KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT

OF THE BARANGAY OFFICIALS OF CALINOG, ILOILO, PHILIPPINES

Background of the Study

The significance of disaster in today’s environment sometimes comes under question.

Why do we need to bother so much? After all, disaster has been with us as long as recorded

history, and presumably even longer. Generations of people have had to withstand disaster.

They have suffered the consequences and recovered from them, and life has continued.

Basically, this is true. However, certain factors need to be considered in relation to modern

challenges which face disaster management.

Disasters take many shapes. Human-made disasters result from human errors and

include industrial explosions or structure failures. Natural disasters result from physical

phenomena and include earthquakes and droughts. Disasters classified as complex can include

epidemics or armed conflicts. In whatever form, disasters disrupt communities and can take a

serious toll on people, property, economies, and the environment. They often stretch a

community’s capacity to cope.

Disaster management is a process of effectively preparing for and responding to

disasters. It involves strategically organizing resources to lessen the harm that disasters cause.

It also involves a systematic approach to managing the responsibilities of disaster prevention,

preparedness, response, and recovery.

 In global terms, unless disaster can be mitigated and managed to the optimum extent

possible, it will continue to have a dominating effect on the future. The world is already facing a

range of environmental and subsistence crises. Disaster mitigation should be regarded as an

important tool in successfully coping with these crises. Moreover, the political, economic, and

social stability of the world depends significantly on bridging the gap between developing and

developed nations. Mitigating and containing the effects of disaster on the developing nations

now and in the future is an important asset toward bridging this gap. The continuation and

enhancement of international disaster assistance is also a key factor. Correctly applied, such

assistance can help provide a desirable bonding between nations, and thus, produce welcome

and beneficial long-term results.

It is important for disaster managers to analyze the effects of disasters in relation to

their own local circumstances. Through such analysis, it is possible to define, in advance, many

of the requirements which apply to the disaster management cycle. This is especially valuable

for anticipating action needed for response and recovery.

To support the DRRM program, Republic Act 10121 or Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction

Management Act was signed into law in 2010. The law stipulates that a local Disaster Risk

Reduction Management Office (DRRMO) shall be established in every province, municipality and

barangay. The local DRRMO functions in the formulation of Disaster Risk Reduction

Management (DRRM) plans and activities like implementation of risks and hazards vulnerability

assessments, organization of training programs and respond to and manage negative effects of

local emergencies during natural calamities. A law before Republic Act 10121 is the Presidential

Decree No. 1566, or Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Control Capability and Establishing

the National Program of Disaster Preparedness. This law further states that responsibility for

leadership during natural calamities lies in the governor, mayor and barangay chairman.
Moreover, the law declares that local officials and their constituents have to develop self-

reliance by promoting and encouraging the spirit of self-help and mutual assistance.

Calinog is a landlocked municipality in the coastal province of Iloilo. The municipality has

a land area of 274.55 square kilometers or 106.00 square miles which constitutes 5.49% of

Iloilo's total area. Its population as determined by the 2020 Census was 62,853. This

represented 3.06% of the total population of Iloilo province, or 0.79% of the overall population

of the Western Visayas region. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at

229 inhabitants per square kilometer or 593 inhabitants per square mile.

The municipal center of Calinog is situated at approximately 11° 7' North, 122° 32' East,

in the island of Panay. Elevation at these coordinates is estimated at 61.8 meters or 202.8 feet

above mean sea level.

The primary objective of the study was to assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices

of barangay officials in Calinog, Iloilo on disaster risk reduction and management during natural

disasters.

Specifically, the study Seeks:

1. To determine the sociodemographic profile of the respondents in terms of age, gender,

position in the barangay, educational attainment and years in service as barangay

official;

2. To assess the level of knowledge of the barangay officials on disaster risk reduction and

management for natural disasters;

3. To assess the attitude of barangay officials towards disaster risk reduction and

management;

4. To identify the programs and activities on disaster risk reduction and management

which are being practiced by barangay officials;

 5. To determine the relationship of the socio-demographic profile of the barangay officials

to their level of knowledge on disaster risk reduction and management for natural

disasters;

6. To determine the relationship of the socio-demographic profile of the barangay officials

to their attitude towards disaster risk reduction and management for natural disasters;

Theoretical Framework

In the context of this study, disaster preparedness is defined as actions that ensure

resources necessary to carry out an effective response are available before a disaster. Disaster

preparedness requires a thorough understanding of the factors that influence performance or

nonperformance of disaster preparedness behaviors (DPB). Results consistent with the theory,

intentions to do DPB could the person predicted from attitudes, subjective norms, and

perceived behavioral control with respect to DPB; and actually, doing DPB was strongly related

to intentions and perceptions of control assessed in the prepared people.

The second theory that served as a basis for this study is the Theory of Planned

Behavior helps program implementers design interventions that effectively address a particular

behavior. When using this theory, implementers consider three types of beliefs that tend to

guide human behavior: behavioral, normative and control. When combined, attitudes towards

the behavior, subjective norm and the perceived behavioral control result in the formation of an

intention. Understanding these beliefs and the intentions they produce can provide clues on

how to impact behavior change.

Individuals are much more likely to intend to have healthy behaviors if they have

positive attitudes about the behaviors, believe that subjective norms are favorable towards

those behaviors and believe they are able to perform those behaviors correctly. Also, a person’s
intentions will be stronger when they have all three of the above than when they have only

one. And, intentions matter – the stronger a person’s intentions to have a healthy behavior, the

more likely that person will actually perform that behavior. But it is important to remember that

many outside factors and restrictions can prevent an individual from performing a behavior,

even when they have an intention to do so. To eliminate barriers to positive behavior,

implementers need to study the beliefs that control the subjective norm, the intention to

perform a particular behavior and the actual behavior that is traditionally performed.

Understanding barriers to positive behavior and considering additional skills that

individuals might need to succeed in taking action is extremely important for behavior change

program design. Formative research and Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior (KAB) assessments

should be performed prior to launching program activity because the results can help

implementers focus on issues that present the most barriers to behavior change.

It is up to researcher to decide which areas the intervention will target – eliminating

barriers to individual behavior change or promoting social attitudes favorable to change. The

most effective interventions usually target several levels of barriers.

Research Paradigm

This study aims to determine the correlation between knowledge, attitude and practices

on disaster risk reduction and management of the barangay officials of Calinog, Iloilo. The

independent variables of the study are age, sex, position as barangay official, educational

attainment, and the number of years in service. The dependent variable are the knowledge,

attitude and practices on disaster risk reduction and management.

Independent Variable Dependent Variable Output

Age
Sex Knowledge
Disaster Risk Reduction
Position Attitude
and Management
Educational Attainment Practices
Years in service
Statement of the Problem

1. Is their significant difference in the sociodemographic profile of the respondents in terms

of age, gender, position in the barangay, educational attainment and years in service as

barangay official?

2. What is the level of knowledge of the barangay officials on disaster risk reduction and

management for natural disasters?

3. What is the attitude of barangay officials towards disaster risk reduction and

management?

4. Is there a significant relationship between the socio-demographic profile of the barangay

officials and their level of knowledge on disaster risk reduction and management for

natural disasters?

5. Is there a significant relationship between the socio-demographic profile of the barangay

officials and their attitude towards disaster risk reduction and management for natural

disasters?

Hypotheses

Based on the problems raised above, the following hypotheses were advanced:

1. There is no relationship between the socio-demographic data of the barangay officials

and their knowledge on disaster risk reduction and management.

 2. There is no relationship between the socio-demographic data of the barangay officials

and their attitude toward disaster risk reduction and management.

References:

https://publichealth.tulane.edu/blog/what-is-disaster-management/

https://www.philatlas.com/visayas/r06/iloilo/calinog.html

https://www.healthcommcapacity.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/03/

theory_of_planned_behavior.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5614802/