Infanta, Quezon: Land heals by standing ready

For a nation along Asia's typhoon belt and ring of fire, disaster preparedness becomes a top priority. In the Philippines, one can now look to Infanta, Quezon as a prime example of a people who have learned their lessons well. The tragic flashfloods of November 2004, which affected over 12,000 families in the province, has led them to a trailblazing readiness program.

The municipal government of Infanta and its surrounding communities actively take part in the Community-Based Disaster Preparedness and Management Program (CBDPM), which has mobilized and empowered over 60,000 residents to be ready for disaster.

In just three years after flashfloods swept away entire barangays, Infanta rehabilitated and repaired much of the damaged infrastructure. With the assistance of local and international agencies, NGOs and other donors, many of the town's entrepreneurs, people's organizations, farmers and fishers somehow began to rebuild their lives and businesses. Local government also encouraged the involvement of the private sector and civil society organizations in projects related to promoting and sustaining disaster preparedness.

“In the past, disaster management was focused only on rehabilitation and relief operations. However, it is more important to work on the pre-disaster phase to ensure that we are prepared to evacuate people at the proper time and to avoid the loss of lives and property,” says Municipal Planning Officer Ron Crisostomo.

On the barangay level, communities were taught the four important Ps in disaster preparedness: predict, plan, prepare and practice. They also learned to be self-reliant, especially within the first 24 hours of isolation and emergency response. The LGU installed early warning and communication systems, establishing two-way radios between barangays. Annual drills and exercises for flashfloods, fire and earthquake preparedness are also held.

Various multi-sectoral groups were tapped, reorganized and reactivated like the Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council (MDCC), the Special Committee on Agos River Rehabilitation and Flood Control (SCARRFC), and the Special Committee on Poblacion Area Drainage System (SCPADS) for their risk reduction and disaster management program.

SCARRFC, in particular, launched a signature campaign to request the national government to allocate funds for the construction of flood control dikes. It also initiated several community activities like sandbagging. While it had its practical use in holding back the river's waters, the bayanihan spirit of the activity also helped boost the sagging morale of the people and called attention to their cause.

In time, Malacañan released P50 million for the construction of slope protection structures and river re-channeling projects. Infanta used its 2006 supplemental budget for Agos river rehabilitation and flood control, dredging waterways and canals and other municipal development projects.

Infanta's disaster preparedness program met its first test with super typhoon Reming in December 2006, which struck the country with the force of storm signal no. 4. The municipality was quickly able to coordinate and launch search and rescue efforts for affected families.

“Infanta has now added the words ‘disaster-resilient citizenry' in its municipal vision for the next 30 years, and has brought CBDPM into the mainstream of good governance,” says Infanta Mayor Filipina Grace America. A large portion of the LGU's budget has been allocated for just that, as it maintains disaster preparedness as its top priority program.

Infanta's development of a disaster prepared citizenry has earned it the Galing Pook award, where its program has been recognized among the Top Ten Most Outstanding Local Governance Programs. The awards body cites sustainable and effective local governance programs worthy of replication across the country, or even worldwide.

Infanta now receives a steady stream of LGU officials, students, teachers, NGO workers and even foreigners, all wanting to learn how it has risen from the past devastation so quickly. The community shares its experiences openly, hoping that the hard lessons learned from four years ago will prevent it from happening elsewhere.