LAPAZ DISTRICT

Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Unit of DOST

What is the role of DOST in DRRM?

RA 10121 or the Philippine code for Disaster has 4 pillars which are the:

 Disaster prevention and mitigation

 Disaster preparednesss
 Disaster response
 Disaster rehab and recovery

In these four pillars, the DOST is under the disaster prevention and mitigation and they are the vice chair for
it. As such, the focus of their activities is aligned in prevention which means, to keep the disaster from
happening but if it is uncontrollable, they mitigate the impacts. However, DOST is not the only one assigned
in this case.

There are some agencies like DILG, which has big role being an overall in charge to LGUs and at the same
time we have the DPWH, DENR, MGB, and many more. For DOST, since they are the vice chair, they also
conduct strategic planning on how to mitigate. The RA 10121 has started way back 2010 but formally, it was
organized to have a strategic planning and it was around the year 2012 when it finished. Since 2012 up to
2018, they interact with other agencies and plan on what to do. Aside from being the vice chair, they have a
role to develop technologies that could help not only to LGUs but to other government agencies as well to
prevent and, at the same time, to mitigate. One of the technologies they developed is the Lidar mapping (light
detection and ranging).

Basically, all the information provided by agencies such as DOST and PAGASA are needed by the LGUs to
come up with their land use plan so all the data will be used by the LGUs. Without these information, it’s
difficult for them to make their planning because it’s possible that they might build structures at the hazard
prone area which should be prevented. Another importance of these data is that, as part of the strategy of the
Disaster Prevention Mitigation, the community must not be at the hazard prone area. They should be
relocated but we know how hard it is to persuade or even ask the community to evacuate. The first thing that
should be done is to let them evacuate, and if they refuse, structures should be provided to mitigate the
impacts. Like, in flooding, there should be dikes or dam so that they would be protected. If they refuse to
leave, make them understand that they are at a flood prone area and they are susceptible to tsunami. From
these, they'll know that they have to be prepared, like they should know how to swim. Although it will not
guarantee one’s survival, it’s better that you know how to do so than not, because it’ll give you a higher
chance of survival. At the same time, if you can’t provide structures that could protect them, another way of
prevention is to improve the environmental protection.

The role of the DOST is to provide hydrome stations to improve the capability of the LGU to monitor the
hazards like monotropical cyclones. Since the frequent hazard that strikes us is flooding, the rainfall is
monitored, not the flood. If there is a rainfall and it is heavily pouring, it causes flooding. Thus, they put
structures to help the LGUs to monitor and also create applications or monitoring tools that is web-based, to
be used by the LGUs. Part of the strategy of the Disaster Prevention Mitigation committee is the insurance,
they promote it along with vaccines so that before a person gets hit by sickness, s/he is already protected by
vaccine. So, basically this is how they set for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

DOST’s function in Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to help LGUs

They conduct a study of R and D research and development and it is more focused more on DRM since they
are the unit tasked for it. They developed a web-based tool for rainfall and flood or water level monitoring
and it is only focused within Western Visayas. It is already available and they call it "Bantay Panahon". It’s a
 tool used to monitoring a place and take part during early warning system so that people would know what
will happen in terms of rainfall and water level.

Programs that can Prepare Locals in case of a Disaster

Since the PHIVOLCS is under the DOST, they have an idea on how to conduct earthquake drills. They
conduct earthquake drills to firms or schools depending upon the request. They also teach the LGUs on how
to use a web tool so that they would know how to operate and how to interpret it correctly.

How could you say that a person is already at a risk of disaster?

Natural hazards are tropical cyclones, landslides, earthquakes, tsunami and so on. There are also
human-induced hazards such as fire or chemicals. So, for example, the hazard is earthquake. It happened
in a particular place and the mountain eroded, but there are no destruction of structures and properties of
loss of lives, then you can’t consider it a disaster but it was a hazard. For flooding, when a particular place is
a flood-prone area, even a small amount of rainfall could lead to flood and result to a disaster if your place or
the DRR can’t cope up with you or help you during the event. Such can be considered as a disaster. Another
instance is that when LGUs experiences a disruption of services. Since there is such occurrence, even if
there is no loss of lives, you can also consider it as a disaster. Lastly, is if the event is drought and it is low
onset. There is a possibility of low production of rice. Although other places can’t feel or experience it, there
are places that can feel it. Same with a situation where in there is a lack of potable water for drinking. There
is no loss of lives, nor there is a possibility that you’ll be in a state of calamity. Not because it’s a disaster, but
something that is the same as that. If not given aid by the government, you can also say that is a disaster. To
sum it all up, not all hazard results into disaster. Just like a tropical depression that passes the Philippines,
it’s not that strong but a lot of rain pours, so flooding will occur. The lesson you can get from that situation is,
just because it’s not a strong tropical depression, it will not result into a disaster. It’s possible that no matter
how weak a hazard is, it can still cause disturbance or destruction which can result to disaster.
Documentation