Assessment of the Disaster Response of the Barangays (Villages) in the River Basin Communities in Southern Philippines

Abstract

Threat to safety and security is the new norm faced by the Local Government Units. Climate-related hazards, especially in the barangays within the Tagoloan River Basin (TRB) area, are now part of the realities of the residents. The importance of governance as a catalyst of change in managing the community is to become responsive to the new order of the environment and the demands of public service. Results revealed that the tasks of the Barangay (Village) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees (BDRRMCs) in the river basin communities on disaster response were partially accomplished. As a whole, the performance of the BDRRMCs is generally satisfactory (3.19). This is broken down into ‘upon alert’ (satisfactory = 3.36) and ‘during alert’ (satisfactory = 3.02). The findings further revealed that the performance of the BDRRMC in disaster response is significant when the Punong Barangay’s (Village’s Head) educational attainment, BDRRMC budget and community’s experience in flood are higher. The FGD responses indicated that the TRB barangays have issues and concerns considering the appropriate disaster response during imminent danger (upon alert) and disaster. There is a cogent need for all government offices handling the DRRM functions to provide appropriate attention at the Barangay level to properly implement the DRRM Plan.