Students Perception on Disasters Risk Reduction Management Preparedness Among

Grade 11-Ellison at St. Roberts International Academy

Submitted by:

Cagbay, Ryan James

Casimero Rein

De Jesus Jay A.

Galve, Chase Jordan

 Introduction

Disaster preparedness is both a condition and a choice. While the knowledge of

disasters is a condition for learning the eventual management, the choice of capacities

to build is directly proportional to the degree of disaster risk reduction which the

researchers may deem acceptable or tolerable to a certain community. In being so

disaster preparedness may yet prove to be the one, single factor which finally would

institute the much-needed resilience as well as change – internal and external – for the

social development of the school and its stakeholder, or of any other forms, for that

matter.

The School has the inherent responsibility of protecting its members from the

effects of enemy attack, terrorism, fire explosion, serious weather disturbance and

other disasters affecting the school performance, management as well as private

facilities. To cope with these effects the school often participated at different safety and

disasters drills and training.

The role of education in reducing the risk of natural disasters is a very topical

issue tackled by many who study. In addition, a number of papers are related to the

link between education and readiness to respond in the event of a natural disaster.

With this, the researcher seeks to establish the perception of the learners especially the

Grade 11 section Ellison on the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Readiness.

 The Purpose of the Study

This study seeks to discover the perception of Grade 11 section Ellison on

the Disaster Risk Reduction Management preparedness. In this regard, the researcher

will establish the knowledge of the Grade 11 selected students towards the

preparedness for the risks of disasters.

Moreover, the purpose of this study will set a bench mark of promoting readiness

among the students of St. Roberts International Academy. This embarks awareness

among the researcher and the readers of the perception to Disaster Risk Reduction

management preparedness- which in somehow when the results speak, an innovation

will be made to address the underlying problem.

Research Questions

This study as it focusses on establishing the perception of Disaster Risk

Reduction Management preparedness among the Grade 11 section Ellison will be guided

through the following research questions.

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of age, gender and parent’s

occupation?

2. What is the perception of Grade 11 section Ellison to the preparedness

towards Disaster Risk Reduction and Management when respondents are

taken as a whole and categorized according to age, gender and parent’s

occupation?
 Scope and Limitations

The study will be conducted at Grade 11 section Ellison. The target population

will be the students enrolled at Grade 11 section Ellison. This seeks to establish the age,

gender and parent’s occupation as the independent variables and preparedness towards

the Disaster Risk Reduction Management. Questionnaires will be prepared to facilitate in

determining the said problem.

The study will use quantitative in approach of discovering the student’s

perception on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management preparedness. The focus of

the problem will be set mainly to the preparedness of the said section towards the

Disaster Risk Reduction Management. Take all- will be the principle of determining the

population of the study.

 Chapter II

Review of Related Literature

Disaster preparedness is both a condition and a choice. While the knowledge of

disasters is a condition for learning their eventual management, the choice of capacities

to build is directly proportional to the degree of disaster risk reduction which the

researchers may deem acceptable or tolerable to a certain community. In being so,

disaster preparedness may yet prove to be the one, single factor which finally would

institute the much-needed resilience as well as change – internal and external. For the

selected school of this study, it could well be the framework in its need to transform its

own condition of vulnerability into capability and turn its own choice of mere self-

preservation into managed self-livelihood. Thus, the PDRRM Act of 2010 have sought

totake into account all the comprehensiveness and sensitiveness, complexities and

perplexities, improvements as well as impediments which are all involved in the

preparation of a highly-exposed urban community to all kinds of disaster. A review of

literature and related studies, therefore, is of primary concern to the researchers so

they will be able to understand more about the problems stated in this study, and

through a steady process of elimination and validation, earn how to later on proceed

with the search for a credible set of summary of findings, conclusions and

recommendations. It is, should the researchers say, a vital organ of this research’s own

development plan.

This review, therefore, shall present the legal basis, local and foreign literature,

related studies, as well as a synthesis. It is the fervent prayer of the researchers that
the great amount of literature gathered for this study shall not only work for the end-

result of answering the problems presented in this research, but also as a great source

of additional knowledge which could be developed for the advancement of disaster

management as an academic subject or course, in general, and for the enhancement of

community disaster preparedness, in particular.

Local Literature

Logically, this is how the researchers may begin this review: with a plan. The

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP) is first mentioned in

(e), Section 3-Declaration of Policy of the IRR of R.A. No. 10121:

“It is the policy of the State to develop, promote and implement a

comprehensive

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP) that aims to

strengthen the capacity of the national government and local government units (LGUs),

together with partner stakeholders, to build the disaster resilience of communities, and

–to institutionalize the arrangements and measures for reducing disaster risks, including

projected climate change risks, and enhancing disaster preparedness and response

capabilities at all levels.”

In the No. 2 Priority Area of the NDRRMP, disaster preparedness is set to

“establish and strengthen capacities of communities to anticipate, cope and recover

from the negative impacts of emergency occurrences and disasters.” This priority area,

more or less, summarizes the 4 C’s the researchers have indicated in the Introduction.

According to a joint study participated in by Dr. Doracie B. Zoleta-Nantes in 2004

(pre-Hyogo Framework for Action World Conference), there are different types of

approach in the scientific research of hazard-related human behaviors. One such

approach mentioned has directly associated disaster preparedness with age-related

demographic variables (e.g., age, civil status), socio-economic related demographic

variables (e.g., highest educational attainment, income, home ownership) and

psychosocial- behavioral variables (e.g., training, risk assessment).

This categorically puts this thesis in a position of credibility. Like the matter of

risk perception briefly implied in the earlier portion of this study, it validated the direct

relationship between the socio-demographic profiles of the respondents. This lead

premise serves as a link chain which now connects the study of human behavior in

terms of preparation to a disaster by both as individual person and as member of an

organization. For instance, the individual behavior to disaster preparedness of the

barangay constituents as respondents and the organizational behavior to the same

variable of the BDRRMC as another group of responses.

The interdependent activities initiated by these abovementioned human

behaviors are then developed and categorized as belonging to one of the different

schools of thought in management (Zulueta, F.M., De Lara, G.M.C., and Nebres, A.M.,

1999). This is an essential linkage since the researchers are evaluating the

implementation of R.A. No. 10121 in Barangay 649 while keeping in sync how the law

provides that disaster preparedness be carried out within the context of disaster

management. Thus, it is clear that the study of disasters and disaster preparedness also

requires a grasp of basic management concepts and principles.

 In being so, the researchers observed that disaster preparedness belongs to the

social systems school of management (Zulueta, et. al, 1999). This school views

management as a “social system” and considers the organization as a social organism

which is subject to pressures and conflicts coming from the social environment. Its

doctrines, Zulueta & company continued, include the concepts of cooperation,

adaptation, segregation and differentiation. Cooperation is the primary thrust in the

organization of the social systems school where people work together for a common

good.

This, in effect, validates the two elements of a disaster risk, vulnerability and

capacity, as having social aspects (Lomerio-Ondiz, R. Ph. D. & Redito, B.M., 2009). For

Martires, C.R. (2011), a social system is “a complex and dynamic set of relationships

among its actors interacting with one another.” Thus, R.A. No. 10121 acknowledges the

need to “adopt a disaster risk reduction and management approach that is holistic,

comprehensive, integrated and proactive in lessening the socio-economic and

environmental impacts of disasters including climate change, and promote the

involvement and participation of all sectors and all stakeholders concerned, at all levels,

especially the local community.” Disaster preparedness, aside from being a multilevel

system (global, regional, national, community, individual), becomes also multi-relational

(physical, social, economic, environmental). Within the social system of the community,

there are still various subsystems interdependent with each other.

On the other hand, Tomas D. Andres (1992) pointed out that teambuilding is an
advantageous approach to the complex task of disaster preparation. He believed that

“the best results are obtained when people work together with a sense of commitment

to one another as well as to the organization.” His approach is similar to the social

system model since he defined a team as organic – made up of components in the

person of its members, but these come together to form a cohesive whole which is

greater than the sum of its parts. It is also interdependent. Each member supports each

other. Andres (1992) concluded that if the team succeeds, they all succeed; if it fails,

they all fail. He also emphasized that, in taking teambuilding as a management

approach, one must be concerned with the innate social values each and every member

has in order to minimize their input of efforts while maximizing their output of

productivity. This, of course, is equally and generally important to disaster management

in terms of efficiency and to disaster preparedness, in particular. According to him, the

Filipino is an expert in human relationships. He can create systems to make

relationships serve his purpose.

The works of F. Landa Jocano, Jaime Bulatao, Lourdes R. Quisumbing and Ma.

Leonora V. De Jesus on Filipino values (Martires, C.R., 2011) provide management

some insights that will help them understand why Filipinos think, feel, act and perform

in certain ways. This, in turn, would help us understand the resilience of Filipino urban

communities in terms of disaster risk reduction. On the subject of Community Risk

Assessment, the researchers felt that in order to have a firm handle on what risk

assessment is, there must first be a clear meaning of

what disaster risk is. Disaster risk (Lomerio-Ondiz & Redito, 2009) may be synonymous

with the so-called disaster equation, but it has manageability factors to reduce the

negative effect of hazards.

Manageability, Lomerio-Ondiz & Redito continued, is the degree to which a

community can intervene and manage a hazard. Meanwhile, the two explained that

assessment is a critical examination and estimation of the object or phenomenon

(Bernhat, 1987). It is a process of collecting, interpreting and analyzing information

from various sources.

The duo pointed out that risk assessment is the systematic and logical process

used to determine disaster risk reduction priorities by evaluating and comparing the

levels of risk (high or intolerable, medium or tolerable, low or minimal). This comprises

the process by which individuals, communities and societies cope with hazards. Disaster

risk assessment deals with the Hazard, Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (HVCA)

and people’s perceptions of risks. The researchers have already slightly touched on

HVCA in Chapter I. The implication that is observed by the two DRRM analysts is that

disaster risk will be based on people’s perception. Thus, they will be the one to make

decisions to adapt, to modify or to ignore the risk. The researchers of this study

concluded that community risk assessment is of major importance to the design of

disaster preparedness the concerned organization will plan and undertake.

In contingency planning, Lomerio-Ondiz & Redito averred that advanced

planning and execution is the key to protection. They offered some tips to follow, such

as, but not limited to:

a. Knowledge of barangay disaster plan.

b. Posting of hazard/risk map.

c. Access to updated information on the daily weather advisory.

d. Understanding of Early Warning Signals (EWS), such as the Public Storm Warning

Signal (PSWS).

e. The dissemination strategy of standard warning information.

f. Designation of evacuation for families & livestock.

g. Inspection of evacuation routes and protecting them with sandbags, if possible, and

signage to ensure safe passage to the camp.

h. The availability and accessibility to emergency response equipment as well as trained

volunteers with a prepared search and rescue plan.

i. A community protection plan for potable water supply sources.

j. The cleaning and unclogging of drainages through people’s cooperation and initiative.

k. Inspection and preparation of a Survival Kit, and re-supply if necessary.

l. Ensuring that each family member understands the danger of a disaster and its

associated risks.

The three (3) main objectives of warnings are (Lomerio-Ondiz & Redito, 2009):

1. To inform, advise and instruct the population of the impending threat.

2. To call those in the danger areas for action by explaining precautionary measures

that should be taken by the families, and,

3. To be alert, prepared, and stand by for possible worse events.

 The communication system of disaster preparedness is likened to the human

circulatory system with regards to the role it plays in contingency planning. Within the

communication structure, the researchers find such activities as coordinating and

facilitating all the available resources to its priority users in a timely and appropriate

manner. Also, the system unifies the chain of command necessary to the entire disaster

management cycle of prevention, mitigation and adaptation; alertness and

preparedness; response; and recovery. Filipino values also affect the communication

process, especially in disaster preparedness. Martires, C.R. (2011) explains that one’s

need to belong to a group is stronger than the need to assert one’s individual identity.

This is reflected in behavior that shows pakikisama (togetherness), smooth

interpersonal relationship (SIR), tayo-tayo (us and we-ness), and bayanihan (unity and

cooperation). Using a go-between in the communication process facilitates the

transaction for a positive feedback. Herein lies the value of community-based

development project management in disaster management. In the long run,

communication may yet prove to be the enduring factor in any study of disaster

preparedness efficiency.

In the introduction to his book, Alwin B. De Leon, Ph. D. (2010) stated that

community-based development projects are participatory in nature. Thus,

communication not only serves as the lifeblood of the organization, it is also its major

linkage to the organization’s environment. This is the rationale for tapping the Civil

Society Organizations (CSOs) as regular members of the BDRRMC since they serve as

the link chain which brings about the necessary balance between the top-down and
bottom-up approach of managing community development plans and projects. Finally,

the management concept of leadership affects the triumvirate variables of disaster

preparedness, namely, contingency planning, communication system and capacity-

building. While contingency planning is considered in R.A. No. 10121 as a distinct

management process replete with its own set of concepts and principles, and disaster

communication is institutionalized as one of the powers and functions ((h), Section 9 of

the PDRRM Act of 2010) of the implementing arm of the NDRRMC, which is, the Office

of Civil Defense (OCD), capacity involves collective attributes such as social

relationships, leadership and management. Flora Generalao (1984) of the University of

the Philippines (U.P.) conducted a study wherein she pitted task-oriented leadership

against relationship-oriented leadership relative to situational control in a leadership

contingency model. The results of the study showed that: democratic leadership

behavior elicits highest member satisfaction than autocratic leadership. This, in turn,

will reflect on the effectiveness and sustainability of contingency planning,

communication system and capacity-building in disaster preparedness.

In contrast, however, of the local literature the researchers have presented in

this study, the researchers opted to keep things in perspective and set the balance by

presenting not necessarily opposing viewpoints, but, rather, critical ones the

researchers may later on find significant to the research. To begin with, Prof. Kenneth

Cardenas (2010) of the U.P. Department of Sociology deftly described the relationships

which now exist in the so-called “culture of disasters.” He said that adding to this

complex tangle of social systems, social values, self-styled management concepts and
ecosystems, Filipinos are only beginning to learn the rules of disaster risk reduction and

management. Urban people, he reiterated, are less sensitive to the ecosystems. Beyond

that the researchers are not equipped to handle the problems in urban areas because

the researchers do not have any experience dealing with them. Dr. Rene N. Rollon

(2010), Associate Professor and Director, Institute of Environmental Science and

Meteorology, U.P. Diliman, has a view on disaster preparedness which is much more

realistic. He averred that, on the management side, prevention is always an ideal

strategy. For instance, human settlements in coastal areas should be avoided unless

some aggressive measures are in place (high and expensive dikes, retaining walls, etc.).

Obviously, such incongruence between natural processes and the human use of

physical resources have been demonstrated on many occasions. Indeed, especially for

urban centers like Metro Manila, preventive measures (e.g. relocation, job generation,

easement areas, no settlement zones, etc.) may be very expensive. However, the

annual cost of lives and properties attributed to the “disrespect” for these natural

processes is not cheap either, and, is, in fact increasingly frustrating. According to

Fernando P. Siringan (2010), Ph. D. Professor, Maritime Science Institute, U.P. Diliman,

there are places that can be avoided, places where relocation might be necessary, or

places where mitigation for certain hazards may still be possible.

On the other hand, Dr. Minerva SD. Olympia (2010), Associate Professor and

coordinator for Research College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, U.P. Visayas, shares

that risk reduction measures are community-specific. Countries with long coastlines
such as the Philippines are considered naturally high-risk since exposure and

vulnerabilities are high.

Dr. Guillermo Q. Tabios (2010), Professor, Institute of Civil Engineering, and Director,

National Hydraulic Research Center, U.P. Diliman, summarized the role the community

plays in disaster management related to preparedness, adaptation and mitigation.

He started by saying that there is a long list of what the community can do in

Disaster management, especially in relation to preparedness, adaptation and mitigation.

The community should establish and organize planning and response teams during pre-

disaster

and emergent post-disaster phases. A basic requirement is to develop emergency or

evacuation plans such as routes, protective shelters, and food provisions in case of

disaster. The multi-hazard maps in particular are very useful for this purpose. With

these disasters or emergency plans, communities can conduct periodic drills and

exercises for the safe evacuation of households, schools and commercial and industrial

establishments.

Tabios (2010) further explained that to ensure preparedness for the response

phase of disaster management, the community organization should also train and

organize quick response volunteer teams to provide rescue as well as logistic and

psychosocial support. For large scale community-based planning, long-term and

sustainable programs should be developed in partnership with the local government

and even private organizations to reduce poverty by providing affordable shelter, food,

and water for resettled or relocated communities to reduce their disaster vulnerability.
Communities frequently exposed to extreme climatic events and hazards can also

develop adaptation measures such as encouraging water management and waste

management practices that are resilient to climate extremes and hazards.

Local Related Studies

One of the key findings of a qualitative study completed recently by the Institute

of Philippine Culture (IPC) based at the Ateneo de Manila University stated that many

residents in poor communities that were heavily affected by Typhoons Ondoy and

Pepeng in 2009 are still struggling to recover due to lack of assets and working capital

to restore their livelihood lost to the floods. Using focus group discussions and key

informants interviews, the study titled “The Social Impact of Tropical Storm Ondoy and

Typhoon” probes into the long-term effects of the twin disasters that hit the country in

2009. The study was supported by a trust fund from the Australian Agency for

International Development (AusAID) administered by the World Bank. The study says

that since 2009, these communities reported overall reduction in incomes due to loss of

assets and working capital.

The study notes that affected residents’ assets, savings and working capital for

livelihood activities were dissipated. In another study, the observations made in the

book printed and published by the Department of Health, Republic of the Philippines,

entitled RESPONDING TO HEALTH EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS: The Philippine

Experience” (2005), about

a fire which broke out at the locale of this study, Barangay 649 (BASECO), on January

11, 2004 in the evening, the last two directly related to communication system in

disaster management:

1. There are no rules and regulations that guide the DOH (Department of Health),

CHDNCR

(City Health Department-National Capital Region), and NCR Health Emergency

network with regards to when each agency should respond (aside from the general

rule that all should respond when LGUs request assistance)

2. The existing health emergency management system among the different agencies in

NCR needs a review to improve networking, coordination, cooperation, and

collaboration.

Foreign Literature

The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) came out of the World Conference for

Disaster Reduction held in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, from 18 to 22 January 2005. It is the

first plan to explain, describe and detail the work that is required from all different

sectors and actors to reduce disaster risk – governments, informational agencies,

disaster experts and many others – bringing them into a common system of

coordination. The HFA outlines five priorities for action, and offers guiding principles

and practical means for achieving disaster resilience. Its goal is to substantially reduce

disaster losses by 2015 by building the resilience of nations and communities to

disasters. This means reducing the loss of lives and social, economic, and

environmental assets when hazard strikes.

Disaster preparedness is considered as Priority

Action 5: Strengthen Disaster Preparedness For Effective Response At All Levels.

The HFA rationale states: At times of disaster, impacts and losses can be

substantially

reduced if authorities, individuals and communities in hazard-prone areas are well

prepared

and ready to act and are equipped with the knowledge and capacities for effective

disaster management. Fortunately, the Philippines’ National progress report on the

implementation of

the Hyogo Framework for Action (2009-2011) – interim, is made available online. The

progress report for Priority for action 5, Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective

response at all levels, is hereby summarized:

 Chapter III

Methodology

This study seeks to discover the perception of Grade 11 section Ellison on the

Disaster Risk Reduction Management preparedness. The researcher will use the self-

made questionnaire to established on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

preparedness. The study will use quantitative in approach of discovering the student’s

perception on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management preparedness. A statistical tool

that corresponds in measuring the said problem will be established as soon as the panel

approves the study and the statistician will be able to check the said study.

Target Population

The study will be conducted at St. Roberts International Academy. The target

population will be the students enrolled at Grade 11 section Ellison. The researcher will

seek to establish all the students enrolled in the said section. The respondent will be

grouped together and categorized according to age, gender, and parent’s occupation.

The researcher will consider the privacy of the respondent’s data.

Research Design

The study will use quantitative in approach of discovering the student’s

perception on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management preparedness.

 Procedure

As the study commences the respondents personal information will be kept with

confidential. The study will start with securing a letter to start the conduct of the study.

After the approval the researcher will make a questionnaire and have it validated by

those which are considered expert on DRRM. After the validation process the

researcher will finalize the questionnaire and have it pilot tested to determined its

reliability as such, after this process the researcher will replicate the questionnaire and

have it answered by the respondents. After conducting the questionnaire- the

statistician will be consulted for the interpretation of the data.