captainharphilip10things

[captainharphilip10things]

Rope of Hope

By: John Philip R. Hariramani

                 December 17 2019 I was privileged and honored to have conducted an interview with one of the best barangay in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) which was given to the barangay in the year 2017 in the Reginal Gawad Kalasag; this barangay is Brgy. Sto Cristo, so among all the 42,600 brgy in the Philippines, Sto. Cristo is one of the best brgy when it comes to DRRM. I was able to interview the Brgy Secretary-General which is Mr. Joseph D. Lim, in the interview it help me understand how one devastating calamity change a barangay, this calamity somehow shape the barangay and open the eyes of each and every people in the barangay.

A Rope That Pulled the Hopes of the People.

               On September 24 2009 when the Philippines was devastated by the bagyong Ondoy, one of the part of the barangay where the old barangay hall is found in Romblon street it is one of the lowest part of the barangay where it is parallel with kulyat creek, it was really submerged underwater and there is also a video in YouTube about it were we you can see people walking on top of the cover court so that they may survive, what the barangay only have that time is a rope so that they may cross from one side to another, that rope symbolized hope for them because without that rope, they wouldn’t have survived that tragedy. Rope pulled each and everyone on that barangay to rise from that disaster and they didn’t stop their but they used that as a learning step for them and from then on they straighten their BDRRMC they purchase the necessary equipment that is needed in the barangay level only like boats, life vests, tools that will help them. With all the necessary changes they were able to stand and be able to be one of the best barangay in the Philippines. They would not have this award if that Ondoy tragedy did not occur, they did not just sit at the side and think why this happens, but they stand and look for what they can I do so that these happenings will not anymore happen in this barangay. The rope symbolized the will of the barangay to help each other and pulled each other to safety. The rope gave them the will power to be the best among other barangay.

What Comes After Hope?

               Barangay Sto. Cristo did everything that they can do to educate the people in the barangay in first aid, fire drills, and earthquake drills so that if the time comes they will not just cry for help but rather they will be the one to help the people who are crying for help. What comes after hope is for them to give hope to others, to be the hope of the hopeless to help each other to survive. The barangay conducts yearly seminar called Educational Information Campaign or the (EIC) were it teaches people about first aid, fire drills, earthquake drills and they also train them so that they will be prepared. Know the old barangay Sto. Cristo is found in Romblon beside it is a motor pool and right above it is an early warning monitoring system where you can see in there is an instrument which is called hudiat bahay or known as HB it is an apparatus that when the water level in the creek is rising it will alert the system in three ways green, yellow, red: Green stands for handa, Yellow stands for likas, Red stands for puwersang likas, and when this occurs the PA system will announce it and will alert the people in the barangay to evacuate or to prepare for an incoming flood, and there are also sign put in street in strategic places that were you can find three colors painted on the wall so that people will be aware and there are signs that are pointing to the evacuation center which is found at the back of the barangay hall which is Sto. Cristo elementary school.

This are roles of the kagawad of the barangay during disaster. This chart shows the specific task of each kagawad when something happen to the barangay so that they will be organized and so that they may be able to help the people of the barangay properly and so that no one will be left unaided and so that everyone will be given the same amount as everyone. The one who orchestrated the plan is the brgy chairman he is the one pointing and leading the pack, we might say that why is the chairman not here helping the people but what we don’t know is he is the one how leads the pack even if his life is on the line. Each section in the chart like Communication & Transportation, Fire Suppression, Evacuation, Search & Rescue, Damage Control & Rehabilitation, Disaster Relief, Emergency & Medical, function in a chronological order whereas if there are flood, fire, earthquake they fallow a certain procedure that will help them function properly: like for example in cooking you start at the very first procedure you can’t skip the first and jump into the fourth procedure, the outcome of that dish will either be uncooked or disgusting. They function as one but fallow a sequence.

  The first person on my left in the pic is Mr. Joseph D. Lim the Brgy. Sec-Gen he is holding the report of the successful disaster prevention that was submitted to the disaster committee and approved it. Next to him is     Hon. Antonio B. Panililio. The Brgy. Kagawad and the Chairman on Fire Suppression. On my right is Kuya Ronald who handles the PWD of the Barangay, he is holding the trophy of the gawad kalasag award given to the barangay Sto. Cristo.

 Acknowledgment

               Fist I would like to thank my Father for introducing me to Kuya Ronald so that I may be able to interview the Sec gen and the brgy Kagawad Tony Panlilio. I also want to thank Kuya Roland for accepting my request in a short notice and for helping me in a friendly manner and accommodating me in my need so that I can make this interview possible. I would like to also thank The Secretary-General Mr. Joseph D. Lim for accepting my invitation to interview him in a very short notice thanks for giving me your time even though you have a lot of things to do.  I would also like to thank Kagawad Tony Panlilio for giving your time to answer some of my questions and for helping me to make this interview possible. last is I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be able to meet these people without you I would not have meet these honorable people and be able to interview them and I thank the University Of Santo Tomas for making this a requirement, because this requirement help me to see and to know the status of my barangay that then I did not care about and it helps me to have a relationship with my barangay.