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I. THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

When the term “disaster” is mentioned, there is an

immediate assumption that it is about the hazard –

earthquake/flood/volcanic eruption/landslide, etc. When in

actual terms, these are merely natural phenomena that only

lead to “disasters” in the presence of certain conditions.

Such conditions that lead to damage and fatalities are

inherent vulnerabilities in both social groups and physical

structures. There is an obsession in the media with the

science of hazards and far less focus on socio-economic and

political vulnerabilities leading to a misconception that

science is the answer to what’s essentially a consequence of

inequality, lack of access and entitlement to resources and

far wider structural factors.

National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council

(NDRRMC), formerly known as the National Disaster

Coordinating Council (NDCC), is a working group of various

government, non-government, civil sector and private sector

organizations of the Government of the Republic of the

Philippines established by Republic Act 10121 of 2010. It is

administered by the Office of Civil Defense under the

Department of National Defense. The Council is responsible

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for ensuring the protection and welfare of the people during

disasters or emergencies. The NDRRMC is the agency tasked to

prepare for, and respond to, natural calamities, like

typhoons and earthquakes. It also monitors human-induced

emergencies, such as armed conflicts and maritime accidents

(Michael Bueza,2013).

The National Civil Defense Administration (NCDA) was

established on August 18, 1954 through Republic Act 1190

otherwise known as the Civil Defense Act of 1954. It was later

on abolished and its functions and personnel were transferred

to a newly created agency, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)

through Presidential Decree No. 1, as implemented by Letter

of Instruction No. 19, series of 1972. On September 27, 2010,

Republic Act 10121, otherwise known as the

Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of

2010, was passed into law. This Act, aimed to strengthen the

country's disaster risk reduction and management system, was

immediately passed in response to the massive effects

of Typhoon “Ondoy” that wrought havoc to the National Capital

Region on September 26, 2009.

Since 2009, the Philippine Government has put in place

a robust national legal and policy framework that aims to

strengthen the country’s disaster risk reduction (DRR)

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system. Hence, Republic Act No. 10121 otherwise known as the

“The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

(PDRRM) Act of 2010” was passed into law in May 2010. It

acknowledges among other things, the need to adopt a disaster

risk reduction and management (DRRM) approach that is

holistic, comprehensive, integrated, and proactive in

lessening the socio-economic and environmental impacts of

disasters including climate change. It aims to promote the

involvement and participation of all sectors and all

stakeholders concerned, at all levels, especially the local

community (Section 2, RA No. 10121). This law replaced

Presidential Decree No. 1566 of 1978 “Strengthening the

Philippine Disaster Control Capability and Establishing the

National Program of Community Disaster Prevention”, which no

longer reflect the current social realities and circumstances

and effects on development and growth of disasters and climate

change (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Council, 2014).

Republic Act No. 10121 provides a strong legal and

institutional basis for DRRM in the country and provided basis

for the development of policies and plans, implementation of

actions and measures pertaining to all aspects of DRRM,

including good governance, risk assessment and early warning,

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knowledge building and awareness raising, reducing underlying

risk factor, and preparedness for effective response and

early recovery (Section 4, RA No. 10121). (Princess Alma B.

Ani, 2015)

Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council

(MDRRMC) was established in each town to give a hand if there

is a calamity in the community as well as the nearby towns

such as fire, flood, typhoon, earthquake and helping people

affected especially those who live in remote areas. They are

in rescue unit to support the Philippine National Police (PNP)

and all other Government personnel like army, navy in rescue

operation.

In the province of Isabela, the impact of natural

calamities normally affects most of its municipalities

including Aurora, San Manuel and Roxas. The Municipal

Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) with

the helps of the Local Government Unit (LGU) and Non-

Governmental Organization (NGO) are the primary units

responsible to action during the time of calamities focusing

mainly on the flood prone areas of the mentioned

municipalities. Based on our observation the said three

municipalities are affected by floods in the time of Typhoon

mostly at the center of Aurora and Roxas, Isabela. October

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19, 2016 Typhoon “Lawin” arrived in Isabela. This became

historical because of the impact of flooding in the said

municipalities.

Recently, Region II was devastated by the two (2)

consecutive typhoons --- Ompong and Rosita and marked another

history in the province in the loss of crops and the sudden

fall of the large part of the Siffu Bridge in Roxas, Isabela

that serves as the gateway to the North.

This study focused on assessing the performance of

the MDRRMC of these municipalities that took charge on saving

lives not only from typhoon (flood) but also fire and

earthquake.

Conceptual Framework

The Disaster Cycle is a widely used model to show the

sequence of activities which often follows a natural or

man-made disaster. It recognises that disasters tend to

recur in the same place, with a ‘return period’ of perhaps

a few weeks, or maybe 50 to 100 years, depending on the

nature of the hazard. With the advance of climate change,

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certain types of weather-related disaster are likely to

occur more frequently and more intensely than in the past.

In its simplest form, the cycle can be expressed as

follows:

Disaster Risk Management Cycle

HAZARD
PREPAREDNESS

MITIGATION DISASTER

REHABILITATION EMERGENCY
RESPONSE

Figure 1

EMERGENCY RESPONSE PHASE. This contains activities

designed to save and preserve the lives of survivors, example

search and rescue, medical care, temporary shelter, emergency

food rations. Needs are particularly acute during the first

48 hours after a rapid-onset disaster; during this time, many

survivors may die if not given the assistance they require.

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REHABILITATION This phase is sometimes divided into

early and later recovery, and includes the restoration of

housing, livelihoods, social systems and infrastructure.

Activities such as restoring water supply, rebuilding schools

or re-establishing medical services easily merge into

development, as replacements are generally better than the

ones destroyed.

MITIGATION AND PREPAREDNESS are forward-looking, pre-

disaster activities. They assume a future recurrence of the

hazard and seek to reduce the scale of suffering next time.

Mitigation activities might include planting alternative

crops, building stronger houses or improving water supply.

Preparedness might include contingency planning, warning

systems or stockpiling some emergency goods.

RISK REDUCTION AND THE DISASTER CYCLE The main

disadvantage of the Disaster Cycle is that it suggests a

linear, chronological sequence of activities, with mitigation

and preparedness always following rehabilitation. In

practice, future risk reduction should be integrated into all

parts of the cycle, beginning with the emergency response. If

risk reduction is delayed until later (i.e. mitigation and

preparedness), then opportunities for reducing future risk

may be lost and the vulnerabilities which existed before the

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disaster may already have been rebuilt. Good DRR will break

the cycle by empowering the community to cope with future

hazards.

Under the previous approach espoused by the old law

(i.e., PD 1566 series of 1978), disaster management centered

only on the hazard and the impacts of a disaster. It is

assumed that disasters cannot be avoided. Most of the plans

were on the provision of relief goods and infrastructures

like dikes and flood control systems. The government’s

response to disaster was focused on disaster response. The

national and local governments were reactive to disasters.

Recognizing this flawed policy/approach, which is

detrimental in achieving sustainable development, the

Philippine Government approved on 27 May 2010 Republic Act

No. 10121 or the DRRM Act of 2010 Said law mandated the

development of the National DRRM Framework upon which the

National DRRM Plan shall be based.

With the ever-increasing risk of the Filipino community

to disasters, the development of a National DRRM Framework

which promotes a responsive and proactive manner of

addressing disasters is imperative. Recent studies show that

on the average, annual direct damages of disasters cause as

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much as Php 15 Billion and that typhoons alone affect our

Gross Domestic Product by 0.5% annually. Undeniably,

disasters set back development programming by destroying

years of development initiatives.

The Framework aims to raise awareness and understanding

on the Philippines’ DRRM goal. It shows the country’s overall

direction and set of priorities on DRRM. It has integrated

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Disaster Risk Management

(DRM) to attain sustainable development through mainstreaming

DRR and DRM in our national and local development plans. It

seeks to lessen vulnerabilities and increase the capacities

of the government and all communities. Furthermore, it

promotes multi stakeholder partnerships on DRRM.

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Paradigm of the Study

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

1.Demographic
profile of the
respondents.
1.1 Age;
1.2 Sex
1.3 Civil Status
1.4 Highest
educational Assessment on the Improved
Attainment. performance of implementation
MDRRMC in the of MDRRMC
Years in the programs
implementation of
MDRRMC
their programs and
2.Calamities in responding to
frequently risk. Better Services
encountered by
Aurora, Roxas
and San Manuel,
Isabela.
3. Problems
encountered by
the MDRRMC.

Figure 2

FEEDBACK
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The study made use of the Input-Process-Output (IPO)

model of goal accomplishment. This model has three major

components namely: the input, the process and the output.

In input we can tackle about the frequently problem

encountered of the three municipalities and action done by

NDRRMC in times of disaster also involves the demographic

profile of the respondents. On process it shows how we gather

information on our respondents. In output this is an aspect

wherein the method use in input and process is equal to the

output of this study. This is the determination of the

programmed by the MDRRMC base on the respond of the

respondents.

Statement of the Problem

This study assessed the preparations and actions done by

the MDRRMC during different types of calamities such as

earthquake, fire, flood and typhoon in the municipalities of

Aurora, San Manuel and Roxas.

Specifically, this assessment aims to provide answers

for the following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in

terms of the following variables:

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1.1 Age;

1.2 Sex;

1.3 Civil Status;

1.4 Highest educational attainment;

2. Which of the following are mostly encountered by the

MDRRMC of the three municipalities?

2.1 Earthquake

2.2 Fire

2.3 Flood

2.4 Typhoon

3. How do the respondents assess the performance of MDRRMC

in terms of the following;

3.1 tools and equipment

3.2 manpower

3.3 efficiency

3.4 programs

3.5 actions done

4. What are the obstacles or problems encountered by the

MDRRMC during the calamities?

Basic Assumptions

1. The MDRRMC have active program in Aurora, San Manuel and

Roxas, Isabela to help and guide their community in the

time of disaster.
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2. The rescue team of the said three municipalities could not

response immediately in the time of disaster due to

inability of logistics and budget to carry out the program

and to respond immediately in case of need.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The profile of the respondents of this research consists

of those affected by the calamities such as floods, fire, and

typhoon and most of the respondents are from the following:

residents, students, government officials, government offices

and different establishments in the municipalities of Aurora,

Roxas and San Manuel, Isabela.

Significance of the Study

This study aims to assess the performance of the

Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in

the time of disaster in the municipalities of Aurora, Roxas,

and San Manuel, Isabela.

This study will be important to the following:

MDRRMC – It is important to MDRRMC to have an idea on how

they improve they response according to every calamity that

will happen in the said three municipalities.

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Local Government – This research is important especially to

the Local Government of every municipality for them to be

aware of the things they must prepare in terms of preparedness

and actions to take before, during and after the disaster.

Local Legislators - This course of study will be important to

the local legislative to know the better step in dealing with

the disaster preparedness. This includes the different

programs to be implemented and the appropriate actions to

enhance the capabilities of the MDRRMC in dealing with the

disaster preparedness.

PNP – This will be important to the PNP personnel to gather

more information about the rating of the MDRRMC. This course

of study will be useful to help them know the necessary action

they must do during disaster.

Future Researchers - This study will open the door for the

future researchers to get more idea and information all about

disaster. This may also help them to understand more about

the past and present event disaster.

Definition of Terms

Council - a body of people elected to manage the affairs of

a city, county, or other municipal district.

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Disaster – The result of a hazard’s impact on a vulnerable

community, causing damage to life, assets or livelihoods in

a way which exceeds the community’s capacity to cope.

Disaster Risk Reduction - Measures taken to reduce losses

from a disaster, i.e. reducing exposure to hazards, reducing

vulnerability and increasing capacity.

Earthquake – a sudden and violent shaking of the ground,

sometimes causing great destruction, as a result of movements

within the earth's crust or volcanic action.

Emergency Response - A set of activities implemented soon

after a disaster, designed to save lives, reduce suffering

and promote speedy recovery, building on the remaining

capacities of the community.

Flood – is an overflowing of a large amount of water beyond

its normal confines, especially over what is normally dry

land.

Fire – are the accidents which occur most frequently, whose

causes are the most diverse and which require intervention

methods and techniques adapted to the conditions and needs of

each incident.
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Hazard - An extreme event or occurrence which has the

potential to cause injury to life and damage to property and

the environment.

Management - the process of controlling things or people.

MDRRMC – refers to an organization under the Government that

helps and rescue to any person affected in disaster in every

municipality.

Mitigation - Measures taken in advance of a disaster, aimed

at reducing the adverse impact of the hazard on people,

property and the environment.

NDRRMC – is the agency tasked to prepare for, and respond to,

natural calamities, like typhoons and earthquakes. It also

monitors human-induced emergencies, such as armed conflicts

and maritime accidents.

Performance – is refers to completion of a task with

application of knowledge, skills and abilities.

Rehabilitation - Rebuilding of housing, livelihoods and

social structures damaged by a disaster, ideally to a standard

which will resist the impact of a similar hazard in future.

Researcher – refers to someone who conducts research.

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Risk - The probability of something negative happening in the

future which will cause suffering, harm and loss.

Typhoon – is a violent tropical cyclone, in meteorological

term, which is a low-pressure system occurring in tropical

oceans.