CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

In the context of the changing climate relative to the development

and industrialization of countries in the global spectrum, humanity is

challenged by nature that fights back through calamities. Since then,

people found little and slow measures to mitigate or lessen the effects of

unexpected disasters. As such, countries frequently visited by natural

calamities have become vulnerable to severe damage of properties and a

number of casualties (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster

Reduction, 2018).

The increasing frequency of disasters has challenged the

preparedness of highly vulnerable countries (Yadav & Barve, 2019) in Asia

Pacific to take actions towards mitigating risks (Merone & Tait, 2018).

Since communities are first responders to any disaster, strengthening their

capacity to cope with calamities is crucial.

The Philippines is prone to natural disasters as it lies along both

the typhoon belt and the Pacific ring of fire. Just within the current

decade, thousands of lives had been lost, millions of people had been
displaced and hundreds of billions worth of damages had been incurred

due to disaster events.

This study is made to assess the level of preparedness of 30

profiled barangays in municipality of Malita, Davao Occidental. The natural

hazards that have been threatening these areas will be identified along

with their implemented countermeasure programs. The preparedness of

local governments, when grouped according to province, profile, and

vulnerability to natural hazards will be evaluated and assimilated. The

challenges that local officials faced in executing disaster risk reduction and

management (DRRM) programs were ranked.

 Statement of the Problem

The main objective of this study is to assess the level of disaster

preparedness in the municipality of Malita as basis for policy formulation

of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM).

Specifically, the study aims to:

1. What is the profile of Local Government in Malita, Davao Occidental

in terms of:

1.1 Population;

1.2 Geographical Location;

1.3 Number of Sitio;

1.4 Land Area;

1.5 Potential Disaster; and

1.6 Resources

2. What is the level of disaster preparedness of the Local Government

Unit (LGU) of Malita at the barangay level in terms of the following:

1.1 Prevention and Mitigation;

1.2 Preparedness;

1.3 Response; and

1.4 Recovery and Rehabilitation

 Significance of the Study

The study will be perceived to be of significant and relevant to the

following:

The Local Government Unit of Malita. The LGU Officials of

Malita and each barangay will benefit to this research output since this will

help reduce the vulnerability of their communities avoid or minimize the

impact of disasters through the activities.

The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Council. Through the result of this study, the MDRRM of Malita will be

benefitting by identifying and charting local capacities to cope with these

hazards. Ultimately, the Disaster Risk Reduction approach helps us

conduct effective disaster response while reducing risks that similar

disasters will reoccur. It also ensures that our emergency response does

no harm by replacing or reinstating critical vulnerabilities.

The Barangay Officials. Barangay Officials as respondents of this

study will benefit the result of this study as they will be given the chance

to rate their Municipality Disaster Risk Reduction Management Team. Also,

as Barangay Officials, they will be more adaptive to the demanding field

work as their work calls for commitment and emotionally stable

conditions.
 To the Residents. Through the result of this study, the residence

of each barangay preparedness activities that can help to survive a

disaster, reduce financial loss, help improve, community preparedness and

also the sources of information that can help to learn more about disaster

preparedness.

Finally, other researchers may find the result of the study

beneficial in making the same study. This will also invite interest to other

researchers to assess results and may correlate it with other probable

related variables.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study will be limited only on the disaster preparedness

activities conducted by each barangay of the municipality of Malita, Davao

Occidental

Additionally, the level of disaster preparedness as perceived by the

respondents will be limited to the activities conducted in the following

areas of DRRM: prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response and

recovery and rehabilitation each barangay.

 Definition of Terms

For better understanding, throughout the study has been

operationally defined as follows:

Disaster Response – refers to the provision of emergency

services and public assistance during or immediately after a disaster in

order to save lives, reduce health impacts, ensure public safety, and meet

the basic subsistence needs of the people affected.

Disaster Risk Reduction and Management - the systematic

process of using administrative directives, organizations, and operational

skills and capacities to implements strategies, policies, and improved

coping capacities in order to lessen the adverse impacts of hazards and

the possibility of disaster.

Disaster preparedness - refers to measures taken to prepare for

and reduce the effects of disasters. That is to predict and where possible

prevent them, mitigate their impact on vulnerable populations, and

respond to and effectively cope with their consequences.

Geographical location - refers to understanding Hazards

and Disasters. And because the hazard is of long duration, abandonment

of the area.
 Land Area - refers to mitigate disasters and reduce risks by

discouraging settlements and construction of key installations in hazard-

prone areas.

Natural Hazards - refers to phenomenon of an increased

occurrence of certain geophysical and hydro-meteorological hazard

events, such as landslides, flooding, land subsidence and drought that

arise from the interaction of natural hazards with overexploited or

degraded land and environmental resources.

Preparedness - refers to measures taken to prepare for and

reduce the effects of disasters and continuous and integrated process

resulting from a wide range of risk reduction activities and resources

rather than from a distinct sectoral activity by itself.

Prevention and Mitigation - reduce the severity of the human

and material damage caused by the disaster and to ensure that human

action or natural phenomena do not result in disaster or emergency.

Population – refers to growth and distribution, especially

increased population density and urbanization, increases vulnerability to

disasters.
 Potential disaster – refers to the losses in lives health status

livelihood assets and services which could occur to a particular community

or a society over some specified future time period.

Resources – refers to people, facilities, communications and

warning technologies, fire protection and life safety systems, pollution

control systems, equipment, materials and supplies.

Rehabilitation and Recovery - encompass support strategies

that are geared towards the restoration of human-centered services and

infrastructure, as well as the restoration of the physical and ecological

integrity of the affected ecosystem.

Response - refers to encompasses the effort to deal not only with

the direct effects of the emergency itself.

Vulnerability - refers to the conditions determined by physical,

social, economic, and environmental factors or processes which increase

the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards.

 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the framework of our study which are the

related literature and studies from authors and experts about the level of

awareness of the people and their disaster preparedness.

RELATED STUDIES ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

  FOREIGN STUDIES               

A problem with conceiving of disaster in this way is that it becomes

too easy to imagine disaster events as isolated moments or periods lying

outside the influence of development planning. It is argued here that

disasters are, on the contrary, an outcome of processes of risk

accumulation deeply embedded in contemporary and historical

development decisions. Disaster risk results from a combination of

hazards (potentially damaging events or processes) and people’s

vulnerability to those hazards. Both hazards and vulnerability are to

varying extents products of development processes (Prevention Web,

2012).

A further common perception is that disasters are usually large-

scale events involving a single hazard, such as a flood or an earthquake.

As far as scale is concerned, there is at present no agreed threshold at

which point a collection of discrete losses or disruptions can reach disaster

status. Political spin can either exaggerate or play down the scale of a

disaster, with an eye respectively on donor aid or on private sector

investment flows. The sole publicly accessible global database on disasters

and their impacts, EM-DAT, uses an absolute definition which is

statistically convenient but inevitably arbitrary. Scale needs to be seen in

relation to the population and economic size of an impacted country for

meaningful international comparisons to be made. A disaster with major

sub-national impacts may appear relatively unimportant at national or

international level. Scale is particularly important for small island

developing states (Prevention Web, 2012).

The Dominican Republic occupies two-thirds of the Island of

Hispaniola in the Major Antilles below the Tropic of Cancer in the

Caribbean Region. Covering an area of 48,670 square kilometers and

including the islands of Saona, Beata, Catalina and other smaller islands,
the Island is shared with the Republic of Haiti with a 383 kilometers

border to the west. A tropical country, it has eight extensive rugged

mountain ranges that span the country, separated by relatively fertile

valleys, sierras, and limestone regions. With an average precipitation of

around 1,500 mm, the country has large bodies of subterranean water,

fourteen principal river basins, over 400 rivers systems and streams that

feed the country’s reservoirs, power hydroelectric plants and feed

extensive irrigation systems (International Federation of Red Cross and

Red Crescent Societies, 2011).

The Dominican Republic is subject to a number of different hazards

including hydro meteorological events such as tropical storms, depressions

and hurricanes, floods, landslides, and droughts, as well as seismic events

including earthquakes and tsunamis, and finally diseases including

dengue, malaria and most recently an outbreak of cholera crossing the

Haitian border into Dominican territory in late 2010. EM-DAT registers 47

natural events during 1980-2011, of which 21 were caused by storms,

followed by 18 floods, five epidemics and one earthquake. Jointly these

events have caused the death of 1,486 and affected 2.7 million people,

whilst causing close to US$ 2.61 billion in economic damages. Statistics

from the 2009 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction

indicate that, in terms of severe exposure, 6.3 per cent of the population

is located in high-risk earthquake hazard zones subject to significant loss,

followed by 5.9 per cent in hurricane zones and 5.4 per cent in drought

zones (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,

2011).

Additional estimates indicate that up to 80 per cent of the

population may be at risk of suffering both directly and indirectly from one

or more disasters. Notably, the Dominican Republic has the highest

number of deaths per million inhabitants and highest mortality risk to

disaster in the Caribbean after Haiti, placing it high on regional rankings

for total disaster losses (International Federation of Red Cross and Red

Crescent Societies, 2011).

LOCAL STUDIES

The evidence gathered during the course of this research clearly

points to positive outcomes for children as a result of the integration of

disaster risk reduction into the residence of each barangay. While it was

not always possible to document the specific outcomes, for example, in

the two country case studies where disasters had not struck since the

time of implementation, it was very clear that significant change has

occurred at both the national and the local levels, which is leading to
increased education and greater preparedness and resiliency among

communities. Specific outcomes documented included greater

preparedness among children, the ability to identify and address risk

outside of disasters, continuity of education, and a greater sense of

security and confidence (Villanueva, 2011).

Further outcomes at the community level include safer school

buildings and greater awareness of risk management. Clearly, outcomes

are important, but there is also a growing trend to redesign evaluations to

focus not only on inputs-outputs-outcomes, but also on the changes in

decision-making processes that have facilitated the outcomes; in other

words, how results are being achieved. This study found that there were

quite a lot of lessons to be learned about how outcomes for children were

being achieved (Villanueva, 2011).

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: PREVENTION AND

MITIGATION, PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY AND

REHABILITATION

Philippines is an archipelago state, consisting of some 7,100 islands

and islets, and covering a land area of approximately 300,000 km2. The

country comprises three groups or large islands: the Luzon group in the

north and west, consisting of Luzon, Mindoro, and Palawan, the Visaya
group in the centre, consisting of Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Masbate, Negros,

Panay and Samar, and Mindanao in the South. Manila and nearby Quezon

City, the country’s most-populous cities, are part of the National Capital

Region (NRC or Metro Manila), located on the largest island Luzon

(Cullinane, 2019).

The islands and groups are divided into four main classes of

administrative divisions, which consist of 17 autonomous regions, 81

provinces, 1,489 municipalities, and the smallest political units, 42,044

Barangays as of 2018 (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2018).

The Philippines is governed by a presidential form, in which power

is divided among three juridical branches; executive, legislative and

judicial, which seek democracy and balance by carrying their equally

weighted duties to uphold law, rights and representation of the interests

of the people (Grand Old Party, 2019).

In terms of disaster risk, Philippines ranked third among all of the

countries with the highest risks worldwide according to the World Risk

Report 2018, with index value of 25.14% (World Economic Forum, 2018).

At least 60% of the country’s total land area is exposed to multiple

hazards, and 74% of the population is susceptible to their impact (GFDRR,

2017).
 This is largely due to the location and geographical context as the

risk involving coastal hazards such as typhoons, storm surges and rising

sea levels is high. Also, as the islands are located within the “Ring of Fire”

between the Eurasian and Pacific tectonic plates, earthquakes and

volcanoes are posing serious risks to the safety of the populace. Flooding,

landslides, droughts, and tsunamis further contribute to the exposure to

natural hazards (CFE-DM, 2018). Of these, hydro-meteorological events

including typhoons and floods, accounted for over 80% of the natural

disasters in the country during the last half-century (Jha, 2018).

The geographical location of the Philippines makes the country

uniquely exposed to a plethora of hazards, including recurrent typhoons,

earthquakes and 53 active volcanoes, eruptions of which are classified as

the most deadly and costly globally (Doroteo, 2015).

The subduction zone between the two tectonic plates (Eurasian and

Pacific) creating the seismic activity in the region are predicted to have

the capacity to generate major earthquakes in the near future, and in the

vicinity of metropolitan cities (Pailoplee & Boonchaluay, 2016).

Disasters in the past, measured during the period between 1900-

2014, illustrate extreme spatial variability. Frequency and the extent of

impacts are unevenly distributed across the regions, with majority of the
events affecting Central Luzon, Cordillera Administrative Region and the

Central Visayas (Doroteo, 2015).

In the attempt to strengthen risk governance at the local level, the

Guidelines for the Establishment of Local Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management Offices (LDRRMOs) or Barangay DRRM Committees

(BDRRMCS) in Local Government Units (LGUs) have been issued in 2014

through a Joint Memorandum Circular between the NDRRMC, Department

of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Budget and

Management, and Civil Service Commission (JMC No. 2014-1). The

government is also contributing significantly to capacitating local

government units (LGUs) by developing a checklist of actions to be taken

and supplies to be procured together with providing communications and

contingency templates for disaster preparedness (Alcayna, et al., 2016).

A national disaster response plan was formulated and adopted for

different hazards and disaster scenarios with the participation of

stakeholders, including civil societies and the private sector. The NDRRMC

Operation Center has been established for monitoring, evaluation, and

coordination of disaster response operations. The OCD conducts Pre-

Disaster Risk Assessment – Actions Programs and Protocols (PDRA-APP),

and capacity building for emergency preparedness, Incident Command

System (ICS), Search and Rescue and PDNA (Baccay, 2018).

RA 10121: The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management Act

The Presidential Decree No. 1566 of 1978 or the “Strengthening the

Philippine Disaster Control, Capability, and Establishing the National

Program of Community Disaster Preparedness” is the first formal guiding

policy. However, due to the need to reestablish a law that caters to more

recent and relevant social realities of time and the changing context of

development, a new law was passed: Republic Act 10121 also known as

“An Act Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management System” (NDCC, 2010). 28 RA 10121 is the legal guiding

policy that formalized the present National Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management (NDDRM) system of the country. Its main goal is for the

Philippines to adopt a holistic, integrated, and proactive approach in

minimizing the impacts of both manmade and natural disasters.

In addition to this, RA 10121 also recognized the need to involve

the stakeholders at all levels from national to local until it reaches the

community. Through RA 10121, which is the national framework and body

responsible for addressing the concerns regarding DRR in the country, the

National Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) was

formed under the Office of the President of the Republic of the

Philippines. The NDRRMC takes the foremost initiatives in conducting

disaster preparedness programs, operations, and rehabilitation efforts in

the country (Doroteo, 2015). With regards to the function of the NDRRMC,

the NDRRMP was formed which is the “roadmap of the Philippines” in

attaining sustainable development in disaster risks (NDRRMP, 2011).

According to Doroteo (2015), the framework for risk management has

shifted to reactive to proactive approach, which recognizes the importance

of community-based capacities in the four thematic areas for reducing

disaster risks.

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework of the study describing activities by the

barangay in relation to disaster preparedness of disaster risk reduction

management based on the four (4) thematic areas prevention and

mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery and rehabilitation of RA

10121.

Theoretical Framework

Prevention and Preparedness

Mitigation
 DISASTER
PREPAREDNESS

Response Recovery and

Rehabilitation

Figure 1. The 4 areas of disaster preparedness according to the LGU

disaster preparedness journal.

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Research Locale

This study will be conducted in the thirty (30) barangays in Malita,

Davao Occidental, namely: Bito, Bolila, Buhangin, Culaman, Datu

Danwata, Demoloc, Felis, Fishing Village, Kibalatong, Kidalapong, Kilalag,

Kinangan, Lacaron, Lagumit, Lais, Little Baguio, Macol, Mana, Manuel

Peralta, New Argao, Pangaleon, Pangian, Pinalpalan, Sangay, Talogoy,

Tical, Ticulon, Tingolo, Tubalan. There was also a conduct of survey to

their Municipality Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office using

checklist and survey questionnaire in order to determine whether they are

complying with the standards of National Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management Council. The result of such survey will be further validated

when the thirty Barangays through their respective officials answer the

questionnaire prepared by the researcher.

Figure 2. The map shows the Municipality of Malita and all its thirty (30)

barangays.

Research Design

In this study, descriptive survey method will be used in the study.

It presented data on the level of disaster preparedness in the municipality

of Malita. It also the study of profile of each barangay.

In this method, the respondents answered the survey

questionnaire in the easiest way that they could understand the questions

well on the level of their comprehension. The interview will be focused of

the thirty (30) Barangays regarding the prevention and mitigation,

preparedness, response, and recovery and rehabilitation on the level of

disaster preparedness.
 Sampling Design and Technique

The barangay captain of thirty (30) barangays of Malita will be

chosen using purposive sampling technique. It is the researcher to gather

the accurate statements describing activities conducted in relation of

disaster preparedness based on the four (4) thematic areas of RA 10121.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study will be thirty (30) Barangay Captains in

Malita, Davao Occidental. The respondent is chosen because they were

involved in the disaster preparedness as chairman of Barangay Disaster

Risk Reduction and Management in their respective area of responsibility.

Research Instrument

The researcher adapted the questionnaire from the study of Asio, J.

M. R. (2021). The respondents will be asked to answer a questionnaire

consisted of two parts. Part I determined the profile of each barangay and

checklist in terms of population, number of sitio, land area geographical

location potential disaster, supplies, equipment, and stockpile. Part II will

be statements describing activities conducted by the barangay in relation

to disaster preparedness based on the four (4) thematic areas of RA

10121. The Likert scale respondents 4-Very Satisfactory, 3-Satisfactory, 2-

Fair, 1-Poor.

Data Gathering Procedure

In conducting the study, the researcher will utilize these processes:

First, the researcher will secure permission from the Office of the

Municipal Mayor to conduct the study in the thirty barangays of Malita,

Davao Occidental.

Second, the barangay captains will be furnished with a copy of the

approved permission of the Municipal Mayor and a cover letter on the

subject of the study in order to solicit their support and cooperation.

Third, will be arrange with the Barangay Captain the schedule of

the researcher’s visit in order to personally conduct the face – to – face

interview with the respondent. Researcher assured the utmost

confidentiality of their responses will be highly practiced.

Data Analysis

The Level of Disaster Preparedness in Municipality of Malita will be

analyzed according to their respective range, description, and

Interpretation.

RANGE SCORE DESCRIPTION INTERPRETATION

3.26-4.00 4 Very The barangay always
Satisfactory implement and conduct
activities related to
disaster preparedness.
2.51-3.25 3 Satisfactory The barangay sometime
implement and conduct
activities related to
disaster preparedness.
1.76-2.50 2 Fair The barangay as the need
arises implement and
conduct activities related
to disaster preparedness.
1.00-1.75 1 Poor The barangay never done
implement and conduct
activities related to
disaster preparedness.
 Statistical Analysis

In gathering data, the following statistical tools were employed:

Mean

This was used to determine the average score of the level of

disaster preparedness in the municipality as basis for policy formulation.

x̅ = ∑X

Where: x̅ = mean

∑ = sum of scores

n = total number of scores

Percentage

The statistical tool will be used in finding a profile of each barangay

and to find out the level of disaster preparedness of Malita at barangay

level.

Formula:

Where: %= percentage

f= frequency

n= total