Last December 15, 2019, I got the opportunity to explore my local community and immerse myself more into the situation of my Barangay. Given that the year is ending in a few weeks, it was very timely for me to do this as next year could pave the way for new change and reforms to be made. Throughout the process of my journey around the community, I was able to stroll around the general area, noticing the different issues that we are currently facing, as well as interview a local Barangay official regarding the history of the place. Visiting the different corners of my Barangay, I noticed that not all of the streets were fully developed, and there were still a number of informal settlers around certain areas even though they were not that many. The area was also relatively peaceful during the time I visited, however I also noticed that there were a lot of trucks emitting smoke and pollutants into the air especially on the busy streets. I also found there to be a lack of medical facilities around the area and police stations. I believe that one of the possible reasons for the poor road quality is the local governments lack of resources and manpower to work on everything simultaneously. While I do see construction work in some areas indicating the efforts being made to improve the streets, it is clear that they are still lacking in terms of efficiency. With regards to the informal settlers, this was most likely brought about by lack of job opportunities within my community and support areas that are willing to sustain them for the meantime. While these issues were the ones I noticed in my specific Barangay, they are also recurring problems that can be found across different parts of the country. Similar to what one would suggest the government do on a national scale, some ways to improve these problems is by allocating more funds towards road maintenance, as well as developing more projects to help the poor get off their feet and find their own method of sustenance. I also think that passing more laws to regulate harmful vehicle emissions and putting up more government operated facilities like hospitals and police centers would help the community greatly.
During my interview with the Barangay official, I was able to learn a lot about the history of the place in dealing with disasters. According to the representative, when Typhoon Ondoy reached the Philippines in 2009, it caused a lot of destruction in the area. While I personally wasn’t very affected by the typhoon, I found out that a lot of people lost their houses due to the strong floods. This was most apparent in areas such as Ermitano Creek, Barasoain St., and Mascardo St. He also brought up incidents of fire which have occurred most in these areas as well, and destroyed a lot of the homes which were made of only light materials. When asked who were the most affected by these natural disasters, the official responded with “Ang mga mahihirap na mamamayan ay may mga tirahan na gawa sa light materials”. More than the destruction of houses, the floods in particular also affected the flow of events in the community given the cancellation of classes and closure of a number of businesses. On the brighter side of things, I was told that there were also places wherein one could find safety in around the Barangay, such as the Barangay hall or parts of the Jose Abad Santos St.
Given the list of issues I learned about throughout the interview, I realised that natural disasters truly have a huge impact on people, especially those who live in risk areas. These events have devastating effects on the community, and are apparent in all parts of the country. It made me realise how lucky I am to not lost as much as others have due to these types of calamities, and inspired me to reach out more in helping the community I live in. As a citizen of my Barangay, I intend to become more active in community based service programs especially during times of disasters. A lot of the local schools put up programs that facilitate donations to the needy during typhoons, and helping organize these kinds of events can greatly reduce the disaster and help a lot of people. As a whole, this experience opened my eyes to the realities of my community and I hope that those reading this also make a conscious effort to learn about their community and give their best efforts to improve it.
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