The climate outlook for February-April 2021 was based on PAGASA Climate Forum. This contains the compiled relevant climate information for INCREASE areas and are sent to each specific municipality. This can be used as a guide to planning out activities including food production so climate-related risks are reduced. This is updated every quarter.

Below you may find a gallery of photos detailing the climate outlook for the said period. There are also area-specific versions of the material. You may click on each photo to enlarge it or access the download link.

The COVID-19 Pandemic brought about multiple challenges that none of us were able to foresee. Aside from the great panic and risk, many people were put in uncomfortable positions when the world seemed to pause and turn quiet. Streets were empty, people lost their jobs, and vulnerable communities were put at an even greater risk. Moreover, one thing that did not stop were various natural calamities such as floods and typhoons, especially in the Philippines.

As an adaptive measure to the logistical limitations brought about by the COVID-19 Pandemic, RILHUB, together with its partners, decided to continue its capacity-building efforts through online and virtual means. Thus, the Resilience Knowledge Exchange Series was launched in June of 2020.

Since then, RILHUB was able to implement a total of eight (8) sessions of the Resilience Knowledge Exchange Series otherwise referred to as RKES.

Although each RKES tackled different topics or subject matter, all sessions aimed to increase the resilience and capacity building of RILHUB communities and partners. To continue learning and the exchange of best practices, organizations and agencies outside RILHUB’s founding organizations were also engaged. Among valued RILHUB collaborations and partnerships in 2020 include the following organizations and agencies:

 

From June of 2020, the RILHUB online community has now grown to over 2,ooo individuals. RILHUB is incredibly grateful to all the organizations, agencies, and communities who became a part of the RILHUB community in one way or the other. This year, we look forward to strengthening existing and forging newer partnerships as we continue striving to become an accessible and engaging platform that advocates for resilience and integrated risk management to build the resilience and capacity-building efforts of its partners and communities.

by Leigh Fuentes, CARE Philippines

Although the COVID-19 Pandemic has exerted multiple shocks all over the globe and on all types of communities, certain populations remain the most vulnerable. 

Nanay Guillerma, 56, is a mother of five children. She works as a cook at a small, local canteen. Luckily, her employers were quite considerate to workers like her, even extending some supplies to help underscored needs amidst a struggling economy, especially when limited by the pandemic measures and guidelines in the country. However, this does not mean that Nanay Guillerma is confident enough to say she can make ends meet for her and her family. 

With all five of her kids at home sue to school closures and age, age limitations on people allowed outside of their home, and the implementation of online learning, it is indubitable that her load of unpaid care and domestic work has significantly increased, not to mention, she is a single mother. Forced to undergo distance learning to continue school, her children are not only dealing with the transition to learning lessons at home and online but have also seemingly reached a cul-de-sac. Out of five siblings, four of Nanay Guillerma’s children need to attend school through online or digital mediums, but Nanay Guillerma’s family only has two cell phones available. They have no other gadgets that may be used for academics purposes. 

 

“Kapag natatanong  [ng guro]  yung bunso ko kung bakit hindi siya nakakapasok, ang nasasagot na lang niya ay ‘cell phone, Ma’am. Wala.’”

[“There are times when my youngest gets asked [by teachers] why there are times that he is unable to attend online classes. All he can say is ‘Ma’am, we don’t have a cellphone.’”

 

With her income barely covering rent and other daily needs like food and supplies, Nanay Guillerma also constantly worries about her kids’ progress in school. She says that although her two older daughters are mature enough to adjust and cope, she regularly gets stressed out by the additional help her younger children need with school work. As an adaptive measure to a lack of gadgets, her kids’ teachers have encouraged her to at least assure that they can study and accomplish learning modules at home. However, Nanay Guillerma also worries about her capability to assist in academics especially when lessons in the curriculum begin to get more advanced, “hanggang first year high school lang naman ako,” she says. [“I also went to school only until my first year in high school.”] Moreover, she also has bad eyes and constantly finds it difficult to read and write without glasses, an item she does not even have on her person. This is one of the reasons she was accompanied by her daughter during the Together for Her Multipurpose Cash Assistance in Caloocan City. 

 

According to an estimate from UNESCO, as of March 2020, 89% of the world’s student population (children and youth) are out of school due to COVID-19 closures, including 743 million who are girls. Students have been forced to shift online despite large parts of the said population in low-tech or no-internet areas. With over 1.5 billion students at home due to the pandemic, there is an increased demand for unpaid childcare and domestic work at home, which in turn, impairs their time and capability to accept and carry out paid work, most especially with jobs that cannot be carried out remotely or from home. 

With all these worries constantly running through Nanay Guillerma’s mind, she says that it gives her recurring headaches and even sometimes makes her forget to add certain ingredients to recipes when she is cooking at the canteen, resulting in a scolding at work. She worries that in the long run, it might cost her her job.

“Ano na ang kakainin namin kapag nangyari iyon? Ano na ang pangsuporta namin sa buwan-buwang pangangailangan namin?”

[“What will happen to my family then, if I lose my job? How are we supposed to get support for our monthly needs?”]

 

*Nanay is a Filipino term that directly translates to mother. 
by Leigh Fuentes, CARE Philippines

Amidst a crowd of people, mostly women in their thirties and forties, *Nanay Lolita stood out with silver hair despite a slightly slumped posture. Regardless of the great number of multipurpose cash assistance (MPCA) receivers, there were only two of us staff members assigned to this money transfer facility. We were awkwardly and barely perched behind a crooked table on the sidewalk of a narrow road where motorcycles and jeepneys flowed nonstop. My partner for this station caught my attention as I finished handing out our pamphlets on gender-based violence in the time of COVID-19. He had told me that it might be a good idea to have a chat with Nanay Lolita to provide the rest of our team with better insight and for me to better understand the current situation of many women in the Philippines.

Nanay Lolita was sitting beside our little table, our pamphlet and her MPCA claim form in one hand, and a big blue plastic bag in the other that had, at the time, unknown items inside that rattled whenever she would shift her position. She sported a worn-out yellow shirt, a piece of promotional material usually given out for free to promote a candidate during election season. My implementation partner gave her a spare surgical mask; she was walking outdoors without one.

“Kumusta po kayo, Nanay?” [How are you?] I asked her. “Ito ho, mabuti naman,” [Doing okay.] she replied with a slight shrug of her shoulders.   She told me that she likes to spend her days walking and that she used to walk far greater distances when she was a little younger. “Hindi ko na rin gaano nagagawa dahil bumibigay na rin ang katawan ko,” [I don’t really get to do this as much anymore because my body has started to give out,] she says. Nanay Lolita walking thinks it helps keep her legs and muscles functioning well. She does not only use walking to exercise and think but to also collect scrap and recyclable plastic littered on the streets or in sourced trash cans. I look down at the plastic bag in her hand and suddenly make out the shapes of two or three plastic drink bottles. She has been scavenging through garbage for around two years now, and at the age of 72, this means that she has been out and about 20 years beyond the declared senior citizen age in the Philippines. Residing in a country having the longest recorded lockdowns in the world, Nanay Lolita recounted how this affected her simple routine. She was forbidden from going outdoors during the lockdowns and partners from the local government even shared how the authorities deployed to assure quarantine and lockdown measures were being followed came to be familiar with Nanay Lolita’s face due to her persistence to go outdoors.

“Pakiramdam ko malulumpo ako kapag hindi ako nakaklakad tapos hindi pa ako nakapangangalakal.” [I feel like my legs would atrophy if I just stop walking and that means I would also no longer be able to scavenge for scrap plastic to sell for money]. The plastic materials she would have been able to collect would be up for selling to junk shops and other places of the like for a minimal amount of cash. “Kahit papaano, may kaunting nakukuha,” says Nanay Lolita. When the need would arise, she would beg for change from passers-by, public transportation drivers, and commuters. She shared with smiling eyes how sometimes people would randomly hand her a small amount of money and she would automatically think that they were paying her to do a small favor for them or that it was just for her to hand to someone else. When she would clarify, “akala ko may pinapakisuyo kasi minsan ganun, pero pang merienda ko daw.” On the flipside, her eyes changed and seemed sullen and hurt when she also recounted how there were also times when people would look her head to toe and say negative or hurtful things toward her.

Nanay Lolita is only one of thousands upon thousands of women who are experiencing the impact of the pandemic at a greater and more difficult to address degree. The United Nations has stated that the era of the Coronavirus has become a “defining moment for an inclusive and targeted response” for the sector of the community that is among the most physically and economically vulnerable population –  the elderly. During a time when intense pressure and instability are placed on the average individual and even more so on frontliners, society is now put on the spot to address deep-set inequalities in terms of access to social services like health care, as well as the presence of age discrimination and the lack of community participation in planning and decision-making.

Moreover and on a global scale, the COVID-19 pandemic has punctuated the degree to which societies rely on women while simultaneously bringing to light the inequalities sewn into our daily routines, touching on health and other social services, the economy, independence, or involvement in decision-making. According to UN Women, violence against women has intensified since the pandemic with exacerbating factors such as security, health, and financial worries, cramped living  conditions, isolation with abusers, movement restrictions, and deserted public spaces.

Referring to UN Women data from April 2020, a number of countries have recorded a surge of 25 percent in domestic violence reports and emergency calls since social distancing measures were implemented. Women and girls are hit harder by economic shocks. Generally earning less, women are able to save less despite comprising a majority of single-parent households. The pandemic has significantly increased the unpaid care and domestic work of women at home, thus disabling them from taking on or balancing paid work. According to a report from the International Labour Force in Geneva (2018), although not all informal workers are poor, there is definitely a positive relationship between informal employment and poverty; 91% of women in South Asia are informally employed (compared to 87% observed in men across the region).

Nanay Lolita may have come alone for a minimum amount of assistance on the day we were in Barangay Tangos South, Navotas City, but many women across the globe may not even have had this opportunity. CARE, together with its local partners in the Philippines, does not only plan to sustain its humanitarian operations in times of crises, but also to continue to work toward promoting lasting change and innovative solutions in order to support the strengthening of essential service delivery, community resilience, and empowering the most vulnerable, particularly women and girls.

 

*Nanay is a Filipino term that directly translates to mother. 

October 1, 2012

By Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star)

This report was first published in print in issue on The Philippine Star on 30 September 2012.

 

Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines – The Philippines is ahead of its Southeast Asian neighbors in disaster preparedness, according to European Union. 

Ambassador Guy Ledoux, of the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, witnessed the country’s progress in disaster risk reduction program here and has commended the collaborative efforts of the local government units, non-government organizations and communities to help save lives and lessen damage in times of disaster. 

“There is now global recognition and importance of disaster risk reduction.”

Ledoux cited the country’s disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation practices. 

The National Conference for Effective Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Practices was held here Friday with Ledoux as guest speaker.

According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Asia remains the worst affected continent and nine out of 10 countries with the highest number of disaster-related deaths were in Asia. 

“It has been demonstrated in many cases that a highly effective way of reducing the need for humanitarian aid is to invest in disaster risk reduction measures, including ensuring greater preparedness of people at risk. There is now global recognition and importance of disaster risk reduction,” Ledoux said in his speech. 

The conference gathered more than 100 disaster risk reduction practitioners from high-risk communities from Regions II, V, XII, CAR and Caraga targeted by the EU disaster preparedness program. 

(Photo credit to Gregorio Dantes Jr.)

 

To access a soft copy of this story, please click here.

by Cherrylyn A. Libatique, Bgy. Caltayan, La Paz

 

Ako si  Cherrylyn A. Libatique, dalawampu’t anim na taong gulang, naninirahan sa Barangay Caltayan, La Paz, Leyte. May asawa at apat na anak, dalawang babae at dalawang lalaki. Simple lang kaming namumuhay, mahirap ang buhay namin. Ang bahay namin ay munting kubo lamang at ang kinikita ng asawa ko ay kulang pa sa aming pang araw-araw na pangangailangan. Mas lalo pa kaming lumubog sa hirap nang dumating ang unos na bagyong Yolanda. Nawasak ang aming munting kubo at nawalan ng trabaho ang asawa ko. Naranasan naming matulog sa tangkil-tangkil* na bahay at magutom. Akala ko hindi na kami makakaahon sa hirap dahil wala na kaming mapagkukuhanan ng pagkakakitaan dahil sa kawalan ng niyog na siyang pangunahing hanapbuhay namin.

Malaki ang pasasalamat ko nang dumating ang NGO na ACCORD. Una, nagbigay sila ng pagkain at pangalawa ay ang shelter repair kit. Hindi ko inaasahan na makuha ako bilang myembro ng shelter roving team. Sa General Assembly sinabi ng ACCORD Staff na kailangan ng tatlong volunteer para sa team, dalawang karpintero o panday at isang babae na community mobilizer. Lahat ng tao sa barangay ay nagturuan, walang may gustong mag-boluntaryo. Nakita ako ng aming kapitan at sinabihan ako na ako ang mag-volunteer. Agad ko ding tinanggap ang sabi ng kapitan dahil hindi matatapos ang general assembly kapag walang magboluntaryo at gusto ko rin naman ang tumulong sa aming barangay. Nang makumpleto na ang shelter roving team saka sinabi ng ACCORD staff na may allowance ang tatlong volunteer, na ikinagulat ng lahat at pinanghinayangan. Hindi ko rin naman inaasahan na may allowance pero malaki ang pasasalamat ko dahil ang nakuha kong allowance ay nagamit ko upang maipaayos ang aming bahay at nakabili ng kaunting gamit para sa aking pamilya.

Dahil dito, malaki ang pasasalamat ko sa ACCORD sa oportunidad na ito kung saan nagsimula akong maging aktibo sa aming barangay. Sa mabuting palad ay sumusunod rin at nakikinig ang aking mga ka-barangay sa akin. Lumabas na may kakayahan naman pala ako at masaya ako na nakita ito ng ACCORD.  At ang kakayahang yun marahil ang nakita nila upang kunin akong maging isang Community Facilitator (CF) sa susunod na phase ng proyekto nila.   Sa aking pagkaunawa, batay sa paliwanag ng ACCORD, ang isang CF ay pangunahing magbibigay ng suporta sa kanila sa pagsagawa ng mga aktibidad sa barangay.   Bilang isang CF, tutulong ako sa paglilinaw sa mga tanong ng ACCORD tungkol sa aming lugar at ako din ang magpapaliwanag o maglinaw sa mga kasamahan ko sa barangay kapag may hindi maintindihan sa mga sinasabi ng ACCORD.  

Napakalaki ng naitulong ng oportunidad na ito upang maipalabas at mapalakas ang aking mga kakayahan o skills. Hindi na ako mahiyain at marunong na akong gumawa din ng mga gawaing pang-opisina (paper works) tulad ng training preparation, liquidation, pag-organisa ng mga nakuhang datos sa komunidad at iba pa. Nahasa din ang aking pagsasalita sa harap ng maraming tao at hindi na ako natatakot at nahihiya, tulad sa pagbibigay ng training sa disaster risk reduction (DRR). Bilang CF, tungkulin ko ding mag-aral ng mabuti upang magampanan ko ang aking papel na maglilinaw o makatulong sa pagpaunawa sa aking ka-barangay.  

At isa sa pinakamatingkad kong natutunan ay ang tungkol  DRR.  Ngayon ay naiintindihan ko na kung ano ang hazard, bulnerabilidad, kapasidad, risk, climate change, resilience atbpa.  Nakita ko din paano maghanda para sa community drill at ang mismong kondukta ng drill.

Nagustuhan kong mag-volunteer dahil sa dagdag na karanasan at kaalaman. Ang mga natutunan ko ay madadala ko hanggang sa aking pagtanda. Patuloy akong magiging actibo sa aming komunidad dahil sa nakuha kong mga kaalaman at mga natutunan sa ACCORD. 

 

*Tangkil-tangkil – bahay na gawa sa kahit anong material na pinagtagpi-tagpi lamang

 

View and download a PDF version of this article here.

By Merdi Jean Arcilla

Originally Written: September 27, 2014

 

If you want to develop your barangay early warning system for floods, it should be taken in the context of the Tullahan River basin” was the expert piece of advice that Susan Espinueva gave to the group that was seeking PAGASA’s technical assistance. That was in July 2013.  

Ms. Espinueva was then Chief of the Hydrometeorology Division of PAGASA. Barangay Potrero in Malabon City was planning to improve its early warning system (EWS) as part of enhancing the community’s preparedness, and the Partners for Resilience program was keen on providing ample support. 

 

Potrero is downstream of Tullahan River

Rain or shine, there are floods in Malabon. News on television has frequently shown Malabon with above ankle-deep flood water due to high tides even during clear skies and good weather. During the typhoon and monsoon rains, of course the situation worsens considerably.

In 2009 during Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana), residents of Barangay Potrero in Malabon were startled that the water kept rising faster than normal and eventually reached the second floor of some homes. Some 6,000 families were affected. Some of these were trapped inside structures, in need of rescue support and emergency provisions. Three years later in August 2012, the same communities were again affected by floods due to heavy monsoon rains that lasted for several days.  

The largest of Malabon’s 21 barangays is Potrero. With a population of around 54,000, it has been one of the most affected by the worst floods in the city. Sections of the barangay lie along the downstream of Tullahan River that stretches from Quezon City to Valenzuela City. Runoff starting from upstream La Mesa Dam in Quezon City, heavily silted and clogged Tullahan River and the frequent occurrence of high tides further contribute to the frequent floods in the area.

Potrero is one of the seven urban barangays where the Partners for Resilience (PfR) has been operating the program since 2011. It was specifically chosen because it is susceptible to floods and the affected populations mostly belong to the urban poor. The PfR program engages the Potrero barangay local government to enhance its preparedness for emergency response and work towards disaster risk reduction incorporating climate change and ecosystems management and restoration.  

 

The road to September 2013  

In the ensuing discussions with PAGASA, the group settled that to work on the EWS of Potrero it has to deal with the current status of EWS for floods in the river basin and the affected stakeholders. The Tullahan River basin covers Quezon City and the CAMANAVA area – the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela.  

All five cities contend with the problem of floods especially in the communities that lie along or are near the Tullahan River and its waterways.  

While each has ways and actions to manage the risk, the general picture is that they do not necessarily link together to address the problem. There are EWS facilities that line the river at different points. These are basically water level and rain gauges. The La Mesa Dam Authority notifies LGUs and the public on the level of dam water. PAGASA consolidates the information that is generated from some of the EWS facilities and can make these available to LGUs. Pumping stations, river walls, dikes and other protective structures have been built in selected areas to protect specific segments of areas that are high-risk to floods. Each city issues alerts and warning based on information they are able to access.  

“The floods are a problem caused by several factors in the river basin. Why don’t we call a meeting of the cities, concerned agencies and other groups who have a stake in drawing up solutions?” Once again, Susan Espinueva was forwarding sound guidance.  

In September 2013, PAGASA and PFR spearheaded the first meeting of stakeholders to discuss issues on EWS for Quezon City and CAMANAVA. PAGASA defined the scope of the Tullahan River basin and traced the flow of floodwaters from upstream passing through the five cities and exiting at Manila Bay. It also showed the existing facilities for drawing up the river basin-wide EWS and pointed out that the work still has to be done to have an integrated EWS for the whole river basin. And this needs the participation of the various stakeholders.  

The LGUs attended, all represented by their DRRMOs. Other agencies like the MMDA, DILG-NCR which issues the guidelines for the DRRM plans of LGUs in Metro Manila, NDRRMC which manages a big DRR project for UNDP, Ipo and La Mesa Dam authorities participated to share how they were contributing to the provision of information and shared experiences relating to flood risk management. The meeting ended on a positive note that the discussions would continue towards harmonizing the EWS for the Tullahan River basin. 

Typhoon tracking exercise at the Community-Based Early Warning System Training in Barangay Potrero, Malabon City.

The partnership gains momentum  

The partners’ initial step was to survey the long stretch of Tullahan River, and see the river situation and the existing EWS facilities. In the debriefing, each partner also shared how they are doing flood mitigation measures through projects and programs within their geographical boundaries. The group also visited the Pampanga Flood Forecasting and Warning System to look at a model of an integrated EWS for a river basin that gathers information, processes this and issues warnings based on the result of the data analysis. One of the good insights that came out of these activities is that the participants themselves appreciate the continuing dialogues. They even proposed that for purposes of continuity and understanding, the same individuals be officially assigned to sit in these coordination meetings.  

The most recent gathering they took part in was the presentation of the results of the risk assessment covering the whole Tullahan River basin. They expressed that information sharing that serves to enrich their basis of risk reduction actions are very much needed. 

For Malabon and Valenzuela, a step further was taken when they concurred and got involved in the tree planting in the upstream La Mesa Watershed. The location is beyond their geographical boundaries and yet they recognize that this is a mitigation action that will definitely benefit their communities in terms of improved urban forest cover and protected watershed or source of water for the metropolis residents.  

 

Moving forward  

Let us look at other organized groups of LGUs who have the good practice of working together to reduce the risk of floods and other hazards and learn from them,” was the common call in the last gathering of these stakeholders in September 2014. It was a year after the initial meeting of stakeholders in the Tullahan river basin. The risk assessment was done by a group composed of individuals knowledgeable in history, biology and environmental science. More and more, they are convinced that they need multi partnerships and multi disciplines to proceed with a good analysis of the risk situation they are facing and hence need the same methods to forward an integrated plan or solutions to pursue in their next steps.

 

View, read, and download a PDF version of this article here.

By Celso Dulce, Jr.

Originally Written: October 8, 2014

 

The sight that greeted the rare visitor to Barangay Langaon was unexpected, and inspiring. Men and women, including some elderly, were busy repairing the hanging bridge known as Kalawahig-1. Some were erecting two concrete posts where steel cables of the bridge will be re-anchored. Some were replacing the wooden planks. Some were gathering rocks from the riverbed and piling them into an embankment that will strengthen the bridge’s foundation. Two days ago, the bridge was washed out by a flashflood spawned by typhoon Pablo (Bopha).

Typhoon Sendong (Washi) damaged the Kalawahig-1 suspension bridge that connects barangay Langaon to “the outside world.” The bridge was already in a state of disrepair prior to Sendong. The flooring was made of bamboo. The sides were unprotected and anybody, but most especially children, could easily fall into the river. The bridge was in urgent need of repair as the community could not bring their farm produce to the market, could not safely access relief assistance and basic services, and could not bring in basic commodities.  

In March 2012, CARE worked with the community to undertake minor repair of the bridge, as part of the cash-for-work activity. Cyclone wires were installed on the sides of the bridge to prevent people from falling into the river. Rotting bamboo were replaced to strengthen the flooring. Community members were jubilant, feeling safer as they cross the bridge every day, to go to the market, and in general to do business with the outside world.

The changes to the Kalawahig-1 bridge over the years. It was in disrepair already before Sendong (a), was strengthened with CARE’s assistance (b), damaged by Pablo and rebuilt painstakingly by the community (c), and is now much safer for the people who cross everyday (d).

A follow-up CARE emergency response project provided another opportunity to further strengthen the bridge. It was built on the initiative of a local NGO, Green Mindanao, which constructed a concrete foundation for a new bridge, but could not afford complete rehabilitation. CARE provided thick steel cables, wooden planks, cyclone wire, nuts and bolts, and other materials to complete the bridge through another cash-for-work activity. In August 2012, the new bridge was completed. In no time, not only people were crossing the bridge but even motorbikes laden with produce. The bridge was affording people safe access to goods and basic services. It was also encouraging people to increase agricultural production and livelihood activities as the people can now safely transport farm inputs and farm produce.

On 5 December 2012, barangay Langaon lost its hanging bridge to a big flashflood triggered by typhoon Pablo. The news was very difficult to accept. According to Langaon residents, Ugiaban Bridge one kilometer upstream got clogged and formed a temporary dam. When this temporary dam burst, it unleashed a huge wall of water that reached up to the Kalawahig-1’s flooring. The residents of Langaon watched helplessly as a huge wall of water washed away their bridge. The Kalawahig-1 was built substantially higher than the original precisely to prevent it from being overtopped by floodwaters.  

The Langaon community was able to retrieve all the bridge’s materials – the steel cables, the wooden planks, the nuts and bolts, the cyclone wires. With their meager resources, and without waiting for external assistance, the community started rebuilding their bridge.  

“We appreciate very much the support we received from ACCORD and CARE and their donors. Such support enabled to rehabilitate our bridge. The damage caused by Pablo is a setback. Slowly maybe, but surely we will rebuild the bridge, because it is our bridge. More valuable than the material support we received from ACCORD and CARE is the confidence developed in us that by working together, we will be able to recover from the disasters that have affected us,” declared Barangay Chair Martin Tanio, as he showed the several kilograms of tie wire, the few bags of cement, and the few pieces steel reinforcement bars he bought using funds contributed by community members.  

Kalawahig-1 was built through a project partnership amongst CARE, ACCORD and RMP, with funding support from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), AXA Philippines and Metrobank Foundation. Barangay Langaon is in Baungon municipality, Bukidnon province.  

The people and the leaders of Langaon demonstrate the indomitable spirit of the poor and vulnerable, who aspire to make their communities more resilient. A visit to Langaon in October 2013 showed that the community, on its own, has restored the Kalawahig-1 bridge, their own bridge.  

 This is an updated version of the previous story “The Bridge of Resillience,” also by the same author.

 

View, read, and download a PDF version of this article here.

The climate outlook for June-August 2020 was based on PAGASA Climate Forum. This contains the compiled relevant climate information for INCREASE areas and are sent to each specific municipality. This can be used as a guide to plan out activities including food production so climate-related risks are reduced. This is updated every quarter.

 

Below you may find a gallery of photos detailing the climate outlook for the said period. There are also area-specific versions of the material. You may click on each photo to enlarge it or access the download link.

 

Originally Written: October 1, 2014

By Amian Tauli

 

 Ti daga ket biag. Land is life.

This quote is a truism that the indigenous people of the Cordillera have asserted time and again as they struggled to develop and live in the mountainous terrain that has been their homeland since time immemorial. By living closely with their environment, they have been able to accumulate indigenous knowledge and practices that guide every aspect of their lives. These practices and knowledge such as the appearance of a certain animal or plant, the behaviour of pets, the color of the sky and many others that signal the occurrence of a certain phenomena have also been pivotal in helping them cope with and bounce back from hazards and disasters they have faced throughout the years. However, the changing climate has made it difficult for the communities. They have struggled to apply the knowledge that has served them well for a long time. Today, very rare is the instance where the appearance of a certain migratory bird can signal the onset of strong rains or a typhoon. 

Sitio Mangagew is just one of the 12 communities in the Cordillera where the Partners for Resilience (PfR) programme is being implemented. From the town proper in Bokod, Benguet, it can be reached by a two hour hike or an hour’s drive through a muddy, rutted road that is impassable during the rainy season. It is mainly inhabited by the Ibalois, one of the major ethno-linguistic groups in the Cordillera. 

The community members derive their livelihood from planting rice and other vegetables, the majority of which are rain-fed. But recently, the community has reported a steady decline in rice and vegetable production due to the lack of rains leading to reduced water supply especially during the summer months. Based on climate projections for the region, or the years 2020 and 2050, rainy seasons will be wetter, summers will be drier and the whole year will be hotter 0.9 degrees Celsius. Climate change has also escalated the uncertainties in the communities’ agricultural production as the increased occurrence, intensity, and length of rainfall events—which consequently increase erosion rates, trigger landslides, and make certain crops susceptible to diseases—have impacted crop production in the community.  

These climate projections, in combination with the indigenous knowledge and practices of the community and ecosystem information have been the starting point for the Cordillera Disaster Response and Development Services (CorDisRDS), a local partner of CARE Nederland, in implementing the PfR programme. The approach by CorDisRDS has been to supplement scientific information with local knowledge in all steps of implementation from the community risk assessment to contingency planning at the local government level in order to gain a comprehensive picture of the local situation. The climate projections in particular have been especially important in designing small-scale mitigation (SSM) projects for the communities. SSM projects are interventions that aim to reduce vulnerabilities through strengthening, diversifying or protecting livelihoods.  

For Sitio Mangagew, due to the observed decrease in water supply and long-term projection of drier summers, CorDisRDs and the community agreed to build a communal water system as their SSM. The aim of the project was to provide a steady supply of water that can be used for both irrigation and domestic purposes thereby strengthening agricultural production. After consultations and planning with the local government unit and peoples’ organization, work began. A site was carefully selected ensuring that no damage will be done to the environment.  

Community members of Sitio Mangagew working together to construct the distributor tank for their water system.

Materials were carried four kilometres and the whole community relied on their traditional practice of “gamal” or cooperative endeavour to provide labour. 

Since the water source was located two kilometres away and one had to pass through a river to reach it, the plastic pipes needed to bring the water to the community were fastened to steel cables that stretched from the water source across the river to the sitio center. The community worked steadily for one month while balancing their economic activities in order to complete the project. Even the families who were not direct beneficiaries pitched in. Finally, on September 2014, the community installed the final plastic pipe. It took two months of hard work but the hope of having a steady water supply was closer to reality.

Today, the community is enjoying the benefits of their hard work. The water system is fully functional and is being used for irrigating the newly planted rice.

“We are very thankful to CorDis RDS and CARE through the PfR programme for providing us support to construct our water system. Our sitio is rarely visited by other people. At first we were hesitant to participate in the project because we had a hard time understanding the concepts being introduced. We felt that our practices were enough to protect us from disasters but we soon came to understand the importance accepting new ideas because our traditional knowledge may not be applicable all the time. ” said Victorio Agustin, a village leader, while proudly showing the completed tank full of water to be distributed to the different households.

It is always a challenge when working with a community that has a deeply-rooted belief system because they may be hesitant to accept new ideas and concepts thinking that their own traditional knowledge is sufficient. But Sitio Mangagew is an example of how the scientific data including climate projections and ecosystem data in conjunction with indigenous knowledge and practices can be effectively used to build safer and resilient communities.  

 

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