Hitha Manila

I've been through this whole training/orientation business before. Twice, in fact. Mercifully, on account of this being a Peace Corps Response position, the process has been significantly shorter. And on Thursday morning, scarcely a week after my arrival here in Manila, I will be flying out to my new home on the island of Samar.

If this city is anything to go by, my time here won't be anything like my service in Mali or Kenya. There is a Starbucks or a 7-Eleven on nary every other street corner. One of the biggest malls I remember ever stepping into, Robinsons Place, is not even the largest mall in Manila. That would be the Mall of Asia, the third largest in the world, and therefore a place I never want to go. McDonald's, always two-story megastructures here, is one of the local favorites, alongside similarly-modeled Filipino chains. Hell, there are Krispy Kremes, T.G.I. Friday's... even an In-N-Out Burger!

'The Jeepney', as seen on the streets of Manila. You jump on, ride for a small fee, and jump off at your destination. Best part... the owners get really creative in pimping their rides.

Aside from the many familiar American conveniences are peculiarities in culture and transport. They may not eat with their hands as in Mali or Kenya, but instead of a knife and fork, Filipinos eat with a fork and spoon. The spoon serves not as a 'shovel', but a cutting apparatus for tough meat. The primary mode of public transportation is the 'jeepney', a small 70's-themed minibus straight out of the mind of Jerry Garcia.

The city itself is fairly safe and pedestrian friendly, yet it is busy. Although Manila could qualify as a reasonably developed city with a burgeoning middle class, there is a large amount of homelessness and prostitution is on full display. As one man joked, many people live in the USA of Manila. That is, the United Squatters of America.

Swearing-in ceremony number 3! From left to right, Milo, the Peace Corps Response coordinator in the Philippines, and Bobi, my counterpart with the Rosario Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

Today, I met my counterpart Bobi, whom I will be working with over the course of the next 5 months. We sat down together to hash out a road map to meet our rather ambitious objectives.

As I previously mentioned, I am serving as a Disaster Risk Reduction Program Specialist with the local government unit in the municipality of Rosario in Northern Samar Province. Unlike a standard Peace Corps post, I have a specific job description with concrete deliverables expected at the end of my service.

The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. It is located along the so-called 'Ring of Fire', an area within Pacific Ocean where plate tectonics cause an unusually high number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. More tropical cyclones (known here as typhoons, or in the Atlantic Ocean as hurricanes) land in the Philippines each year than any other country, and landslides are a common threat in many rural areas.

In acknowledgement of this harsh reality, the government passed the 'Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.' This act is intended to "strengthen the capacity of the national government and local government units (LGUs), together with partner stakeholders, to build the resilience of communities and to institutionalize arrangements and measures for reducing disaster risks, including projected climate risks, and enhancing disaster preparedness and response capabilities at all levels."

Rosario is one such LGU with a mandate, in accordance with this law, to develop their own disaster risk reduction and management plan which can then be used to better prepare for and mitigate impending natural disasters. As with the vast majority of LGUs, little progress has thus far been made towards this goal.

I am charged with providing technical assistance to the Rosario Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) towards implementing this act. Bobi, my counterpart, is the only municipal staff member fully allocated to this office.

Along these lines, our work plan over the next 5 months involves the following:

    I.     Hazard Map Preparation for each of the 11 barangays, or districts, within Rosario

a.     Review existing National and Regional hazard maps, 1^st Week of March

b.     Prepare checklist/guidance for visits to barangays, 1^st Week of March

c.      Visit all 11 barangays, verify existing hazard map data, and collect any additional information, 2^nd-4^th Weeks of March

d.     Consolidate/compile data in office, 1^st-3^rd Weeks of April

e.     Prepare digital hazard maps utilizing GIS software, Complete by 1^st Week of June

 II.     Rosario Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan Preparation

a.     Review existing activity plans and compare with national framework, 1^st Week of March

b.     Collect any additional information, 2^nd – 4^th Weeks of March

c.      Plan 2-day Stakeholder’s Workshop to solicit input from the community, 1^st – 3^rd Weeks of April

d.     Conduct Stakeholder’s Workshop, 4^th Week of April

e.     Draft DRRM Plan, Complete by 1^st Week of June

III.     Mobilize and Train DRRM Volunteer Committees in each of the 11 barangays

a.     Prepare DRRM Training Module for barangay volunteers, 1^st Week of June

b.     Assist each barangay captain in selecting 10 volunteers from local Army Reserve training, 2 of which will serve as leaders/trainers of the others, 1^st Week of May

c.      Conduct 3-day Training of Trainers for 22 barangay leaders, 2^nd Week of June

d.     Barangay leaders conduct trainings in each of the 11 barangays, 4^th Week of June

As you can see, Bobi and I will have our hands full. In addition, cultural and linguistic challenges abound as I work to integrate into the community and build trust with its people. This plan is subject to change, and most certainly will. But regardless, we hope that by July, Rosario will be better equipped to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters when they do occur in the future.