Kibali bibo kun bahaan? A question occurred on the mind of a sane individual as he sees people showing photos making fun out of the flood which recently took place in the vicinity. There were those young people who made fun out of the situation by posting jokes and insensitive comments as the typhoon intensified.
Being an archipelagic country sitting on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is a hotspot of calamities. In fact, the past year ended with a Typhoon right on Christmas day wrecking regions in the country’s central islands. And in less than a month, Filipinos again faced another catastrophic event to kick-start their New Year, the eruption of Taal Volcano in Batangas after half a decade (Pangilinan, 2020).
To some, there is this portrayal of victims of calamity as resilient and discerning groups. This rosy view of disaster-stricken people is not only wrong, but also harmful. It allows corporations, governments, and nonprofits to deny this vulnerable population the protections it needs. Romanticizing the poor also hobbles realistic interventions for alleviating poverty.
A lot of people who are also using the social media platforms falls prey on this romanticizing thing. Good for those who make such platforms as sources of information and avenues to facilitate help and rescue but there are those who seem to over-romanticize the events. It is good to be resilient but making disasters as avenues for selfies and posts to gain number of “likes” can be psychologically-skewed.
We also see those who are making the flood look like the worst disaster that happened. Instead of facilitating help, there are some who sends the wrong messages creating anxiety to the families of some in far places. Information can be thwarted, you see…
Jain (2001) said: "Information is power" and it is a catalyst to sustainable development. Complete and correct information to the community is clearly a very important tool to assist in developing a transparent system free of bureaucracy, corruption and general mismanagement of already limited resources.
The role of information and communication changes in emergency situations and can play important role at varied levels based on different needs, Jain continued. Flashing warning news - Incorrect or unreliable information while forecasting the disaster can often result in great damage.
The most effective information dissemination system is community based participatory approach where technical know-how is provided through training to enhance internal capacity of community and local NGO’s of the region. The information and knowledge thus provided enters the system and stays effective in the long run. To accomplish this, the group has now developed an archive of user friendly information packages, which include posters, brochures, pamphlets, information leaflets and training manuals designed for different end users. These include beneficiary families, community workers and site supervisors. These packages include interactive literature in form of user manuals, production manuals, family passbooks, and other documents customized to their needs in regional language (devalt.org).
Legislators and political leaders play a great role in disaster and risk management. In fact, this is one of the competencies the elected officials must have. It was already mentioned that our country is prone to natural calamities and so, the officials must put a lot of premium on this.
Eva (2020) wrote: We see the same things happen over and over again: we weren’t prepared for a disaster, the disaster strikes, and we depend on aid and relief goods with politicians’ names on the plastic bag. It is the inaction from our government that perpetuates the vicious cycle of patronage politics.
BANGON SURIGAO is not just a tagline. It is not only fortifying resiliency. It is in fact a message sent to the local leaders to stand firm and not collapse every now and then when natural calamities strike. A thorough study and recommendations must be in place. The system of disaster preparedness is needed. An orientation on “what to do, when to do and how to do” can empower the vulnerable communities with valuable lifesaving information.
Designing appropriate relief and mitigation projects for natural disasters requires a solid understanding of the magnitude, geographical distribution and frequency of these hazards. This level of information requires both horizontal and vertical flows within the relief providing organizations and from organizations to community. Information is not an end in itself, but a tool to assist the community to organize themselves in the hour of emergency.
After any disaster, there is sudden decline in the confidence of people in traditional / prevailing building systems. The reconstruction phase is considered as a second chance to start afresh with something more "reliable".
Indeed, let us rise from the old beliefs and inefficient ways. The poor will always be the victims of indifference, natural and MAN-MADE calamities.
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