Safety and Security Issues in U.P.

Diliman

Introduction

Safety and security issues beset the people who study, work and live in U.P. Diliman,
being a university surrounded by an urban jungle. While ever-present, such issues are rarely
discussed by the Isko and Iska until an incident puts such issues to the limelight. From physical
ones, such as fire, crime, and natural disasters, to social ones, such as mental health issues and
gender-related violence and discrimination, there are a lot of hazards and risks being faced by the
Iskolar ng Bayan in their stay in the university.
This paper seeks to provide information of hazards and risks and explore opportunities
for student-led mitigation and prevention activities. It will weave through the available
information to help us come to an understanding of our current safety and security situation.

Defining Safety and Security

At the outset, let us first define safety and security. These are often used interchangeably,
but are actually distinct and complementary. Line et al. provides us a framework to work with
these concepts in their article titled, “Safety vs Security”:
“In both cases we have a "system" in an environment. The system might be able
to have an undesirable effect on its environment, but the environment can equally
well have an undesirable effect on the system. The inability of the system to affect
its environment in an undesirable way is usually called safety; the inability of the
environment to affect the system in an undesirable way is usually called security.
Depending on the type of system, its environment and the types of undesirable
effects one can have on the other we get a multitude of definitions for safety and
security” (Line et al. 2006, 1).
Using this framework, we are then able to define threats and hazards. A hazard is a situation or
event that can result in undesirable effects for health, life or assets, i.e. the environment.
Associated with it is the concept of risk which may refer to the severity or possibility of it
producing such undesirable effects. Safety measures are geared towards reducing the severity or
likelihood of a hazard causing undesirable effects. Threats, on the other hand, are undesirable
effects on a system which may come from coincidental events or intentional acts. Security
measures are often threat mitigation activities which seek to decrease the probability or the
severity of the consequences of such threats (Line et al. 2006).
With those cursory definitions, let us look into the various safety and security issues
present in the university.

Fire

In the Philippines, fire incidents result to around Php 3.6 billion worth of losses and an
average of 236 deaths annually (Aquino 2014). The hazard posed by these incidents is more
pronounced in the urban setting, given greater population density. Quezon City has the greatest
proportion of fires at 20.6% in the Philippines resulting in the highest proportion of fire related
casualties and injuries, at 28.1% (Velasco 2013). The city government has 21 fire substations
with 33 firefighting vehicles and 406 firefighters to address this (Local Government of Quezon
City 2018). However, the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) set the ideal
standard of one fireman for every 20,000 people. This means that Quezon City, which has 2.94
million people, needs 1,470 firefighters and 105 response vehicles (Talabong 2017b). The city is
sorely underequipped and undermanned.
U.P. Diliman is no stranger to fire events, from fires at the derelict Narra Residence Hall
in 2008 to the Institute of Chemistry in 2010 to a fire at Quezon Hall which cost an estimated
Php 100, 000.00 in damages, and the fires that razed the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni
Association (CASAA) Food Center and the Alumni Center, costing Php 50,000.00 and Php
200,000.00 in damages respectively (Botial 2010; Barnes 2016). Ironically, these studies yielded
no immediate results as more devastating and recent fires took place. Two years ago, the old
Faculty Center was gutted by fire. Believed to be caused by faulty wiring, which cost the
university an estimated Php 3 million in damages, the fire also caused the loss of priceless
research and academic materials of some 250 faculty members from two colleges (Barnes 2016).
And just this year, a fire broke out and consumed the University Shopping Center. Once again, it
was believed to be caused by faulty electrical wiring, costing Php 500,000.00 worth of damages
and displacing 48 stall owners and their workers (Rappler.com 2018). Despite these incidents,
UPD Chancellor Michael Tan reassured that fire safety measures are observed in buildings on
campus and are compliant with the Bureau of Fire Protection’s (BFP) regulations, noting that the
recently-gutted UP Shopping Center was just recently renovated (San Juan 2018).
In a study conducted by Aquino, two risks were taken into consideration namely, life risk
and risk factor, and building risk and risk factor (2014). The former looked into the possible risks
to life, given pedestrian traffic in the buildings studied, whereas the latter looks into the
structural and functional risks in the building studied. The old Faculty Center, for example,
topped in the latter factor due to its structural composition, i.e. faculty offices created by using
light materials, e.g. plywood, as dividers. The Kamia Residence Hall, the Office of the
University Registrar, and the Kalayaan Residence Hall closely followed the Faculty Center due
to either their age or the amount of light materials, e.g. paper and wood, stored in these
structures. On the latter factor, the Kalayaan Residence Hall, the Main Library, the Albarracin
Hall (Centennial Dormitory 1), the Faculty Center, and the Vinzons Hall topped the list. This is
due to the volume of human traffic that passes through and uses those buildings everyday. The
buildings in question are dormitories, libraries, and student center. The study, apart from alerting
us to these risks, also provides various tools and a framework that can be calibrated for
assessment of these risks.
Fire prevention and mitigation which generally entails measures to be undertaken by the
administration such as keeping buildings compliant to and updated per the Fire Code and other
relevant regulations, placing fire extinguishers and ensuring the availability of close, operational
fire extinguishers, is not solely the responsibility of such administration. There are a number of
options students, faculty and staff may involve themselves in preventing fires and at the mitigate
damage, should one break out.
The first step is awareness. Basic awareness of the so-called Triangle of Fire is important
not only in putting out a fire before it becomes uncontrollable, but is also a handy tool in
identifying what conditions would lead to a fire catching in the first place. The Triangle of Fire,
or simply the fire triangle, represents the three critical elements of fire: fuel, heat, and oxygen,
which are necessary for fire to be produced through combustion (Cohen 1999, 190). ​If the
community is aware of what increases the risk of a fire breaking out, they may assist by reporting
any possible issues to the proper authorities, which tends to that effect, or by directly acting upon
those issues, especially if the community is or its activities are directly related to such issues.
This can be done through seminars, pamphlets, posters and infographics, among others.
Mitigation activities come next. What to do when a fire has already started, basic
information and even skills training in putting out fires or escaping a burning building decreases
the negative effects of fires on the life and property of those affected. The UP Diliman Main
Library has released a note on its Facebook page detailing some of the mitigation activities it has
implemented. Fire extinguishers were confirmed to be made available, fire exits were made
publicly known through fire exit plans, trimmed grass from maintenance works were piled away
from the Main Library, and measures were made and strictly implemented on unauthorized and
unattended charging (University Library UPD 2018).
Since 2015, negotiations are ongoing between the university administration and the
Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) for the establishment of a separate fire station for the campus
(CNN Philippines 2015). It is worth mentioning that UP Diliman once had its own fire station,
which ironically burned down “a long time ago” (UP Diliman Information Office 2016). But the
nearest fire station from the campus is at least twenty (20) minutes away, although funds are
already allocated for the construction of a new fire station, according to UPD Chancellor
Michael Tan (CNN Philippines 2018). An improvised fire truck owned by the Barangay UP
Diliman is also available for quick response (UP Diliman Information Office 2016).

Crime

Crime in the Philippines is measured by the incidence of what are called index crimes.
Such index crimes include crimes against persons such as murder and homicide and crimes
against property such as theft. For the past year 2017, such index crimes are down by 21.8%,
with murder down by 20.6% and robbery by 23.6%. Homicide, however, rose by 14.6%. Given
its high population density, the National Capital Region remains at the top of Philippine regions
in crime volume (Talabong, 2017b).
 Quezon City has the highest number of index crimes recording 961 cases of murder, 966
cases of homicide, 18,470 cases of robbery, 27,838 cases of theft, 3,244 cases of carnapping, and
14,035 cases of physical injury (Francisco, 2016). However the index crimes only measure crime
volume and should not be confused for the crime rate (Garcia, 2016). Given its size as the largest
A study conducted on UP Diliman identified 5 crime hot spots namely: (1) the Catholic
Chapel and its vicinity, (2) the old Rizal Hall or the Faculty Center (FC), College of Arts and
Letters (CAL) Building and its vicinity, (3) the Melchor Hall (College of Engineering) and its
vicinity, (4) Palma Hall, and (5) Vinzons Hall and its vicinity. Most of the crimes occurred
around the Catholic Chapel. More importantly they found that land use and accessibility in a
campus does influence crime occurrence where locations which have high density types of land
use and are not centrally located but have access to transportation are often where most crimes
occur. In this case, reducing target attractiveness or reducing the incentives to commit criminal
activities as crime prevention and deterrence are more effective that changing land use and traffic
patterns, making it better to address the vulnerability of potential targets than in shaping the
environment in which it occurs (Morta, Castro, and Lidasan, 2009).
The UP Diliman Police (UPDP) is the primary policing institution of UP Diliman
independent from the Philippine National Police (PNP). However, it is also underequipped and
undermanned. It presently aims to increase its manpower from sixty-seven (67) to one hundred
sixty (160) officers and men (“UP Diliman Police - iskWiki! 2012). The UPDP is complemented
by private security agencies hired to guard buildings on campus and the Special Services Brigade
(SSB) under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA).
Crime prevention and deterrence as mentioned above should lean towards addressing
target vulnerability. This includes awareness campaigns on crime incidence and behavior that
would increase target attractiveness. And when crime does occur, ensuring that individuals,
especially students, have easy and quick access to help in apprehending the culprit. Social media
would have been helpful in conducting these campaigns, for they do not only serve as
loudspeakers, but also as receivers of first-hand information in case of crimes being committed
in the campus (United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, 2015).
Natural Disasters

Approximately twenty tropical cyclones, half of which are typhoons, and half of the latter
are considered destructive, pass through the Philippines annually (de la Cruz 2016a). It also does
not help that the country lies among three tectonic plates on the Pacific Ring of Fire. As such, the
country is highly exposed and vulnerable to natural disasters. Damage by typhoons is the greatest
in agriculture and infrastructure, with a total cost of Php 169 billion from 2010-2015, which
exceeded the Local Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Fund alloted (de la Cruz 2016a).
Annually, however, it is estimated that the country may incur losses of up to Php 177 billion in
public and private assets (Department of Finance 2017).
Manila has historically been subjected to numerous related disasters. It is the world’s
second riskiest city after Tokyo, according to a study conducted by the company Swiss Re
(2014). The memories of the heavy monsoon rains back in 2012 and that of Typhoon Ondoy in
2009 are remembered. The metropolis’ proximity to fault lines, especially the West Valley Fault
to the east, whose next major movement is expected in the near future, given historical trends (de
la Cruz, Mendoza, and Manuel 2015), and the Manila Trench to the west, not to mention the type
of soil present, especially in the City of Manila, makes it susceptible to substantial damage
during earthquakes.
While no notable disaster-related event has occurred within the campus. The threat posed
by typhoons, earthquakes, and other calamities remains and continues. After the world’s
experience with the climate change and global warming, there has been a shift in the ideology in
which we deal with them. From a crisis to crisis model, the world is shifting to viewing theses as
ongoing problems requiring a collective response. (Comfort et al., 1999) There has been a push
internationally and nationally to continuously prepare for the next big storm or quake. Last
March 6, an earthquake drill has been conducted by the College of Social Sciences and
Philosophy (“CSSP Shake Drill” 2018). ​By institutionalizing drills and information campaigns,
we can increase awareness and preparedness for such disasters. These are essential in promoting
safety and security on campus especially since the campus has been designated as an evacuation
center in case of an earthquake by the Metro Manila Development Authority (Rappler.com
2017a). While these programs exist, a conscious effort must be made by citizens to ensure that
they have the means and knowledge to execute such measures. Tapping the non-profit sector,
especially youth and student organizations, would be essential in this case.

Mental Health Issues

Security is not limited in the integrity of physical structures. Following Line et al.’s
framework, mental health security issues concern the neutralization of factors, which come from
the environment, that may negatively affect one’s mental health, which is the system.
The Philippines is one of the few, remaining countries that lack a mental health policy.
Mental health policy refers to a framework adopted by a state “to manage and prevent priority
mental and neurological disorders” (World Health Organization 2018). Ironically, it is the
ASEAN country with the most number of people suffering from depression, which is estimated
to be at 4.5 million, less than a third of which has access to specialists (De Leon 2016). With the
recent approval of House Bill 6452, also known as Comprehensive Mental Health Act, on its
final reading by the House of Representatives (Cupino 2017), we are now halfway towards
establishment of a definite mental health policy in the country. Once passed, the proposed bill
aims to integrate mental health into the country’s general healthcare system.
The lack of a legal framework that would work on mental health is one of the many
mental health-related problems that plague the country. One of what can be considered to be the
most critical is culture. A lot of stigma is encountered when the issue is being touched upon.
Comedian Joey de Leon even joked about depression, one of the many mental health disorders,
as “​gawa-gawa lang ng mga tao [made up by people]”, drawing flak on social media (Rappler
2017b). While the stigma is slowly being addressed in the metro, it is the other way around in the
rural areas of the country. People there tend to attribute mental health issues more to witchcraft
and folklore (Francisco 2017).
Similar to our discussion on fire as a safety and security issue, awareness is the first in
addressing mental health-related issues. A mobile application created by U.P. students, called
PsychUP, aims to do that and provide mental health first aid as well (Cupin 2017). As of now,
however, the problems brought by mental health issues remain. After awareness comes the
provision and consolidation of services that would address those problems.
In U.P. Diliman, professional counseling services are offered in the Office of Counseling
and Guidance (OCG) in the student center at Vinzons Hall and in the Department of Psychology.
The ability of these offices to provide mental health services are severely limited due to funding
and personnel limitations. The University has only three psychologists and eight guidance
counselors to serve around 24, 000 students, far from the international norm of one specialist per
1, 000 students (Tan 2016). As such, volunteer groups have been formed to perform, at the very
least, mental health first aid. In the Office of Student Affairs of the College of Social Sciences
and Philosophy, free mental health first aid is being offered by student-volunteers (CSSP - Office
of Student Affairs 2018).
Barely five years ago, the entire U.P. System was embroiled in a massive scandal when a
student committed suicide due to financial problems relating to enrolment in the University (de
la Cruz 2016b). While the outcry moved the university to revisit its tuition policies on which the
intense media spotlight was shone, the mental health aspect was set aside and even accused of as
detracting from the real issue. It is important to fight for the right to free education, however, we
must also level the same unity in lobbying for access to preventive, diagnostic, and support
services to prevent such adverse events from occurring. These services must not only exist but be
accessible. Barriers to seeking aid, such as the stigma that comes with a diagnosis, must be
addressed by programs aimed at increasing awareness about their own mental health, providing
resources to address mental health issues, and ingraining a culture of support.

Gender-Related Violence and Discrimination

The Philippines, with laws protecting the rights of women in the home, on the streets and
in the workplace ranks 7th and remains the highest-ranked country in Asia and the Pacific in
terms of Gender Equality (United Nations Population Fund n.d.). In fact, cities such Quezon City
have enacted policies to penalize common forms of harassment such as catcalling and stalking.
While Republic Act No. 7877 defines sexual harassment in an employment environment or
work-related and those in education and training environment, a more inclusive definition can be
found in the Women’s Development Code of Davao City which defines it as “unwelcome sexual
advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature,
made directly, indirectly or impliedly”. While clearly defined, implementation brings its own
slew of issues, from difficulties in having victims come forward or after having come forward, in
testifying in court due to a culture stigmatizing victims of rape (Philippine Commission on
Women 2009). The clash of cultural norms and a growing understanding of sexual harassment
has produced blind spots and so-called gray areas in the enforcement of these rules. Such has
found expression internationally in the #MeToo movement, encouraging victims, specially
women, to speak up and call out their abusers. Locally, movements such as Youth Against
Sexual Harassment have taken up the banner of gaining true freedom from sexual harassment.
The university addresses sexual harassment concerns through the Office of Anti-Sexual
Harassment which operationalizes the UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code (Office of Anti-Sexual
Harassment 2018).The code declares all forms of sexual harassment as unacceptable and thus
endeavours to maintain an enabling, gender-fair, safe and healthy learning and working
environment. It defines sexual harassment as unwanted, unwelcome, uninvited behavior of a
sexual nature or inappropriate sexual advances or offensive remarks about a person’s sex, sexual
orientation, or gender identity. Such an effort remains to be subject to the culture of silence faced
by any victim speaking up. Thus efforts should be made to make it less difficult to come
forward, to raise awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment, to build upon current
activities against sexual harassment and to protect those who have come forward.
Gender-related violence and discrimination is not solely the avenue of sexual harassment
nor violence against women. In its comprehensive report entitled “Just Let Us Be”, Human
Rights Watch detailed the many difficulties experienced by LGBT students in Philippine schools
(Thoreson 2017). They found that while the government has made strides in trying to address
school-based discrimination and bullying with the DepEd enacting a Child Protection Policy and
adoption of an Anti-Bullying Law, only 15% of Filipinos reside in areas with ordinances
punishing sexual orientation and gender identity based discrimination. They also found that such
issues were further exacerbated by discriminatory policies and practices that excluded them from
fully participating in the school environment, in the form of rigid gender norms as to dress codes
and school activities. One way the study identifies to ameliorate the negative effects of these
practices is the provision of educational resources to students, staff and teachers. With the Anti
Discrimination Bill awaiting passage into law, further legal and administrative leverage is made
available to advocates of ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
and expression (SOGIE). However, as identified by HRW in their report, challenges remain in
the greater community. Challenges which can be addressed by raising awareness, encouraging
discussion and in the interim, ensuring access to support (Thoreson 2017).

Conclusion

There exists many challenges to safety and security in U.P. Diliman. In the issues that
were discussed above, student involvement and participation is crucial in their mitigation and
prevention. It is time for these oft-neglected issues to come to light and warrant well-deserved
attention through awareness campaigns, through lobbying, or through student-led projects,
exhibiting the intelligence and the diligence of the Iskolar ng Bayan. Towards a safe U.P.
Diliman!

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