy access roads during inclement weather have increasingly hampered
garbage disposal operations, he added.
In an earlier communiqué with ESC and citizens of the city, the mayor vowed to
promptly address the problems and immediate implications posed by the irregular
garbage collection.

Questions for Discussion

1. Whys is the collection of garbage viewed as more than an environmental

problem?
2. How can the people help the local government in the disposal of garbage?

Things to Do
1. Plan with your group what you and the community can do to manage your
waste. Here are some ideas:
a. Build a compost. Ask your Science teacher for help.

36
 b. Convert used kerosene cans and old tires into waste receptacles. Ask you’re
THE teacher for assistance. Place the waste receptacles in strategic areas
(where much litter can be seen, such as the market, church grounds,
playground, etc.)
c. Organize a barangay clean-up week to dredge canals and waterways and
remove unsightly garbage.
d. Request the barangay council to enforce the anti-littering ordinance strictly.
Report violators to the council.
2. Invite the municipal health officer or a representative from DOH to talk to the
community about the hazards of improper waste disposal. Arrange this with
your teacher.

Unsanitary surroundings and poor health habits may result in the outbreak of
diseases in the community. It is said that more than half of all illness and death among
young children is caused by germs which get into the child’s mouth via food and water.
In communities without latrines, without safe drinking water, and without safe refuse
disposal, it is very difficult for families to prevent the spread of germs. While the
government has the duty to provide every community the materials and technical
advice needed to construct latrines and improve drinking water supplies, the people are
expected to observe and practice hygiene.
Turn to the next reading for basic information about community hygiene.

Reading 15
The Prime Messages of Hygiene

A. Illnesses can be prevented by washing hands with soap and water after contact
with feces and before handling food

 Washing hands with soap and water removes germs from the hands. This
helps to stop germs from getting onto food or into the mouth. Soap and
water should be easily available for all members of the family to wash their
hands.

B. Illnesses can be prevented by using latrines

 The single most important action which families can take to prevent the
spread of germs is to dispose of feces safely. Many illnesses, especially
diarrhea, come from the germs found in human feces. People can swallow

37
 these germs if the germs get into water, onto food, onto the hands, or onto
utensils and surfaces used for preparing food. To prevent this from
happening:

 Use latrines
 If it is not possible to use a latrine, adults and children should defecate
well away from houses, paths, water supplies, and anywhere that
children play. After defeating, the feces should be buried. Contrary to
common belief, the feces of babies and young children are even more
dangerous than those of adults. So even small children should be taken
to use the latrine. If children defecate without using the latrine, then their
feces should be cleared up immediately and either put down the latrine
or buried.
 Latrines should be cleaned regularly and kept covered.
 Keep the feces of animals away from homes and water sources.

C. Illnesses can be prevented by using clean water.

 Families who have a plentiful supply of piped water, and know how to use
it, have fewer illnesses.
 Families without a piped water supply can reduce if they protect their water
supply from germs by:

 keeping wells covered.

 keeping feces and waste water (especially from latrines) well away from
any water used for cooking, drinking, bathing or washing.
 keeping buckets, ropes and jars used to collect and store water as clean
as possible (for example by hanging up buckets rather than putting them
on the ground).
 Keeping animals away from drinking water.
 Families can keep water clean in the home by:

 storing drinking water in a clean, covered container.

 Taking water out of the container with a clean ladle or cup.
 Not allowing anyone to put their hands into the container or to drink
directly from it.
 Keeping animals out of the house.

38
D. Illnesses can be prevented by boiling drinking water if it is not from a piped
supply.

 Even if water is clear, it may not be free from germs. The safest drinking
water is from a piped supply. Water from other sources is more likely to
contain germs.
 Boiling water kills germs. So, if possible, water drawn from sources such as
ponds, streams, springs, wells, tanks or public standpipes should be brought
to the boil and cooled before drinking. It is especially important to boil and
cool the water which is given to babies and young children, because they
have less resistance to germs than adults.
 If boiling is not possible, store drinking water in a container of clear plastic
or glass, and leave it standing in sunlight for two days before using it.
 The following basic rules prevent the occurrence and spread of diseases:
 Drink only safe water.
 Boil unsafe water before drinking.
 Wash hands before preparing food and before eating.
 Maintain a sanitary toilet.
 Have a proper garbage disposal system.

E. Illnesses can be prevented by keeping the food clean.

 Germs on food can enter the body and cause illness. But food can be kept
safe by:
 making sure that food is thoroughly cooked especially meat and poultry.
 eating food soon after it has been cooked, so that it does not have time to
go bad.
 if already cooked food is saved, it should be thoroughly re-heated before
being used again.
 raw meat, especially poultry, usually contains germs. So it should not be
allowed to come into contact with cooked meat. Chopping boards or
food-preparing surfaces should be cleaned after preparing raw meats.
 keeping food-preparing surfaces clean.
 keeping food clean and covered and away from flies, mice and other
animals.

39
F. Illnesses can be prevented by burning or burying household refuse.
 Germs can be spread by flies, which like to breed in refuse such as food
scraps and peelings from fruits and vegetables. Every family should have a
special pit where household refuse is buried or burned everyday.
For the community, environmental sanitation efforts such as the following
are recommended:
 Set up potable water system.
 Fill up areas where stagnant water accumulates.
 Build canals and drainage systems.
 Cage and tether work animals
 Control pests and rodents.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why must health and sanitation be a community undertaking?
2. How can a community protect itself from the outbreak of diseases?
Things to Do
1. With your usual grouping, observe how the people in your assigned purok
practice hygiene in their daily activities. File your report in a chart like this:

Daily activity Sanitary practice Unsanitary practice

Drawing water
Cooking
Eating
Selling food
Keeping work animals
Disposal of garbage

2. Plan with your barangay council and municipal health officer how health at
sanitation can be promoted in the community after considering the unsanitary
practices of some households. Committees at the barangay level may be
organized carry out the plan.

40
 3. After a week, evaluate your program/project. Consider the following criteria:
a. Impact – the extent to which the unsanitary practices have changed
b. Magnitude – the number of households affected positively by the
program/project

Keeping your surroundings clean, healthy and beautiful is just the first step to
ecologically sound environment. Your environment, however, is not limited to the
physical. The people around you – young or old, male or female – are also part of your
environment. They, too, may affect how you live. They may not be bothering you at all
but their problems may pose a threat to the community. Their problems then become
your concerns and that of the community. How familiar are you with some of these
social concerns?

Reading 16
Addressing the Problem of Drugs

According to statistics released in 1994, for every 100 admissions in drug

rehabilitation centers, 91 were youths below 25 years of age. Forty-six of the 91 youth
were aged 10 to 19, and 45 were aged 20 to 24. Furthermore, most of the criminal case
lodged before various prosecutors’ office in the country were drug-related or drug-
induced.
Education and prevention are the very key elements in our efforts at eliminating
drug-abused. If our young people can be made aware of the dangers of drugs many can
still be saved.
Drug Education whether it be for children, youth or adult, in school or in the
community, should be primarily preventive. The objective of preventive drug education
programs is to guide the individual in developing self-esteem as well as worthwhile
values.
Besides Drug Education, there are also programs on treatment, rehabilitation
and aftercare. The objective generally is to enable the drug addict to withdraw complete
from addiction, to find employment and make satisfactory adjustment into society.

Question for Discussion

1. Refer to your book in MAPEH for the causes of drug abuse. Discuss them in
class.
2. How can drug abuse be prevented?

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Things to Do

1. Talk to your MAPEH teacher about the indications/signs of drug abuse. With
your usual grouping, plan with your barangay council how victims of drug
abuse may be identified for rehabilitation.
2. Plan with your group how you can campaign aggressively against drug abuse.
Here are some ideas:

a. Organize the youngsters in the community for a discussion with

municipal health officer regarding the effects of drug abuse.
b. Invite the parents in the community for a session on detection of drug
abuse.
c. Organize youth clubs (sports, craft, drama, music, etc.) to keep the
youngsters creatively busy.
d. Put up posters encouraging the young to avoid drugs.

3. After a month, evaluate your project for its impact on the youth.
a. Find out how may have joined the youth clubs.
b. Interview some people in the community to find out their views about the
impact of your project in terms of lowering the incidence of drug abuse.

Besides the drug dependents, there are other victims in your community who may
be suffering in silence – the children whose basic rights are being violated by the elders
who are supposed to protect them.
The children are those who are 18 years old and below. Because they are
generally dependent on their elders for support, they are helpless and become easy
victims of abuse. They are often unaware of their basic rights which, according to the
United Nations, include the following:
 Children have the right to be with their family or those who will care for them
best.
 Children have the right to enough food and clean water.
 Children have the right to an adequate standard of living.
 Children have the right to health care.
 Disabled children have the right to special care and training.
 Children must be allowed to speak their own language and practice their own
religion and culture.

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  Children have the right to play.
 Children have the right to free education.
 Children have the right to be kept safe and not be hurt, exploited or neglected.
 Children must not be used as cheap labor or soldiers.
 Children have the right to protection from cruelty, neglect and injustice.
 Children have the right to express their own opinions and to meet together to
express their views.

Any violation of these rights is a form of child abuse. It will be easy for you to
recognize its signs when you turn to the next reading.

Reading 17

Child Abuse and Child Exploitation

Child abuse is a hideous crime and ideally, most parents couldn’t imagine even
treating a child in such a way.
It must be understood fully that child abuse is more than treatment that results to a
physically and emotionally and mentally battered child. It is any treatment that destroys
the child’s sense of “personhood,” his feeling of self-worth.
On the other hand, child exploitation according to Michael Tan, a professor on
sex and culture at UP, is manifested by the following:
 when parents desire more children, especially sons, to ensure that there will be
someone who will carry on their surname; and
 the Filipino tradition that children are there to care for their parents in their old age
not only to look after them when they are old, but even more to help them financially
by demanding them to earn a living at an early age by any means even by prostitution
and forced labor.

Questions for Discussion

1. When do you know that a child is being abused?
2. When do you say that a child is being exploited?
3. How can the abuse of children be prevented?

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Things to Do

1. Conduct a mini-survey of children in the community. Interview some of them to

find out if there are indications of child abuse or exploitation. Report your
findings in class. Invite the barangay chairman or his/her representative during the
presentation.
2. Discuss with your barangay council how you can help victims of child abuse and
exploitation.
You may consider the following suggestions:
a. Organize a Bantay Bata brigade that will report to the barangay
authorities all forms of child abuse and exploitation.
b. Conduct teach-ins with elementary pupils to take them vigilant about their
rights.
c. Meet with parents on how the latter can promote a child-friendly home
life.
3. After a month, evaluate the impact of your project. Interview the children for the
second time, those who showed indications earlier of being abused. Ask if they
experienced any change in their elders’ relationship with them. Report your
findings in class.

The exploitation of children usually takes the forms of child labor. Learn more
about this as you study the next reading.

Reading 18
Two Million Children Are At Work

More than two million children, ages 10 to 17, are at work, some as prostitutes, in
this country. Most of them are illegally employed. This means these children are less than
15 years and employed by people who aren’t their parents or guardians, or younger than
18 working in hazardous occupations.

The figure coincides, more or less, with the number of children of school age who
are out of school in 1992-1993. While nearly all children enter Grade One, only 70
percent reach the Grade Six. Thus, school-age children who leave school add to the
number of potential child workers.

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Maagang Nagtatrabaho. Mula sa kaliwa (clockwise): mga batang sagada; tumutulong sa
pampamilyang negosyo ng itikan; street vendor; scavenger; nasa garment industry; naglalako ng
dyaryo at mga bata sa minahan ng ginto sa Diwalwal, Davao del Norte.

Why is there child labor in this country?

Studies point to poverty as its cause. But Carmela I. Torres, executive director of
the Department of Labor and Employment’s Institute for Labor Studies, says that to relate
the phenomenon of children at work to their impoverished conditions fails to answer the
“why” question. For, she points out, “poverty is merely symptomatic of larger societal
problems – an effect rather than a cause.”

The state of the economy, socio-cultural conditions, and state policies as

influenced by global situations, peer influence, family expectations, and educational
aspirations are some factors that drive the children to wok.

In a paper on the problems of child labor, Torres says the children work to earn
for themselves or for others. They may be paid or unpaid, and their compensation may be
paid to other rather than to themselves, or assessed in non-wage ways, such as food,
education, shelter or clothing.

45
 On the basis of a special tabulation by the National Statistics Office, more than
three-fourths of children aged 10-14 are in agricultural activities such as tending to
animals, planting, fishing, hunting and forestry work. A fifth are in services, while only
3.5 percent are in industry.
Many of them work without pay, being classified as family workers. Only 25.2
percent and 4.9 percent are classified as wage and salary workers and own account
workers, respectively. For the 15-17 age group, 46.8 percent are unpaid family workers,
while 44.8 percent are wage and salary workers and 8.4 percent as own account workers.
This indicates, the Torres paper points out, that as children grow older, more of
them try to get paying jobs outsides.
Torres reports: “A special category of working children in urban centers are child
entertainers-cum-prostitutes. They are usually between the ages of 13-15, although some
of them, especially among the prostitutes, can be as young as 7.”
These special workers spent long, odd hours, from 10-12 hours, starting from 3, 6,
or 8 p.m. until the wee hours of the next day. Most of them are school dropouts, while
others have run away from their families to escape parental abuse, extreme poverty and
neglect.
Entertainment and prostitution attract them because they mean more money. Most
do not enjoy regular wages, but get their earnings from commissions from drinks, or earn
retainer’s fees per performance, like dancing. Commissions could amount to P18 a glass
of a lady’s drink or P2 for every bottle of beer consumed. Dancers earns as much as
P175 for a minute “bold show.”
Children earn bigger commissions by stepping out with customers for sex. They
charge P150 to P1,200 a night for such services.
Contrasting with urban child workers who work on the “fringes” of urban
economy, Torres notes, child workers in rural areas concentrate on “mainstream”
industries. They take part in the primary production activities of their community, such as
on the farms, in fishing, and in small-scale agri-business. Non-agricultural work involves
cottage-industry occupations. Daily earnings range from P20 to P60, but most of them
work without pay.
While most of their work are generally simple like gathering abaca stalks,
coconuts, coco-shells, and leaves; drying, cleaning and sorting salted fish; and picking
and counting fruits, these activities are not necessarily easy, light of safe, the DOLE
official says.
Children are asked to join adult fisherman for an all-night at sea and return home
in the early morning, sleepless and exhausted. In vegetable plantations, they are engaged
in pesticide application, which expose them to chemical pollution. In sugar plantation,
they face the risk of contamination with dangerous chemicals from fertilizer use.
While Philippine laws have not been remiss in tackling the child labor issue, the
Torres paper points out certain areas and gaps that remain for legislative advocacy
reform.

46
 For instance, Torres points out, the Labor Code provides specifically for child
worker’s protection. But, she says, these provisions basically focuses on children in the
formal sector, leaving unprotected a vast majority of children found at work in
agriculture, small industries and domestic work settings.
Torres also deplores the “inconsistency between the provision of minimum
employable age and the employment of child apprentices.” The Code ‘s Article 59 allows
apprenticeship of minors who are at least 14 years which contrasts with the provision in
the code stating that children have to be at least 15 years to be allowed to work. Unless
the apprenticeship program is under school supervision, it seems untenable to allow
children to be employed as apprentices, especially since there are not enough labor
inspectors to guarantee their welfare in the workplace.
Torres also cites “the intermingling or overlapping of jurisdiction over child
protection and welfare cases.” Thus, under Presidential Decree 603, monitoring,
investigation and prosecution of violations of the Code’s penal provisions fall within the
responsibility of the police and the Department of Justice. But, Torres says, provision
dealing with a minor’s status, property relations, custody adoption are enforced and
monitored by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. On the other hand,
DOLE is solely responsible for enforcing the Code and all matters relating to
employment.
“Such overlapping of jurisdiction curtails the effective and coordinated
enforcement of these laws,” according to Torres.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why are children employed at an early age?
2. Why is child labor a growing concern?
3. Should children be allowed to work? Why?

Things to Do
1. With your usual grouping, find out if there are children who are already working
in your community. Interview them to gather information on the following:
a. Age
b. Number of children in the family
c. Type of work
d. Number of years in the job
e. Income
f. Problems at work
2. Present your findings in class to get the profile of the working children.

47
 There are programs and projects which both the government and the private
sectors are doing to improve the condition of the working children. The next reading
presents some of these programs and projects.

Reading 19
Promoting the Welfare of Working Children

There are government and non-government organizations working together to

improve the life of working children. One such initiative is the DOLE-UNICEF program
called “Community Action on Child Labor” which seeks to increase awareness among
key social sectors of the hazards faced by working children engages in community
organizing and networking to improve the situation of child workers.
Other government efforts include the Smokey Mountain Project for young
scavengers implemented by DOLE to promote the welfare of working children and
abolishing scavenging activities among them; the DOLE provision of alternative
employment and livelihood opportunities for children and their affected families in the
muro-ami fishing operations; Marilac Hills, as rehabilitation center for young prostitutes;
establishment of working youth centers in rural and less urbanized centers by DOLE to
provide employment promotion and income generation information and communication,
education and training and welfare assistance for the youth.
The following are the non-governmental organizations and their programs for
children:
 Project Joel of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines aims to eliminate
child labor through educational campaigns, advocacy action and social
mobilization.
 Kamalayan Development Center helps government agencies in monitoring the
presence of child laborers in factories. It has been instrumental in the recent
rescue of child laborers in a sardines factory, a cooking oil factory, two
agricultural farms and a packing factory.
 Operation Silungan, an effort between the Tahanan Outreach Projects and
Services (TOPS) and Christian Children’s Fund (CCF), provides temporary
shelter to runaway boys and street urchins who are provided educational,
psychological, health and nutritional assistance and sports and recreation
services.
 Projects of the Economic Research and Development Assistance Foundation
(ERDA), Salinlahi Foundation, Gabriela and Bahay Tuluyan.
 ECPAT, Tanikala and Buklod cater to children in entertainment and
hospitality trades by providing information dissemination, organizing and
livelihood projects.

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 Under the policy and legal framework, it is recommended that policies on
participation of children below 14 years in paid and unpaid work be modified, and the
efforts should be directed closely to the conditions of children at work off-the-streets,
particularly those in manufacturing and agriculture.
It is also suggested that concrete guidelines and legislative policies be formulated
towards the abolition of child labor and the immediate withdrawal of children from
hazardous occupations and in hotel entertainment industries.

Questions for Discussion

1. Do you think the government has been successful in addressing the problem of
child labor? Explain.
2. Which of the programs/projects presented in the reading do you think will be
most effective in addressing the problem of child labor?
3. Should child labor be abolished? Explain.

Things to Do
1. Formulate a program of action with the barangay council addressing the problems
of working children
Examples:
a. Counseling
b. Rescue of children in hazardous occupations
c. Livelihood training for parents

Another problem calling for urgent action from the community is the proliferation
of pornographic materials that victimize the young. Find out from the next reading how
the government is addressing this concern.

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Reading 20

War Against Pornography

Child pornography refers to the use, exhibition and depiction of children as mere
objects of obscenity, immorality, and indecency in live shows, movies, television,
newspaper, magazines and other forms of media.
Pornography is punishable under Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code as
amended by P.D. No. 969. Specifically, it prohibits the publication of obscene literature,
the exhibit of indecent plays, scenes, acts or shows and the distribution of prints,
engravings, sculptures or literature which are offensive to morals. The test of obscenity
and indecency is whether the matter tends to “deprive or corrupt those whose minds are
open to such immoral influences and into whose hands such a publication may fall and
also whether or not such a publication or acts shocks the ordinary and common sense of
men as an indecency.” The determination of obscenity in the broadcast media is left to
the discretion of the Movies, Television, and Radio Classification Board (MTRCB).
R.A. 7610 penalizes any person who shall hire, use, employ, induce or coerce a
child to perform obscene exhibitions and indecent shows, whether live or in video, pose,
or model in obscene publications or pornographic materials or to sell or distribute the said
materials. The offender shall suffer the penalty “prison mayor” in its medium period.
Section 14 of the same law prohibits the employment of children as models in all
commercials or advertisement promoting alcoholic beverages, intoxicating drinks,
tobacco and its by-products and violence. This specific law dealing with child
pornography hopes to deter the rampant use of children in commercial establishments
that excite impure and immoral imagination, as well as the proliferation of smut
magazines that may incite the commission of sex-related crimes especially against
hapless children.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why should you be concerned about child pornography?
2. How do you think can the community assist the government in its flight against
pornography?

Things to Do
1. With your usual group, survey the periodicals on sale in your community.
Examine if there are pornographic materials in circulation. List them down and
report the matter to the barangay council.
2. Prepare posters encouraging the community to stop the sale of pornographic
materials.

50
 3. Arrange with the local radio station a community awareness campaign on the bad
effects of child pornography.

There are other people in the community who, like the drug dependents and the
abused children, also need your assistance. They are poor and the unemployed who have
no resources to draw on but the generosity of others. You can be generous to them
without having to give them alms, but you can offer them your time and compassion.
You may share with them your time and compassion when you serve them in a variety of
ways.
There are many people around you who are unemployed and the situation does
not seem to be getting any better. The next reading discusses the employment problem in
detail.

Reading 21
The Problem of Employment Generation

The employment generation in the three major sectors of the economy –

agriculture, industry and services has been sluggish during the past three years.
This can be gleaned from a study conducted by a team of consultants with the
assistance of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the
Department of Labor Employment (DOLE).
The study noted that the share of agriculture in total employment has declined
from 54 percent in 1980 to 45 percent in 1994, and the share of industry has remained
stagnant at about 15 percent. This despite the 3.9 percent increase in employment in the
industrial sector last year.
The share of services has risen from 32 percent to 39 percent during the period
under review, but the 2.8 percent increase in 1994 was even lower than the 3.4 percent
increase of the previous year and the 4 percent average increase for the period 1987-
1992.
The labor productivity in the sector, except in finance, was less than one-half of
the industry.
The study pointed out that the employment slack of the agricultural sector
migrated straight to the low productivity informal sector simply because the industrial
sector was too moribund to accommodate it.
At present, the industrial sector accounts for less than 16 percent of total
employment. “As such,” the study said, “it cannot be the focus of any major employment
creating effort. Yet, it does have the potential to contribute to employment generation.
And it can make such contribution if it is restructured”.

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 Of the subsectors in the industry, manufacturing is the biggest user of labor,
employing about 10 percent of the employment, followed by construction with 4.7
percent.
In the service group, community, social and personal services is the biggest
employer, absorbing about 17.5 percent of employment. However, the study added, it
will be a mistake to assume that because it is big that sector can yield the brightest
prospects of employment generation.
For one thing, the government, which is included in the services group, is not
expecting that employment will be expanded at least in the near future. Moreover, a
substantial portion of the low productivity informal sector is in the government and it
makes on sense to expand the bureaucracy when what seems to be needed is to contract.
The next biggest employer in the services group is travel – consisting of
wholesale and retail and restaurants and hotels--which gives jobs to about 14 percent of
the total employed. The study cited, however, that travel is haven for a large portion of
the low productivity sector, which slides into it avoid unconcealed open unemployment.
Transportation and communication is a small employer, absorbing about 5.6
percent of the total employment. Financial, real estate and business services is the
smallest, taking in only a minuscule 2 percent of total employment.
“It is clear that so long as productivity is a consideration in the creation of new
employment, trade cannot be suitable candidate in which to locate the new jobs.
Although much smaller, transportation and finance fit the bill more snugly since the
expansion of their services is indispensable to development and their productivity is also
high,” the study said.

Questions for Discussion

1. What does the low generation of employment mean for the economy?
2. Who are usually the victims of low employment generation?

Things to Do
1. Have your group find out the major employment sectors in your purok
(agriculture, manufacturing, etc.) Present this in a pie chart or a bar graph.
2. How many are unemployed in your purok? Do a survey with your group of the
number of people who are unemployed. Get the profile of the unemployed. (Note:
Housewives are not considered unemployed because housework is also regarded
as productive work..)
a. Name
b. Home address
c. Age
d. Sex

52
 e. Civil status
f. Highest education attainment
g. Number of months/years of being unemployed
h. Skills

3. Summarize your data in the form of a chart or graph. Present your findings in
class in the presence of the barangay kagawad of your purok.
4. Discuss the implications of your findings.

The inability of the government to provide employment to all means that the
communities themselves must be able to generate employment for their people. Find out
from the next reading how a community has succeeded in doing so.

Reading 22
Canaoalan: A Model Barangay

One of the 32 barrios in Binmaley, Pangasinan, Canaoalan is definitely a model

barangay. Some two and a half hours from the poblacion it has clean healthy
surroundings. It is link by asphalted roads to the poblacion. With population only of
21,445 it has plenty of space for growth and progress. With nine school buildings and 18
school teachers, its over 470 pupils from Grades 1 to VI have adequate school facilities.
Local officials, knowing the abundance of local raw materials like buri palm, have
put up some cottage industries. Thus making of bags and baskets, and sewing of dresses,
etc. provide extra income and employment. Even the school children have been given a
chance to work during weekends and earn some cash a result.
“Our cottage industries started in August 1973 with only three thousand
(P3,000.00) pesos capital,” the Municipal Development Officer related. “Today, home
industries are all booming and the starting capital has
gone up to five thousand (P5,000.00) pesos or more with weekly income or sale
of three thousand (P3,000.00) pesos.”
The government has helped implement some bold development projects, too,
through its various agencies in the area.
The government and the people working as partners in many of these
undertakings have done much rural improvement work and activities. With the
participation and even the leadership of the Barrio Council and Barangay, much has been
done. In coordination with the parents, teachers, civic organization and lay leaders, the
people have put up various projects that have boosted not only community growth but
individual profit.

53
 For example, most households have gardens planted with vegetables, Poultry and
piggery are popular all over the sea.
Health and sanitation is also everybody’s business here. In fact every home has a
water-sealed toilet. Exactly 359 of them were constructed by the people themselves.
Water system pumps numbering 15 are providing the people with the clean and safe
potable drinking water.
Many more projects have been put up by the barrio people themselves. There is
the Purok nursery which the womenfolk of the barrio have been giving regular care.
There is also an information center giving them the latest news on the country. And of
course, they also have Recreation Center where most of the youth convene during their
idle hours for games and fun.
All of these projects have improved greatly the livelihood of the people. Thanks
to the barrio people’s enlightened participation and cooperation for the good of the
community as a whole.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why is Canaoalan considered a model barangay?

2. How did Canaoalan become a progressive barangay?

Things to Do

1. Are you satisfied with the current level of development of your barangay? Have
your group list down the things that you want to change?
2. How satisfied are you with the work attitudes of the people in your barangay?
Have your group list them down.

Work attitudes that need to be maintained:

a. ______________
b. ______________
c. ______________
etc.

Work attitudes that need to be changed:

a. _____________

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 b. _____________
c. _____________
etc.

Present your list in class in the presence of the barangay chairman or

his/her representative.

3. Have your group prepare posters encouraging the people to maintain the positive
work traits/attitudes and change the negative ones. Display the posters in strategic
areas in the community.

Another model barangay is presented in the next reading. Analyze what

makes this barangay a model for community development.

Reading 23

Barangay Malinao - A Success Story

Barrio Malinao, a highland village in the town of Kalilangan in Bukidnon, is a

model barangay. The barrio is far from civilization. How it became a model barangay is a
remarkable achievement. It shows that every village in the country, new or old, remote or
near centers of progress and population, has a chance to develop and prosper.

Several years ago, what is now Malinao was a vast wilderness, a haven for wanted
men and cattle rustlers preying upon their helpless victims in the area. Nobody expected
it to become a progressive community. The area was earmarked as a settlement project
when Pres. Ramon Magsaysay launched his "Land for the Landless" program in 1956,
when many tenants were relocated in the vast unsettled public lands of Mindanao. In
1958 during the time of Pres. Carlos P. Garcia, Mrs. Remedios O. Fortich, manager of the
National Resettlement Administration (NARRA), shepherded 196 settlers to the area.

First to settle in the barrio were families of Ivatans who had traveled all the way
from Batanes to Mindanao. They were followed by 50 families from the Visayas and 68
families of Muslim natives of Bukidnon. Other ethnics group followed like the Tagalogs,
Ilongos, Warays, Ilocanos, Bicolanos and Pangasinenses. These diverse ethnic groups
have since then been working and living together peacefully.

Malinao is a potpourri of 8 difference ethnic groups-all equally involved in

making Malinao a peaceful, disciplined and progressive community.

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 The settlement lies on a sprawling plateau 2,000 feet above sea level,
approximately 9 kilometers northwest of Kalilangan, a town of Bukidnon which borders
the province of Lanao del Sur. The barrio is bounded on the north by Talakag, on the east
by Pangantucan and on the west by Wao, Lanao del Sur.

In 1968, Malinao became a barrio following the creation of Kalilangan into a

municipality. The barrio has been fortunate to have a succession of leaders who have
made the place progressive and peaceful. If it has won some competitions in civic action,
Boy Scouting, cleanliness and beautification, it's largely because of such leaders and its
benign climate and fertile soil.

In 1973 Malinao was nominated for an award on Green Revolution. The only one
out of the 409 barrios in Bukidnon. Its selection as an entry in the SEATO "Model
Village" contest was expected and its triumph did not come as a big surprise.

The barrio-about 12,000 hectares of fertile land hand a basically agricultural

economy. It produces about 80,000 cavans of shelled corn and 30,000 cavans of palay
annually. It also produces a large quantity of soybeans, rootcrops, vegetables, fruits,
coffee, ginger, onions, tobacco, garlic, string beans, and other crops. Because of its high
elevation, its forest teems with first class timber, rattan, bamboo, and wildlife. Other
products also abound in the area.

Malinao, the biggest of Kalilangan's 11 barrios, has about 3,200 inhabitants or

25% of the population.

The dialects spoken correspond to the number of ethnic groups in the community.
Many of them have become multi-lingual and with the presence of settlers from the North
and the Visayas, some 90% of the people are Christians while the rest are Muslims.

The village has adequate school facilities. It has elementary and secondary
schools with a total population of 700 excluding the teachers and other employees. Some
of the settlers are already professionals.

The model barrio is not only self sufficient, but it has surpluses too. The main
source of income comes from the production of rice, corn, soybeans and rootcrops. Its
subsidiary sources of income comes from the production of rice, corn, soybeans and
rootcrops. Its subsidiary sources of cash includes vegetables, coffee, tobacco, fruits, and
lumber, livestock, poultry, and cattle raising are also thriving industries.

Production of food crops has been bolstered by the use of modern farming
technology and tools like fertilizers, irrigation, chemicals and farm machineries. Some
successful farmers have bought tractors, 3/4 tonner trucks, rice and corn shellers and
other farm implements.

Although located in a remote plateau, transportation is not much of a problem and

the peoples' produce are transported to the nearest market in Kalilangan by truck. The rest

56
of their products find their way to Cagayan de Oro thru Malaybalay, Barandias,
Pangatucan and Kili-Kili, Wao, Lanao del Sur.

The barrio is also accessible by air, thanks to its airstrip where the light plane of
the Bethel Baptist of Malaybalay lands once a month. Medical extension service is
usually done by this route. A number of lives have been saved not only thru the medical
extension service but also thru mercy airlifts to Malaybalay and Cagayan de Oro.

The presence of viable organizations has led to the deep involvement of the
people in community development programs guided by the provincial and municipal
governments and assisted by the technical agencies like DLGCD, BAE and BPI.

Major projects include the P33,000 waterworks system, barrio high school, barrio
hall and plaza, and barrio airstrips.

Each purok has a communal garden fence as part of the Green Revolution
program. The beautiful fencing is another activity. The health and sanitation and nutrition
programs are progressing well.

The reason behind the success of barrio Malinao is no secret to the barrio
residents: it is dedicated community effort, sustained and inspired by good leadership.

Civic organizations such as the Malinao Civic Circle, Tanglaw ng Malinao,

Malinao Future Teacher's Club, PTA, Boy Scouts, and Malinao Guider's Club have the
support of the people.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why is barangay Malinao a model for community development?

2. What are the key factors behind the progress of Malinao?

Things to Do

1. How satisfied are you with the leadership being provided by your barangay
council in developing your community? Have your group list down the qualities
that you want your leaders to maintain to facilitate the development of your
community. List down those that you want to change. Discuss your list with the
council.
2. How cooperative are the people in your community in facilitating the
development of your barangay? Have your group list down the behaviors/qualities
that you want the people to demonstrate to facilitate the development of your
barangay.
3. Prepare slogans encouraging the people to demonstrate the behaviors identified in
number 2. Air these slogans in the local radio station or post them in strategic
places.

57
 The two model barangays presented here have demonstrated that their progress lies in
the people themselves. In order to succeed, the people have to explore every available
opportunity open to them as the next reading indicates.

Reading 24

Planting of Fruit Trees Encouraged

The planting of commercially viable fruit trees in the Cordilleras could increase
the income of farmers and open a possible export market.

Researchers at the Baguio National Crop Research and Development Center

(BNCRDC) of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) are encouraging farmers in the
Cordilleras to engage in the planting of fruit trees.

At present, there are 1,054 fruit trees being maintained and monitored at the
Baguio City station and another 64 at the Sual (Pangasinan) station. The collection was
obtained from various accredited sources here and abroad.

Some of the fruit trees being recommend for commercial planting are loquant,
guava, macadamia, pear, lemon and lychee. Apple is being grown as a novelty crop due
to a number of problems related to its production.

Seeding of fruit trees such as guava and macadamia are being sold at the Baguio
station, as well as seedlings of loquat and lychee.

Fruit trees in general improve the ecology and create a more sustainable food
production situation, the researchers said.

The source of the technology is a research project which was launched here in
1986.

Results of the research project were presented recently at a regional symposium at

which the project bagged the "Second Best Paper Award."

The paper becomes the official entry of the region in Highlights Symposium last
November at the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forest and Natural Resources
Research and Development.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why is the planting of fruit trees being encouraged in the Cordilleras?

58
 2. What is the message being communicated by the reading in regard to the
exploration of other sources of livelihood?

Things to Do

1. Have your group find out the possibility of encouraging the planting of fruit trees
in your barangay. If it is not possible what additional sources of income can you
recommend? Discuss this with your barangay council.
2. Have your group lead in the cultivation of a communal vegetable garden in your
purok. Organize a work plan with the members of the community about the
growing and sustenance of the vegetable garden. A poultry or a piggery may also
be constructed in cooperation with the community.
3. Plan with your local cooperative or NGO what assistance may be given to the
community in terms of livelihood opportunities. Prepare a project for
implementation in cooperation with the barangay council.

59
60
 There are other concerns in the community where your assistance can be
rendered. One area of concern is law and order. You are not expected to do police work
and fight crimes, but you can help enforce the law. The first thing to do is to know the
ordinances being enforced in the community.

Reading 25

Ordinances in the Community

Ordinances are passed and enforced in order to protect the general welfare and
promote peace and order. Ordinances generally cover the following:

Rules and regulations pertaining to:

 squatting
 housing units and building construction
 business establishments
 amusement and recreation centers
 vices such as gambling, drunkness, use of prohibited drugs,
lottery etc.
 use of public property and facilities as markets, slaughter house,
health centers, community centers, etc.
 loose animals
 littering
 pollution
 ecology
 noise disturbance
 selling/use/production of explosives
 others

Peace and Order Measures as:

 creation of Tanod and Fire Brigade

 volunteer service for nightly rondas
 penalties for creating disturbances

Public Works Measures as:

 construction and maintenance of barangay roads, water system

and irrigation system.
 construction of school buildings
 construction of health center
 construction of day care centers

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 Social Services Measures pertaining to:

 health program and nutrition

 education program (formal or nonformal)
 livelihood/economic program
 youth development
 child, family and community welfare
 sports development
 skills training
 recreation
 value formation/spiritual enhancement
 disaster preparedness and assistance to disaster victims
 others

Public utilities such as transportation and lighting facilities

Others

Questions for Discussion

1. What would happen if there were no community ordinances?

2. Explain to the class one community ordinance that you know. Why do you think
is important to the community?

Things to Do

1. Invite your Barangay Secretary to talk about some important ordinances in the
community. Find out which of the ordinances are being enforced successful.
Which are being violated most often?
2. Discuss with your group how you can assist the barangay council in enforcing
these ordinances that being violated most often. Present your plan in class in the
presence of the barangay chairman or his/her representative.
3. Implement your plan.
4. After about two weeks, assess how successful you have been with your project.
Examine its results in terms of.

a. Number of violators before and after the implementation of the project

b. General feedback from the community

5. Based on your observation of the needs of the community, recommend to the

barangay council an ordinance that you think should be passed. Justify your
proposal.

There are people who, despite there being laws that are in force, commit crimes
against persons and against property. These may become problems of the community

62
especially when the incidence of criminality becomes high. Find out from the next
reading the most common crimes committed by lawless elements.

Reading 26

Criminality in the Country

The most common offenses committed across the country are listed in Table 1.

TABLE 1. Number and Strength of Syndicated or Organized Crime Groups,

by Type of Activity: 1993-1994

1993 1994
Activity Groups Members Fire- Groups Members Fire-
arms arms
Total 1,381 11,608 5,213 1,001 8,930 5,486
Bank robbery 26 255 158 32 284 198
Robbery and hold up 461 3,345 1,883 393 3,354 2,161
Kidnap for ransom 56 789 481 37 554 340
Extortion and
protection racket 48 535 298 21 293 205
Carnapping 89 648 386 83 831 817
Drug trafficking 266 3,067 679 205 1,160 700
Piracy 9 50 22 8 46 18
Hijacking 172 178 69 11 100 63
Illegal gambling 56 554 284 32 346
Gun running and
traffic of explosives 64 335 182 40 287 261
Smugglign 23 173 57 12 142 17
Prostitution and white
slavery 1 2 - - - -
Gun for hire 26 269 134 23 718 218
Cattle rustling 74 618 293 31 433 398
Illegal fishing 29 73 22 9 15 13
Illegal logging 36 134 59 16 73 10
Swindling or estafa 34 188 36 28 172 25
Theft 24 205 75 - - -
Hired killing 9 83 60 3 78 67
Pickpocketing 11 60 21 - - -
Illegal recruitment 22 47 14 17 44 6

In the next table you will see which regions in the country have the most
problems with criminality. Find out the most common crimes in these regions.

63
 TABLE 2. Crime Rate, by Region and by Type of Crime: 1994

Index Crimes Non

Region Grand Total Mur- Home- Phy- Rob- Theft Rape Index
Total Der cide sical- bery Crimes
Injury
NCR 227 144 5 12 43 36 43 5 133
CAR 147 125 6 13 41 26 35 4 22
I- Ilocos 92 52 8 7 23 6 5 3 40
II - Cagayan Valley 111 57 9 10 24 6 5 3 54
III- Central Luzon 102 45 5 6 14 10 7 3 57
IV – Southern Tagalog 102 57 9 10 22 7 6 3 45
V – Bicol 117 62 9 9 18 8 13 5 55
VI - Western Visayas 119 77 10 13 29 9 13 3 42
VII - Central Visayas 161 95 7 7 31 15 32 3 66
VIII – Eastern Visayas 84 60 14 10 21 5 7 3 24
IX - Western Visayas 161 106 19 13 31 14 25 4 55
X - Northern Mindanao 139 95 13 9 32 11 26 4 44
XI – Southern Mindanao 83 55 8 4 12 11 17 3 28
XII - Central Mindanao 168 127 21 14 45 18 23 6 41

Questions for Discussion

1. Based on the number of groups involved in the commission of crimes as indicated

in Table 1, which criminal offense may be considered number 1?
2. If you compare the number of groups involved in the commission of crimes 1993
and 1994, which of the criminal offenses show a downward trend?
3. Which of the regions in Table 2 has the biggest problem in criminality? Which
has relatively the least problem?
4. What is the major criminal offense in the region?

Things to Do

1. Find out from your barangay council the major criminal offense in your
community. Discuss in class its possible causes.
2. Plan with your barangay how the problem of criminality can be addressed.
Proposed ways by which you can help.
3. Plan with your group how you can carry out your proposal. Implement its
coordination with the barangay.
4. Evaluate your project's contribution by getting feedback from the community.

One mechanism that society puts in place in order to prevent and control crime is the
Criminal Justice System. It operates by

 preventing the commission of crime;

 enforcing the law;
 protecting life, individual rights and property;
 removing dangerous persons from the community;
 detecting people from indulging the criminal activities;

64
  investigating, apprehending, prosecuting, and sentencing those
who cannot be deterred from violating the rules of society; and
 rehabilitating offenders and returning them to the community as
law-abiding citizens.

The Criminal Justice System process is the sum total of the activities of law
enforces, prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys and corrections personnel as well as the
activities of the community relative to crime prevention. This is explained in detail in the
next reading.

Reading 27

The Criminal Justice System

When a person commits a crime he goes through the five pillars of the Criminal
Justice System (CJS) as illustrated below.

COMMUNITY

LAW PROSE- JUDICIAL CORRECT-

VIOLATORS ENFORCE- CUTION IONAL
MENT

The Flow of Violators through the Criminal Justice System in the Philippines

The diagram above specifically illustrates the different stages or processes

through which persons suspected of having committed a crime pass from commission of
the offense, to investigation and apprehension, to prosecution, trial and conviction, and
finally punishment and correction.

After going through the entire system, and after release - either by complete
satisfaction of penalties, or probation or parole - they either rejoin the community and
lead a peaceful life or commit another crime and go through the CJS again.

65
 In order to fully understand the entire processes, let us concentrate on each one of
them:

A. Law Enforcement Process

Under this process are the officers and men of the Philippine National
Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other agencies.
Upon learning or discovering a particular crime, the main duty of a law
enforcer is to do the following:

1. Investigate the crime. This can be done through surveillances,

interviewing persons, directly or indirectly involved with the crime;
taking pictures arranging for entrapment when feasible, searching of
premises and persons subject to constitutional and statutory safeguards;
examining public and other available records pertaining to the persons
involved and get copies of pertinent entries, etc.

In other words, the police officer collects evidence for use in the
prosecution of the suspects in court. This may consist of

a. testimony of witnesses, including invited suspects which are invariably

taken down in question and answer form.
b. writings
c. objects such as guns, knives, other weapons used in the commission of the
crime, the clothing of the victim, etc.

2. Arrest suspects

a. by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by judge on the basis of

evidence submitted by them, or
b. under circumstances justifying a warrantless arrest (Sec. 5, Rule 113,
Rules of Court).

3. Refer the case and the suspects to the office of the public prosecutor (of
the Municipal Trial Court) for preliminary investigation or directly to
the Municipal Trial Court for trial and judgement.

B. Prosecution Process

This is made up of Provincial or City Public Prosecutors, State

Prosecutors, etc. Their main task includes the following:

1. Evaluate the Police findings referred to them, or other complaints

filed directly with them by individual persons such as private persons
who are victims, or have knowledge of crimes; government officers in
charge of enforcement of the law violated:

66
 2. File corresponding information or criminal complaints in the proper
courts on the basis of their evaluation of the proofs at hand; and
3. Prosecute the alleged offenders in court, in the name of the people of
the Philippines.

Lawyers who are in the private as well as public defenders (example, members of
the PAW and other Legal Aid Lawyers - IBP, CLAO, FLAG, MABINI, UP, UST, etc.)
are part of the prosecution. They represent the practices - complainant or respondent in
proceedings before the Public Prosecutors.

C. Judicial Process

The Courts constitute the Judicial component of the CJS. The final
determination of the innocence or guilt of persons accused of crimes by the
Prosecution component is done by the Judicial component. Courts are
judicial tribunals engaged in the administration (or dispensation) of Justice
(CJS, 15 cited in Peria, Civil Procedure, 1969 ed. P. 12). They exist in every
civilized country to resolve and end disputes in accordance with law-
peacefully, in an orderly manner, authoritatively, definitely and finally, the
administration of justice is substantially the same as "jurisdiction" of courts.
Jurisdiction is defined as the power to try and decide or hear and determine
a case.

To try or hear a case simply means to receive evidence from the parties
(including their arguments), according to fixed rules. To decide or determine
a case means to resolve the dispute by applying the law to the facts
(established by the evidence).

If the Court finds that the suspect is innocent, he is acquired, and there is
an end to the matter. The accused returns to society, a free man. However, if
the Court finds the accused guilty beyond reasonable doubt, it sentences him
to the corresponding penalty. If the judgement becomes final, the accused is
passed on to the next component, the Penal or Correctional Component.

D. Penal or Correctional Process

Punishment - The isolation of the convicts by imprisonment for the

periods laid down by the Courts, or in extreme cases, their execution by the
method prescribed by law - and correction and rehabilitation, are functions
undertaken by the institutions set up by law (example, the Bureau of
Prisons, the parole and probation administration).

E. The Community

As previously discussed, after the convicts have passed through the

Correction Component - either unconditionally (as by full service of the

67
 term of imprisonment imposed on them), or by parole or pardon-they go
back to the community and either lead normal lives as law abiding citizens
in their barangays, or regrettably, commit other crimes and thus go back
through the same processes and stages of the Criminal Justice System.

The community at large constitutes the appropriate legislative agencies,

public and private educational institutions, parents and guardians, churches,
religious organizations, civic associations, etc. - develops and exacts
conformity with acceptable moral and ethical values, creates the
environment for the development of civic - spirited citizens and fosters
respect for and observance of the Rule of Law.

In particular, members of the community are expected to cooperate with

law enforcers and investigators, by reporting crimes and giving evidence
against the offenders. Attorneys in private practice or pertaining to
associations committed to giving legal aid to indigent or otherwise
deserving individuals, should be reckoned as part of the Community
Component of the CJS. They participate directly or indirectly in the CJS;
and they give advice or represent persons involved in criminal actions
before the proper authorities.

The Community Component of the CJS also includes the following

government institutions:

1. Bureau of Posts - delivers court notices, the

2. Commission of Immigration and Deportation - which may prevent the
departure of suspects from the country.
3. Bureau of Telecommunications - transmits communications by
telephone, telegram or radio.
4. Government hospitals and medical centers - which furnish experts who
may enlighten the courts on issues involving medical or other sciences,
etc.

Likewise, private institutions and civic organizations are also part of the
Community Component since they have also roles to plays in CJS.

Why there should be a coordination among the five pillars of the Criminal Justice
System?

It is now very clear that CJS is not just the agencies and persons charged with law
enforcement, not just the public prosecution, nor just the courts, nor just the penal and
correctional system, nor just the community. The CJS is all of these institution or
"pillars" collectively.

In order for the CJS to work efficiently and effectively, it is essential for all of
these five (5) pillars to work in cooperation and coordination with one another. Why is

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this very important? Because the broad goal of the CJS is to promote social defense and
ensure speedy and fair administration of justice to contribute to national development and
the improvement of people's quality of life.

Questions for Discussion

1. What do you think is the major goal of the Criminal Justice System?
2. Why is it important for law violators to undergo correction/rehabilitation in
addition to serving their sentence?

Things to Do

1. Prepare for a class visit to the municipal jail. This visit will be arranged by your
teacher.

a. Write down the questions that you want to ask in order to gather
information on the following: criminal offenses of most of the inmates;
experiences of the inmates inside the jail; and rehabilitation projects inside
the jail.
b. Observe proper behavior while inside the jail premises.

2. Note down important information while conducting your visit.

3. On your return to school, plan with your barangay council how you can help
former criminal offenders lead normal lives. Translate this plan into projects.
4. How can you help prevent criminality in your barangay? Organize brigades which
will serve as crime watchers in your barangay. Coordinate this with your
barangay tanod and the local police.

Crime can not be prevented as long as people are experiencing poverty. Law
enforcement must be combined with actions that will ameliorate conditions in the slums,
lessen poverty, improve education, equality among citizens and provide job
opportunities.

Although it is not within your power to prevent crime by alleviating poverty, you can
still help enforce the law by being a law-abiding citizen yourself. Obedience to law and
authority is the hallmark of a dutiful citizen and a good follower. If you are a good
follower you can likewise become a good leader. In the enforcement of the law you are
not only expected to be a good follower but also a good leader and role model for others.

By this time you would have plenty of opportunities to show your leadership in group
and community projects. To help you strengthen and improve your leadership skills, turn
to the next reading for some useful pointers.

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Reading 28

The Effective Leader

A good leader must posses the following qualifications and characteristics:

1. A leader must be human (makatao). "Lahat ng namumuno ay mga

anyong tao ngunit hindi lahat ay nagpapakatao". The task of the
community worker as a leader is integration of selfhood-that point of
wholeness as a human being so his kalooban be harmonized with his
kalabasan. The first task of a leader is a man reform; he must reform
everyone in the organization. He cannot perform this task if his kalabasan
is not in corformity with his kalooban. Only at the point of integration of
his kalooban and kalabasan will the kabutihan loob come out; then and
only then will he really work for the common welfare of his people.

When the leader's kalooban is harmonized with his kalabasan,

people in the organization will have paggalang (respect) for him. Through
his example of integrity, empathy, and overall ability he deserves and
receives the respect of others because of what he is and does. Because of
paggalang, there is also pagdadamayan or communitarian cooperation.
The people have the willingness to cooperate with the leader who is
makatao.

2. A leader must be marunong makipag-kapwa tao. A leader must

respect the individuality, the dignity, and the needs of everyone in the
organization. In this way, he will be received as "one of us" in the
organization. He must share certain characteristics and values with
members of the organization. He should have the pattern of attitudes and
certain tendencies common to the organization. Genuine friendliness and
outgoing concern for others are qualities Filipinos look for in a leader.
They need a leader who has time for a smile; a friendly chat and shows
sincere interest in their lives, hopes and dreams. He builds a sense of
comradeship with them without losing their respect for him. Furthermore,
the leader must be perceived as the "best for us" or "para sa lahat". Not
only must a leader have membership in the organization, he must also be
seen as incorporating to a special degree, the norms and values which are
central to the organization. The leader must be identified not only with one
vested group but with all the families, with the common interest group of
the organization. To do this, he must create a unity of purpose among the
people. Last but not the least, the leader must be perceived by the people
as the "best for us" or "para sa lahat", because only he is perceived as an
outstanding person who can serve as an exemplar for the people. Also, he
must be "best for us" if he is to exercise effective control and coordination
of the work of the organization. Filipinos prefer a leader who is

70
 "lumalaban", "malakas", "matapang", and "hindi takot humarap sa
problema". He has clear and orderly line of thinking (maayos at tiyak na
pag-iisip). He has "kakayahang magtatag ng pagpupulong at mabisang
pamamahala sa mga tao". He has "kakayahang humarap sa iba't-ibang
kalagayan." He has "mga mungkahi para sa pagpapaunlad."

Because the leader is the "best for us" he views his psition and the
"paggalang" given to him as a service, not as an opportunity for
aggrandizement. He is responsive to the needs of the people because of his
"kabutihang-loob" at "hindi panglabas lamang."

3. A leader should be marunong makisama. A leader who is "makatao

at marunong ng pakikipagkapwa-tao" shares his time and talents for the
good of the organization. To be "makatao" is not to enrich oneself at the
expense of others. On the contrary he has concern for others or
"pagpapahalaga sa kapwa." A leader must be responsive to the needs and
desires of the people in the organization. They must be sufficiently
responsive to both the immediate and the long range needs and desires of
the people if they expect to continue to lead. They cannot satisfy nor be
all things to all people, but rather they lead the people without being
insensitive to the desires of those who are expected to follow. Positive
"pakikisama" can not be divorced from "paggalang", "pagdadamayan"
and "utang na loob".

"Pakikisama" within the framework of moral and ethical principles

is a positive tool of a leader in the Philippine setting. A leader who is
honest to himself and to the people can not use "pakikisama" to please one
or a few at the sacrifice of the common welfare of the people.

4. A leader must be marunong magtrabaho. Because of his sense of

mission, a leader believes in his own ability to lead, has love for the work
he is doing and devotion to the people and the organization he is serving.
"Tiyaga, suwerte at awa ng Panginoon" are factors many Filipino leaders
cited as major elements that sustained them when the chips were down.

Leadership hinges on knowing more and being able to supply more of the
solutions than one's followers. The leader must understand the total situation: its past,
present and future; how it is affected by other influences. He must have broad general
information, the details of the systems and procedures, and an understanding of the
techniques involved in the organization. A leader capitalizes on the organizational
environment and leadership of others. He organizes and utilizes every resource. He
recognizes the contribution each resource can make and then skillfully meshes them all
into a smoothly functioning pattern which moves toward goal achievement.

A true leader has the willingness to work longer and harder than the followers.

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Questions for Discussion

1. What is your definition of a leader?

2. How can one become a good leader?

Things to Do

1. List down the qualities of a good leader as identified in the reading. Prepare a
checklist and use this to identify those qualities that you think you already
possess. Put a check mark () on those qualities that you already have.
2. Review your checklist. Which qualities do you have to improve on in order to
become a good leader.
3. Identify the community projects where you have served as leader. If there is none,
explain how you can show your leadership in your future projects.

You need not be at the top of your class in order to prove your leadership. We need
leaders for all seasons and for all sorts of reasons.

It is said that one's leadership is called to the test during times of emergency. A leader
almost always emerges when disaster strikes.

The succeeding readings will present to you some common natural and man-made
disasters. The purpose is not to make you use or take advantage of such disasters to show
your leadership, but they are presented as occasions where your leadership will be most
needed. Study these readings thoroughly as a first step to leading for public safety.

Public safety calls for awareness of hazards that can pose a danger to life and
property. One common concern of public safety is the constant threat of fire, among other
disasters. Find out from the next reading what you need to know about this problem.

72
Reading 29

First Safety

Fire, it can be both a blessing and a curse. Fire cooks the food that we partake of
everyday. It brings warmth and light. Fire can also be a destructive enemy in the wink of
an eye. It can claim precious lives and turn hard-earned properties into useless ash. It has
often been said that between two evils: robbery and fire, it is better to have been robbed
ten times than to have one fire destroy everything.

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 In a tropical country like the Philippines, fire is an ever-present threat especially
during the hot summer months. This is why the nation, led by the Bureau of Fire
Protection (BFP), observes Fire Prevention Month in March of every year. The purpose
of the month-long observance is to heighten the fire safety consciousness of the Filipino
people and reduce the high incidence of fires and huge property losses that result from
such.

In 1992, there were 7,309 fires occurring in the country. These fires resulted in
139 deaths, 387 injured and total property losses amounting to P3.54 billion. In March
1992, alone, there were 969 fires nationwide, 464 of these fires took place in the National
Capital Region (NCR). Damage in the NCR fires amounted to P94.6 million. For a
country which is struggling to effect a significant degree of economic growth, this
property loss figure is staggeringly big and the number of human lives lost is alarming.

After investigations and checks conducted by police authorities and arson probers,
faulty electrical wiring is often found to be the cause of many fires.

Proper Electrical Connections

There is an urgent need to raise the fire safety consciousness of the public because
they fail to realize the importance of having proper electrical connection with the
capacity that they require for their homes and business establishments.

Fire safety consciousness must begin with the draft and plan of any construction.
Perhaps it is hard times and the constructive prices of construction materials that breed in
the Filipino people the habit of cutting corners wherever and whenever such is possible.
Unfortunately, the electrical connections are sacrificed to cut costs, resulting in poor
electrical connections and loose wires which may lead to serious accidents. Sockets are
likewise in danger of being overload when electrical appliances are used all the same
time. When people exceed the capacity of an electrical line, it can result in permanent
damage to area transformers. If the worst scenario occurs, the area transformers can also
blow up and plunge the community into hours, even days, of darkness apart from that
which is caused by the regular brownouts.

Proper Care and Maintenance

Another very serious mistake that the Filipino people commit is carelessness
about the maintenance of electrical facilities. Neglect is a serious crime, a fatal mistake
which can lead to a dreaded fire. First and foremost is the need to be extra careful about
the handling of electrical facilities and related flammables. Most fires start in the kitchen
because people are too negligent about loose valves in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
tanks. Gas escapes and, upon contact with any flame, results in sudden, uncontrollable
explosions. Empty pans left to heat up on the burner for a long time can also cause fire.

There are other several causes of fire: overheated appliances, failure to switch off
the water heater and unplug the iron after use, etc. Equally dangerous is negligence of

74
worn-out electrical connections and wirings which already need updating. These include
loose wires, hanging live wires, worn-out wires gnawed by rodents and with portions of
exposed wire, haphazard patchings and repairs on such by unskilled hands, and additional
connections made on existing wires without taking into consideration the load capacity of
the outlet.

In these times of regular brownouts, the threat of fire is double because people
utilize small gadgets to help them survive the darkness and the heat which may turn out
to be fire hazards. Candles that provide illumination, when left unattended can topple and
catch fire. Gas lanterns can come in contact with paper, curtain or anything which might
ignite, and the fire can blaze down to mere ember. When it's dark and the air is humid and
still, mosquitoes frolic and bite. To keep pesky mosquitoes away, people light mosquito
coils and forget all about them later on. Mosquito coils can also ignite stray paper and
cloth, and the tiny flame can creep and turn into a giant monster. The sudden surge of
electricity when the brownout ends can destroy appliances left plugged on to the socket
and can cause fire.

Fire Prevention Measures

Neglect and carelessness in electrical installation and maintenance are the culprit
behind most of the fires that take place. This is why we need to develop a culture of
safety consciousness in our society. It involves the re-orientation in attitude and values so
that caring for the safety of ourselves, other people, our properties and theirs becomes
second nature, an intrinsic part of our system and our society.

Such was the goal for the creation of the BFP as a civilian agency two years ago,
under Republic Act 6975. Tasked with not only information dissemination but concrete
actions to bring down the incidence of Fire Prevention Month every March to push this
agenda to the hilt.

For this year, a series of activities have been lined up by the Bureau towards this
end. This includes fire prevention lectures in public and private schools and barangays,
and fire safety inspection of hotels, condominiums, restaurants, high rise buildings,
government offices, industrial establishments and places of public assembly, such as
department stores, supermarkets and movie houses. The Fire Code of the Philippines
continues to be strictly implemented, and an operating agency under the Department of
Interior and Local Government (DILG) conducts fire preparedness activities and drills.
The fire Bureau also intensifies its investigation of all causes of fires and the filing of
proper complaints with the city or provincial prosecutor when found necessary.

But the goal of lowering the incidence of fires in the country does not rest on the
shoulders of the public alone. The government must do its share not only in raising the
people's fire safety consciousness level but also in making sure that any beginnings of
fire can be adequately controlled right away to prevent massive loss of lives and
properties. This means fast and immediate response to calls for assistance. Apart from
arriving late at the scene, certain fire departments ask a series of questions before finally

75
responding to any call. Many fire victims also complain of two salient points. That some
fire trucks arrive at the scene without water in their storage and therefore unprepared; and
that some unscrupulous firemen refuse to protect homes and establishments being gutted
by fire without bribe money. These are serious allegations, yes, and instead of a reaction
of outrage from the agencies concerned, what we need is an equally serious look and
scrutiny into the matter. This is the other side of the issue.

March, Fire Prevention Month. Ultimate goal: To reduce the high incidence of
fires in the country. With concerted and cooperative efforts of the government and the
people, it can be achieved.

Questions for Discussion

1. What are the major causes of fire?

2. How can fire be prevented?

Things to Do

1. Inspect you home for fire hazards. Check the condition of your electrical
connections such as exposed wiring. Have a licensed electrician do any repair or
replacement.
2. Do a regular check on your fuses

a. Check size. At least twice a year inspect all fuses to determine that circuits
are not being overused. On branch lightning circuits with medium base
lamps socket use no larger than 15 ampere fuses.
b. Keep fuse clip clean and light. Prevent overheating and breaking down of
fuses by maintaining good contacts.
c. Maintain refilable type fuses. Replaced charred casings. Keep fuse
assembly tight. Do not refill with links of greater amperage than that for
which casing is rated.
d. Keep fuse and switch cabinets tight and door closed. Prevent sparks from
being blown from cabinet and causing, tires when fuses blow by plugging
unused knockouts and keeping doors closed and firmly secured.

3. Urge others in your neighborhood or community to be fire safety-conscious.

Prepare posters reminding people to check their houses for fire hazards.
4. With your group, a survey of potential sources of fire in the community. Report
your findings in the presence of the barangay council representative.

When fire hits your community, do you know which agencies to call on for help? The
next reading will give you the information.

Reading 30

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 Fire Bureau Bares Program

All firetrucks of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and those of volunteer fire
brigades will bear emergency telephone numbers for immediate assistance to respond to
reports or calls to fire incidents in Metro Manila and in the countryside.

This was announced yesterday by Senior Supt. Felipe T. Carpio, acting BFP
Director, and other fire officials in a DZXL program hosted by Rolly "Lakay" Gonzalo.

Carpio said that the Philippines Rescue 161 is in full operation with base in
Manila. "Just dial telephone number 161 and your fire-fighters with their firetrucks,
ambulances and other emergency gears will be in your areas." He said.

Carpio promised to give all tri-media agencies all numbers of the BFP and its
regional, city and municipal offices so that "the citizens will be at home with their fire
station telephone numbers."

Prodded by Gonzalo and scores of thousands of listeners from all over the
country, Carpio, a bemedalled fire officer and decorated as most outstanding fire officer
in the 80s by President Ramos, then chief of the Philippine Constabulary and Integrated
National Police, vowed to intensify his drive against thieves of electric current, users of
electric jumpers and other violators of the Philippine Fire Code regardless "as to whoever
they are" saying "we mean business in the fire service."

"Dapat ipaalam sa lahat na ang paglalagay ng jumpers o divice para mandaya

ay nagiging sanhi ng sunog kung minsan dahil ito ay tinatago." We must inform
everyone that the use of jumpers and other devices with the intention of cheating can
cause fire because these are hidden from view.

Questions for Discussion

1. What is the importance of having a fire bureau?

2. Is there a similar office in your community that is in change of fire safety?
Discuss its functions.

Things to Do

1. Invite the fire safety officer in your community to talk about fire safety
consciousness. Prepare questions for discussion.
2. Display in conspicuous places in the community emergency numbers or contact
addresses for fire safety assistance.

The local government has the responsibility of ensuring that the residents of the
community are protected from the hazards of fire. The next reading will tell you more
about this.

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Reading 31

Necessity of the Fire Prevention Ordinances

The alarming frequency of the disastrous conflagrations that hit cities and towns
in our country has made many people think wrongly, that these catastrophes come
inevitably like seasonal storms and floods against which no effective protection can be
possibly provided by small municipalities. It is high time the people discarded this
attitude of helplessness, because destructive fires, unless nature's cruel forces, have been
actually avoided in localities where the residents are fire-conscious and where been
actually avoided in localities where the residents are fire-conscious and where extensive
fire prevention activities are seriously practiced, and there is no good reason why other
localities can not protect themselves also from this menace.

There is no necessity, as has been recently experienced by certain cities in this

country for a municipality to be visited twice or thrice by big fire calamities within the
space of one year, if only the authorities learned to protect themselves from fire.

One possible obstacle to some municipal authorities' efforts to embark in fire

protection program is their impression that fire protection will impose a financial burden
on their respective governments. To them, the requirements of fire protection will always
mean the organization of a fire fighting force and the acquisition of tire equipment which,
apparently, they can not maintain with the meager income from their respective tax
sources. Even the government machineries of many cities with good income do not
possess a fire department, to speak of. Really, the poor municipalities in the provinces
cannot be blamed for being unable to organize their fire-fighting forces. But this does not
mean they will all neglect the fire prevention aspect in their municipal programs, for it is
incumbent upon them to provide protection always to their taxpaying inhabitants.

It must be borne in mind that fire protection is not always accomplished through
the installation of fire-fighting units maintained by the government. The resort to the
promulgation of fire prevention ordinances have been very effective in the prevention of
conflagrations and cutting down of fire losses. This step will then precisely solve the
absence of funds in small and poor municipalities.

If one scans, however, the ordinances of towns and cities in the provinces now, he
will notice that the deplorable lack or death of ordinances on fire prevention and
protection in our country has never been considered in most parts of the country.
Municipal authorities do not even have any idea on this matter, while others promulgate
preventive measures only after the disaster has already occurred and been suffered, which
should not be so in the case of fire. Fire, like disease, has been a long studied matter for
which a long list of measures has already been formulated in order to prevent its
occurrence. Furthermore, the fire experiences in so many towns and cities in this country
would have provided sufficient warning for other localities to prepare themselves against
the hovering threats of this man-made disaster.

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 Not because a town has not yet been visited by any conflagration in its history
would it tend to feel so safe from the ravaging tongues of destructive flames. As towns
and cities grow and develop, the population increased, building structures and
occupancies increase, industries and establishments increase. And for every individual
that is added to the population, it means another couple of hands to kindle the flame; for
every structure that rises, an additional fire prey; for every occupancy that is established,
another source of hazard. All municipalities should consider these cold facts. And there is
no better time to adopt a program against such contingencies than when cities and towns
are on the process of growth and progress. Authorities need not fear that the early
promulgation of anti-fire ordinances will not have any valid basis in their localities and
hence be frowned upon by the residents. No ordinances for the safety and protection of
the people will be taken as oppressive or unwarranted. This kind of protection is an
important municipal function.

Even in place where there are yet no factories, occupancies, mercantile houses
and hazardous buildings, certain fire prevention ordinances can be made use of. At least
the existence of such ordinances can be made use of, and will create interest among the
people on the matter of fire. It will make them realize the importance of protecting
themselves from the fire menace. On the other hand, the existence of the ordinances will
provide the authorities a legal backing upon which they can effectively enforce the
necessary anti-fire measures.

The kind of ordinances that may be recommended to be adopted by the

municipalities and which will be far-reaching in effect are those that pertain to the
clearances between residences and certain occupancies to prevent the rapid spread of fire;
the use of fireproof materials for hazardous occupancies; regulations on the electrical
installation, if any; regulations on the storage and transportation of flammables and
explosive substances; and regulations in the building of fires and the use of open flames.
There are several other measures which could be considered depending on the size,
population, and the structural and industrial progress of the municipality. In one way, the
municipalities will find that the enforcement of the many of the fire ordinances,
particularly those which require permits and the payment of fees, will be one sources of
income for their government.

Questions for Discussion

1. How can the local government protect its citizens from the hazards of fire even
with little resources?
2. What ordinances do you think must the local government pass in order to prevent
fire?

Things to Do

1. With your usual group, find out from your municipal government the ordinances
being enforced to prevent fire in the community. Present your report in class.

79
 2. Analyze the strong and weak points of each ordinances.
3. Recommend through your barangay kagawad a local ordinance that you believe
should be passed by the council in order to help prevent fire.
4. Plan ways by which your group can help the barangay council enforce the
ordinances relative to fire prevention.
5. Organize fire brigades in the community that can be mobilized in case of fire.

When fire occurs, there is almost always fear for one's safety. Fear breeds panic as the
next reading will tell you. Find out the danger that panic brings.

Reading 32

Panic and its Danger

When the fear of an imminent danger overwhelms certain persons, they usually
get excited and act by the basic instinct of self-preservation. Everybody attempts to
escape the "danger" and in doing so the crowd becomes guided by primitive impulses and
reacts no differently from a horde of animals engaged in a stampede. During this mad
rush for safety, the people become numb to bodily pains. They collide and stumble and
then be trampled upon. This is then panic. Some people may get hurt; the frailer ones
may be trampled to death.

The irony of it all is that in most instances, destructive panic is caused by an

undue response to fear - fear even of a remote or imaginary danger that will offer no
actual harm at all. Let a person start pushing wildly his way out of a crowd of people and
he will create a chain reaction, until a number of people will be scampering away from a
"danger" they do not even know. Panic is therefore mainly psychological. Last February
2, 1971, an international news reported a case in Jose de Guayabal, San Salvador, where
a scream of "fire" during a mass being held in the local church caused panic among 1500

population, and the structural and industrial progress of the municipality. In one way, the
municipalities will find that the enforcement of the many of the fire ordinances,
particularly those which require permits and the payment of fees, will be one sources of
income for their government.

Questions for Discussion

1. How can the local government protect its citizens from the hazards of fire even
with little resources?
2. What ordinances do you think must the local government pass in order to prevent
fire?

Things to Do

80
 1. With your usual group, find out from your municipal government the ordinances
being enforced to prevent fire in the community. Present your report in class.
2. Analyze the strong and weak points of each ordinances.
3. Recommend through your barangay kagawad a local ordinance that you believe
should be passed by the council in order to help prevent fire.
4. Plan ways by which your group can help the barangay council enforce the
ordinances relative to fire prevention.
5. Organize fire brigades in the community that can be mobilized in case of fire.

When fire occurs, there is almost always fear for one's safety. Fear breeds panic as the
next reading will tell you. Find out the danger that panic brings.

Reading 32

Panic and its Danger

When the fear of an imminent danger overwhelms certain persons, they usually
get excited and act by the basic instinct of self-preservation. Everybody attempts to
escape the "danger" and in doing so the crowd becomes guided by primitive impulses and
reacts no differently from a horde of animals engaged in a stampede. During this mad
rush for safety, the people become numb to bodily pains. They collide and stumble and
then be trampled upon. This is then panic. Some people may get hurt; the frailer ones
may be trampled to death.

The irony of it all is that in most instances, destructive panic is caused by an

undue response to fear - fear even of a remote or imaginary danger that will offer no
actual harm at all. Let a person start pushing wildly his way out of a crowd of people and
he will create a chain reaction, until a number of people will be scampering away from a
"danger" they do not even know. Panic is therefore mainly psychological. Last February
2, 1971, an international news reported a case in Jose de Guayabal, San Salvador, where
a scream of "fire" during a mass being held in the local church caused panic among 1500
worshippers and in the rush to the door six persons were killed and 35 injured. There was
no fire.

Panic can occur both in open spaces and in enclosed structures so long as there
exists a considerable number of people who, upon sensing the threat of danger, lose
control of themselves. When it takes place inside buildings, the harm expected will be
much greater because the people, whose tendency is to dash to the outside atmosphere,
will have more chances not only to collapse, be trapped and trampled upon but also to
crash against walls, fall on steps, bump against hard or sharp objects, and be pushed out
of windows or openings.

Panic can be expected whenever people gather in big number such as in theater,
schools, stadium, auditoriums, stores, hotels, and other buildings of public assembly. It is
in these places therefore that safety features should be provided to minimize the effects if
not to prevent disastrous panic.

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 Inasmuch as the tendency of the people is to rush out of the building during a
panic, the provisions of sufficient exit doors and exit-ways are of prime importance in the
construction of places of public assembly. If the panicky people will squeeze themselves
the few doors there will certainly be some who will get hurt. The number of egress
should therefore suffice to meet the capacity of the school, theater, and other places of
public assembly. Building exit codes can be consulted as to the number of exit doors
required for a certain place of public assembly and for a certain capacity.

In connection with the provisions of exit doors, all passageways and alleys to
which they open should be cleared of pointed edges and obstructions so that the required
widths should not practically be lessened. The exit doors should be ostensibly marked.
When these places of public assembly happen to be more than one story, there is a
necessity of installing adequate fire escapes of the balcony type.

One way to defeat this provision of adequate means of egress, however, is to

allow overcrowding. The exits are supposed to carry only a certain number of people; so
if the occupants of the building actually exceed the regulated capacity, the danger that is
intended to be prevented will just the same be a threat.

A very good measure to avert panic is to perform fire exit drills. The objective of
fire exit drills is how to remove the occupants of buildings safely into the outside
atmosphere. This is very useful in schools, crowded factories and offices, and in such
occupancies where the same people attend regularly. A fire has the effect of training the
people to act in an orderly manner in case of a fire or other emergency. They will learn
how to use all the exits and fire escapes and how to use the fire extinguishers and other
fire-fighting equipment. Above all these, they are trained to keep calm and thus avoid
resorting to panic.

Places like theaters, auditoriums, and stadium which employ ushers, the
management therefore should train their employees to keep calm among the audience in
case there is necessity of rushing out. By remaining at strategic posts and telling the
people of the nature of the danger, should they know it, and directing them to what exit
doors they should take, the ushers will be lessening the fear of the audience a great deal.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why is it not advisable for people to panic in the face of disaster or danger?
2. How can public safety be ensured in the event of fire in a building?

Things to Do

1. Identify the fire exit in your school building. Do a class project on putting up sign
posts in the school to guide people to the nearest fire exits.

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 2. Plan with your teacher and adviser the conduct of a regular fire drill involving the
school community. Coordinate this with your principal.
3. Organize committees that will assist the school and the community in case of fire.
Here are some suggestions:

a. First aid team to be headed by the school nurse (or doctor if available)
b. Fire brigade which may be headed by the CS-PST teacher

Besides fire, the country is likewise exposed to other hazards and disasters.
People say that the country is ill prepared for calamities like earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions. Know more about this as you read the following article.

Reading 33

RP 20 Years Behind Asia in Disaster-Preparedness

The lost of lives may be a stiff price to pay for a simple lesson, but it look two
major disasters within a year of each other to make Filipinos realize how ill-prepared we
are for quakes and volcanic eruptions.

Chief Volcanologist Raymundo S. Punongbayan said the July 1990 killer quake
and the violent eruptions of Mt. Pinatubo have exposed our pathetic inability to confront
natural disasters.

At the same time, he added, the successive calamities have prompted some
serious scrutiny of the country's disaster preparedness.

In a paper assessing the July 16 quake, PHILVOCS technical information chief

Jean Tayag outlined major lessons learned from the tragedy.

They are the country's backward seismic monitoring system; the lack of disaster
preparedness for major quakes; the need for a stronger, more effective program for
disaster reduction; the need to update and strictly enforce the Building Code, and need for
proper land use management and hazard protection for urban development.

Punongbayan said that on a scale of one to ten, the Philippines could barely score
two in terms of mitigating the effects of natural hazards.

"In fact, it would not be incorrect to say that PHILVOCS has no monitoring
capacity at all," Punongbayan said.

He said that while they were able to identify some of the potential earthquake
generators in the country, they failed to come up with vulnerability maps due to the lack
of proper equipments and technical expertise.

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 Punongbayan said they only have 12 seismic stations equipped with smoke-type
seismographs purchased 20 years ago, when hundreds of seismic stations are needed to
cover the country's active faults. If this proves too expensive, at least 65 stations should
be put in place, he added.

PHILVOLCS also maintains 14 volcanological stations in five most active

volcanos when there are 200 volcanos in the country.

Punongbayan said 14 other active volcanos should be monitored, but that it would
cost at least P1 million to set up one volcanological station.

Disaster preparedness and science and technology should be on the top four
priorities of the national government, Punongbayan said.

Tayag, on the other hand, said that risk reduction measures have better chances if
they were pushed by local government than by the national government.

Questions for Discussion

1. What happens if the country is not well prepared for disasters?

2. Do you agree with the recommendations made in the article regarding disaster
preparedness? Explain.

Things to Do

1. With your group, examine how well prepared your community is for calamities
like earthquakes. Prepare a checklist of requirements as basis for your evaluation.
2. Invite a representative of the local disaster coordinating committee to talk about
disaster preparedness.
3. Plan with your barangay representative how your class can assist the community
in preparing for disaster like earthquakes.

If a community is prepared for any disaster the unnecessary loss of lives and the
destruction of property can be avoided. Refer to the next reading for steps on how
disaster can be managed through sound planning.

READING 34

Disaster Preparedness Program

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 The Philippine archipelago lies in the path of tropical cyclones. The country is
affected by an average of 19 tropical cyclones a year. It is also situated along the
Circum-Pacific Seismic. Belt where 80% of the earthquakes occur. It is also susceptible
to floods and tidal waves. Destructive fires also regularly devastate our fire-prone
communities and forests. Millions worth of property, crops, livestocks and scores of
lives are lost through these calamities. In the year 1988, the Office of Civil Defense
reported damages from the typhoons alone a total of P8,945 billion and a total of
6,339,011 rendered homeless. These calamities are realities we have to live with. We
can however reduce losses to lives and properties if we have a sound Disaster
Preparedness Program and an able Disaster Management Team who could plan said
program and execute it with people’s participation effectively.

What is disaster preparedness?

Disaster Preparedness is reducing the impact of any disaster that may occur
through anticipatory action. It requires therefore sound planning, information
dissemination and drilling of the people on how to react to any calamity that may occur.

What is disaster Management?

It is the efficient use of resources to effectively deal and coordinate the process
of relief, recovery and reconstruction/rehabilitation.

What is done during the relief or emergency phase of a disaster?

The relief or emergency phase is meeting the immediate and basic needs of the
victims such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care and emotional security. In case of
fast-impact disasters as flood, fire, earthquakes, landslide and volcanic eruptions, the
immediate step is directed at saving lives and alleviating further sufferings. In the case
of long-onset disasters as social disorganization, drought and famine, the relief phase
will continue to be extended for a longer period of time.

What is done during the recovery phase of a disaster?

It is replacing the resources and social relations required to use them that had been
destroyed or disrupted by the disaster. Example of this replacing lost or damaged
cooking equipment and utensils and finding a missing member of the family who had
been lost at the height of the disorder occasioned by the disaster.

What takes place during the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase?

During the construction phase, the opportunity to introduce new modes of

organizing a community to reduce its vulnerability to hazards are done. People who
had been evacuated for example from the slopes of a mountain due to landslides will be
relocated to safer areas. This provision should also be applied to residents of low and
risky areas as those living beside creeks that are regularly flooded and often evacuated
to higher grounds.

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 Basic services are restored during the rehabilitation phase to enable the people
to enjoy pre-disaster conditions. Families who have suffered losses to their crops and
property are assisted to the extent that they would be able to cope and finally stabilize
their lives.

Denuded forests are also replanted to forestall landslides and flooding and to
impress on the people the dire effects and kaingin planting and illegal logging. The
cooperation of the people at this time should be sought in preventing illegal logging and
kaingin farming if they want to be spared from greater disaster and sufferings.

What are contingency plans?

Contingency plans are actions aimed to be taken in response to any future

occurrence be it fire, typhoon, flood, earthquake, social disorganization, volcanic
eruption, etc. It establishes the framework for the efficient operation of disaster related
activities.

What are included in such contingency plans for disaster?

Contingency plans should concentrate on preparedness for response. The

following should be part of the plan:

Who would coordinate or manage the emergency operations?

Who would be the individuals and organizations who would be involved in time
of disaster?

What will be their individual responsibilities?

- who would provide the rescue operations?

- who would provide food assistance?

- who would provide medical assistance?

- who would provide evacuation centers?

- who would provide transportation facilities?

- Who would provide rescue equipment as bulldozers, cranes, etc.

What will be their means of communicating with each other?

What will be their means of immediately warming the people of impending

Disaster? Churchbells? Loud speakers? Blowing of horns? Etc.

And who will be responsible for this?

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 What should the people do in case of typhoon, fire, earthquake, flood, volcanic
eruption, social disorganization, etc.?

Who prepares such plan?

Those who would likely be involved and responsible in the implementation of

the contingency plan should prepare such plan. It should involve all sectors of the
community where every block, sitio, or purok is represented as well as the individuals
and organizations who will be tapped to perform their individual area of responsibility.

What are the attributes of a good disaster plan?

1. The plan should have clarity. Its aims must be clear, positive and precise.
Its goals should be clearly stated for all phases of the anticipated event.
Plans should be easily understood.

2. Disaster don’t always happen as anticipated hence the plan should

therefore allow flexibility for the unexpected.

3. Provide good information to sound planning and effective response. Have

an emergency information handbook for circulation to the residents of the
barangay.

4. Wherever possible maintain the existing organizational structure for

disaster preparedness for continuity.

5. Plan by sectors. Organize relief teams, medical teams, evacuation teams,

rescue teams, kitchen brigade, etc.

6. Stress self-reliance. Make a comprehensive inventory of available

resources. Spread the workload as widely as possible involving all sectors
of the community. Effective management of any crisis situation calls for
collective efforts.

7. Collective action can only be effective if it is well coordinated. Identify

therefore a good coordinator.

8. Plans need to be practiced to identify gaps/weaknesses. Practice the

people who will have to implement them.

9. Maintain reserves in the relief bank. Identify local as well as outside

resources that can be tapped.

10. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the operation should be part of any

contingency plan.

Steps in preparing a disaster plan

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 Bryan Ward suggested the following steps in disaster planning which we find
helpful and applicable in our barangays.

Step 1. Identify the threat.

What type of disaster are you planning for? Is it for typhoons, earthquake, fire,
social disorganization, flood, tidal wave, volcanic eruption, etc.?

Step 2. Estimate the effects.

Consider the probable areas that will be affected, the population of said areas
and quantify the requirements in terms of the number of people likely to need
evacuation, shelter, food, clothing, medical assistance, etc. Refer to past experience,
local knowledge and make the proper analysis and projections as realistic as possible.
It is safer to overestimate than underestimate effects and needs.

Step 3. Assess needs.

Since needs follow logically from the effects of a calamity/crisis situation, make a
preliminary list of everything that will have to be done and set tentative priorities. Think
of actions needed before, during, and after disaster. If you anticipate several types of
disasters, tabulate your estimates so that you can compare likely needs when planning for
relief operations:

- rescue and evacuation

- food
- shelter
- health care
- sanitation
- water and light
- social services

Step 4. Discuss needs.

Discuss the needs that you had identified as widely as possible. This process
will help to improve other people in the planning process. Thus they are likely to think
of things which you may have overlooked as cultural factors. Their suggestions for
improvement will be helpful and constructive.

Step 5. Determine policies and concepts of operations.

State the fundamental policies upon which the plan is based on the following
areas.:

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 - minimizing the effects of the disaster,

- public participation in the planning process as who should

participate, to what extent and when could they start participating

- criteria in assisting victims, type of assistance;

- when to terminate the emergency of phase determinants for

reconstruction and rehabilitation;

- information dissemination; and

- evaluating the entire disaster program.

Step 6. Assign responsibilities.

The pattern of responsibilities will have emerged during the earlier steps. This
is the state when everybody is already clear as to who is responsible for what, so they
can therefore start preparing their own plans in their respective area of responsibility.
It is time to consider the following:

- what has to be done?

- who can best do it?

- when must it be done?

- How can it be done?

Step 7. Make an inventory of available resources.

Identify available resources for use in all phases of the disaster operation. Some
resources need to the shared by two or more teams like transportation and
communications facilities. The plan should be definite about this sharing to prevent
delay and misunderstanding among the different teams involved. It is best to assemble
said resources under the headings of manpower, money, transportation, special
equipment, shelter (public evacuation centers and private homes) in tabulated form for
ready reference.

Step 8. Review steps 3-7.

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 It is time now to see how you can balance the anticipated needs and the
resources you have identified and how you could fill gaps and still have something in
reserve. It is at this stage that the planner is assured that “how” as planned will work.

Step 9. Identify critical areas.

There are areas where your responses will be most under stress and therefore
need to be monitored closely. Think of ways on how to strengthen your planned
responses. One most probable area is your plan on rescue operations. Do you have the
trained manpower? Do you have the needed transportation and equipment? If not,
explore the nearest vicinity outside your barangay where these could be tapped.

Step 10. Confirm priorities.

Tentative priorities were identified in step 3 and were discussed in the

succeeding steps. It is at this stage you confirm them. Priorities are determined by
needs and available resources.

Step 11. Finalize the plan.

It is essential that the plan is easy to read and understand. It should also allow
flexibility. Hereunder is a suggested format for a disaster plan:

Situation

Give a brief description of the threat, its likely effects and the projected needs
arising therefrom.

Aim

The aim of the plan should be stated in a clear and concise statement.

Concepts of operation

A brief description of the threat its likely effects, the needs arising therefrom
and how such needs will be met/responded to:

Allocation of responsibilities. Refers to steps 5 & 6

Allocation of resources, refers to steps 7-9.

Coordination

This should include who is overall coordinator, area of coordination of the

different teams, the reporting procedures, channel of communication and arrangements
for effecting appropriate coordination.

Annexes

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 The main part of the plan should be kept as simple as possible. Details of the
plan can be given in the annexes as diagrams showing coordination procedures, the
supporting plans prepared by the different teams which would show how they would
meet their respective responsibilities, the standard operating procedures, checklists of
resources needed and that are a available, etc.

Step 12. Practice

Simulations of a disaster and a drill on how to respond can help identify

weakness in the plans which can then be corrected before the actual event takes place.

Plans need to be also regularly reviewed and updated as often as necessary.

Step 13. Evaluate

When disaster occurs and the plan was implemented, evaluate immediately the
plans used and draw lessons from the experience. These lessons should be noted as it
occurred and used as a frame of reference to alter or modify existing plans for more
effective implementation in the future.

Question for Discussion

1. What are the characteristic of a good disaster plan?

2. Outline the steps in preparing a disaster plan. Explain each step.

Things to Do

1. Prepare with your barangay representative a disaster management plan. If a plan has
already been prepared by the barangay, request the representative to present it in
class. Discuss the features of the plan. Check these against the requirements
presented in the reading.
2. Identify the areas in the plan where your group can participate.
3. Be ready to be involved in the implementation of the plan when the need arises.
Discuss with your barangay representative and your teacher any preparation that you
may require.
4. Be ready to evaluate the plan. Refers to step 13 of the Reading.

One has to be prepared as well for the destruction that other disaster like
earthquakes may cause. Refers to the next reading to find out how you can lessen the
destructive effects of earthquakes.

Reading 35

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 Alleviating the Destructive Effects of Earthquakes

Earthquakes cannot be prevented. It is likewise difficult to predict when an

earthquake will occur. It appears that the only way by which one can avoid the
destruction that an earthquake can cause is to be prepared for it.

1. The best way to avoid the destructive effects of earthquakes is to have a

plan. Assess the strength of the structures (buildings) in your
environment. Examine if there are cracks that might lead to the collapse
of the buildings. Find out also if there could be other possible sources of
damage in the event of an earthquakes like heavy object that might fall,
etc. After your evacuation, find out what areas need to be looked into.

2. Prepare you home for possible damage. Many accidents during

earthquake are caused by object falling or slipping. Put a stopper to
tables, cabinets, and doors to prevent them from slipping. Heavy
objects inside cabinets should be placed at the lower shelves. Store
fragile objects in safe places and put away poisonous chemicals and
flammables to avoid breakage and leak.

3. Tie heavy objects to prevent slippage or breakage while in the event of

earthquake.

4. Inspect all areas of your workplace. Locate all exits. Find out the
location of the fire extinguishers, medical kit for emergency, sirens, and
equipment and facilities for communication. Remember not to use the
elevator during an earthquake.

5. Prepare for any emergency. Prepare drinking water, flashlight, radio,

batteries, clothing and food that may be needed in case of an evacuation.
Discuss emergency plan with the family and contact persons if anyone
will be separated from the others in the events of an evacuation.

What to do during an earthquake

1. If you are caught inside the house, stay there! Protect yourself by hiding
under a table or desk or near the door or corner of a room. Watch out for
falling debris.

2. If you are caught outside, go to an open space, but stay away from electric
posts, trees, concrete walls and similar structures. If you are caught inside
a building, look for a corner where you can be protected from falling
debris. If you are caught in the farm, stay away from encampments
(slopes) that may be affected by landslides.

3. If you are driving, park your vehicle away from bridge, overpass, posts
and similar structures that may fall on the vehicle. If live wire falls on the
vehicle, stay inside the vehicle until help arrives.

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 4. If you are caught in a crowded place like supermarket, moviehouse, and
church, don’t rush to the exit. Try to calm the others. Ask them to stay
away from falling objects.

5. If you live near the coast, watch out for the tsunami (tidal wave). If the
tremor intensifies, evacuate to a higher place.

What to do after the quake

1. Find out if someone is hurt. Check if there are people who were locked in
or might need help like the sick.

2. Wear your shoes and something to protect yourself. Remember that there
might be pointed or sharp objects on the floor that might hurt you.

3. Use flashlight when doing any searching. Don’t light any flame as leaking
gas or any poisonous chemical might start a fire.

4. If there is fire, look for the nearest fire control or alarm unit.

5. Check you water line, electricity or gas for defects. If there are, turn off
the main valve or switch. Consult the utility servicemen for assistance.

6. Clean up the debris. Clear first the flammables and poisonous things to
prevent any other problem from arising.

7. Don’t touch any hanging wire. Report this immediately to the proper
authorities.

8. Use the telephone for emergency calls only.

9. Listen to official information or news. Don’t believe in rumors or spread

false information.

10. Don’t use your vehicle except for emergency. Roads may be blocked or
closed for traffic.

11. Prepare for aftershocks. Take precaution when entering a building that
might collapse because of aftershocks.

12. Obey public warnings. Keep all roads open for vehicles doing emergency
trips.

13. Be ready to report to the authorities the victims that may be needing
immediate help or anything requiring attention.

14. If you need to evacuate, leave a message about where you are going.
Bring along first aid kit, flashlight, radio, food, clothing, important papers,
toiletries, personal effects and blankets.

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Questions for Discussion

1. What should you do during an earthquake?

2. What should you do after an earthquake?

Things to Do

1. Plan with your teacher an earthquake drill for the school. Coordinate this with the
principal.
2. Make a list of the things that you should prepare in the event of an evacuation.
3. Organize with the barangay an emergency plan in the event of an earthquake.
4. Form committees that will assist the barangay in the event of an earthquake.

An earthquake may be accompanied by a tidal wave. If you are living near the
coast, here are some reminders for you.

Reading 36

What You Should Know To Protect Yourself From Tsunami

1. Watch out for the condition of the waves in your place. Evaluate immediately
to a high condition of the sea. For example, too low water level may signal
the onset of tsunami. If you are caught on a boat, avoid deep portions of the
sea.

2. An earthquake is a natural sign of a tsunami. Don’t stay in low areas after a

strong earthquake. Go immediately to high location especially if you notice a
significant change in the condition of the sea.

3. Stay away from the sea until the last wave of the tsunami.

4. Don’t ignore the warming relative to the tsunami.

5. Don’t go near the sea to watch the tsunami.

Questions for Discussion

1. What are the usual signs of an oncoming tsunami?

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 2. What should you do when you notice such signs?

Things to Do

1. If you are living near the sea, plan with your barangay what the community
must do in the event of a tsunami.

2. Organize committees to carry out the plan.

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 By this time, you shall have immersed yourself in the life of your community.
The experience may have opened you eyes to the needs of the people you live and work
with. There may be things you wish to change, and problems that you wish would go

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away. As you think of what to change and how, reflect on what the next reading has to
say.

Reading 37

Initiating Changes in the Community

Initiating and implementing changes in the community is not an easy job

because in the process you will meet and experience many obstacles like people who
would rather stick to the old ways of doing things, etc. even knowing that the change is
in response to the needs and demands of the community or to provide them better
service. However, to enhance the probability that change will be accepted, Hurst
(1983), identified seven conditions that enhance the acceptability of change in the
community; communication, relevance or desirability, effectiveness or reliability,
feasibility, efficiency, trialability, and adaptability.

1. Communication. Three elements are essential under communication:

adequacy, accuracy, and feedback. People who will be affected by the
change should be made fully aware of the nature of the project goals and
objectives, the plans for achieving these goals and objectives, and more
importantly, what they are expected to do because of the innovation.
Persons responsible for introducing changes should likewise ensure that
the information conveyed to participants are accurate.

It is also important that people who are likely to be affected by

the change be given the opportunity to convey their responses to those
responsible for the change. This will enable the change agent to analyze
discrepancies and search for and apply corrective actions when
necessary. Feedback likewise assures the concerned individuals that
their own judgments and experiences play a major part in the innovation
being introduced.

2. Relevance. Change is likely to be accepted if it is perceived as

beneficial by those who will be affected by it.

3. Effectiveness. When the alleged benefits of the innovation are perceived to

be greater than the risk, the innovation is likely to be accepted.

4. Feasibility. Innovations are often rejected, not because the people affected
are unwilling to adopt them, but because they are unable to do so due to
the lack of some necessary resources.

5. Efficiency. Other things being equal, we can expect those who will be
affected by the change to prefer whichever of two practices offers the

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 better return on investment of time and effort or other costs. If an
innovation does not apparently offer a significantly better payoff in
terms of some valued outcomes for a given amount of input than current
practice, potential adopters will see no advantage in it.

6. Trialability. Because of uncertainly about the possible risks involved, it is

always helpful to arrange for trial adoption of an innovative practice.
This reduces uncertainty and allows for modifications which will
improve the acceptability of the project.

7. Adaptability. People responsible for innovative projects should allow

modifications in the initial stages of implementation, especially if these
modifications will improve the results.

Questions for Discussion

1. How do you initiate change in the community?

2. How do you ensure that change will be accepted in the

community?

Things to Do

1. List down one or two changes that you wish to introduce to the
community. Talk about these with your groups.

2. Discuss with you group how you can convince the people in your
community to adopt the change. Implement your plan of convincing the
people. Find out how people have responded to the appeal.

Once you have thought about the change that you wish to make, start planning
for your community project to carry out the change. The next reading will give some
pointers.

Reading 38

Conceptualizing Community Projects

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 After having identified the different problems of the community, conceptualize
a project that will address those needs and put it into action plan. A plan is a systematic
procedure in preparing activities to achieve a desired goal taking into consideration
available resources, time and efforts needed.

When you plan, follow these steps:

a. Define and analyze the problem

b. Set your objectives

c. Formulate your course of action

d. Implement the plan

e. Monitor and evaluate.

Characteristics of a good plan

Check your plan. It should be SMART, meaning:

S - pecific

M - easurable

A - ttainable

R - ealistic

T - ime-bound

In order for your effort to be focused and directed, it must first determine its
short-range objectives in specific terms. Otherwise, precious efforts, time and
resources may be wasted in pursuing objectives that are too general and unclear. Here
are examples of unclear and specific objectives:

Unclear objective - To improve the health situation of the barangay.

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 Specific objective - To reduce by 20% malnutrition of the identified
360 second degree malnourished preschoolers
from January 1 – June 30, 1990.

A plan should have measurable targets so that it could have a basis for
evaluation. It simply means specifying in exact number, size, amount and time needed
on what you plan to do. Instead of saying for example that you plan “to deworm the
malnourished children” you should state that you plan “to deworm 200 second degree
and third degree malnourished children ages between 3-6 years old in a period of six
months” This is measurable target as you would know exactly how many children
would be dewormed, their degree of malnutrition, what will be their age level and
within what time frame will the job be done.

Is you plan attainable? Do you have the resource as money, manpower,

machines and the expertise available at your command? If not, are there resources you
could most probably tap outside your barangay? Is your plan for example to deworm
200 second and third degree preschoolers attainable? Have you consulted the
Municipal Health Office if they have available personnel and the needed medicines
necessary to deworm the 200 preschoolers within your targeted period? If not, are there
other resources that can be tapped?

A realistic plan is one based on facts/actual data and not just presumed. Why
should you plan to deworm 200 preschoolers who are malnourished when the latest
barangay survey or census elicited only the presence of 120 second degree children
and 18 third degree? Why should you plan to build a community center made of
galvanized iron and cement when your available budget is only enough to fund the
construction of community center made of sawali and nipa?

A time-bounded plan has a specific period when the plan has to be

accomplished. A plan that has no time frame may never be accomplished as the
implementers may just take the mañana attitude until one’s enthusiasm and strong
motivation to accomplish the task is lost. Hence it is always bet to subject your plan/s
to the SMART principle to assure yourself that you are on the right track.

Question for Discussion

1. Define in your own words the term “planning.”

2. Discuss the characteristics of a good plan.

Thing to Do

1. Identify a problem in the community that you want your group to address.

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 2. Present the problem to you group. Discuss its causes and effects. Have
your group decide which of the problems presented to be prioritized.

3. As a group, develop an action plan which will address the priority

problem.

In order to carry out your plan, you need to focus on a project. The project is
the concretization of your plan. Turn to the next reading for the outline of a project
proposal.

Reading 39

Project Proposal

I. Project Title: (This identifies your project by name.)

________________________________________________________

II. Background/Rationale: (This explains the reason for your project, the
problem that it seeks to address.)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

III. Time Frame; (This is the time required to undertake the project, this is
expressed in number of days or weeks.)

IV. Objectives: (This states the purpose, the aims(s) of the project.)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

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 ________________________________________________________

V. Target Population: (This identifies the beneficiary(ies) of the project.)

VI. Activities: (This enumerates the tasks/activities to be undertaken in

carrying out the project.)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

VII. Resource/Funding (by Activity): (This indicates the amount required and
in the human resources that may be involved.)

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Total Requirement P _________________

VIII. Monitoring/Evaluation Activities: (This identifies the measures that need to

be done to assess the benefits/impact of the project.)

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Proponent: (This identifies the members of your group.)

___________________________________________________________

School : __________________________________________________________

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 Division: _________________________________________________________

Region: _________________________________________________________

Approved; Noted:

____________________________ ______________________________
Teacher - Facilitator School Principal

______________________________
Barangay Chairman

Date: ______________________________

Question for Discussion

1. Go back to your group’s action plan. What projects do you think will help achieve
your objectives? Be prepared to present your ideas to the group.

Things to Do

1. Discuss with your group your ideas(s) of a project.

2. Analyze the strong and weak points of each project ideas.
3. Have your group decide which project it will propose.
4. Have your group write its project proposal.
5. Present your group proposal in class for comments/suggestions.
6. Revise your proposal.
7. Present to the teacher-facilitator for approval.

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