Saint Bernard – reaffirmation of DRR

February 10 – It was warm and sunny when I arrived in Saint Bernard. In fact, I found the weather uncomfortably hot in the office. But I dared not complain. The people are one in welcoming the warm and sunny days, after more than a month of rain, floods and landslides.

In the evening, I met with some barangay (village) officials and residents of barangay Tabon-tabon at the Parish Social Action Centre dormitory, where they are still evacuated. They are not allowed by the municipal government to return as the risk of flooding and landslide in their barangay remains high. The women and men I met with, members of food production clusters receiving support from CARE’s Food Facility Project informed me that their palay crop sustained partial damage. They are optimistic though that they will still benefit from harvesting a respectable amount of palay by March to April. They are looking forward to receive from the Food Facility Project the pesticides they need for their current crop, and the hand-tractor that will make palay-growing more efficient during the next cropping season. The production cluster planning to raise tilapia in fish ponds, however, would need to re-evaluate the feasibility of their plan, in light of floods that affected their barangay. The poultry production cluster, on the other hand, was excited having received earlier in the day the Kabir chicks that they will raise.

The following day, I met with residents and barangay officials of Malinao. Due to high risk of landslide, they were rescued and airlifted from their barangay to evacuation sites in barangay Catmon. They are similarly not allowed to return to their original location and the municipal government is planning to relocate the whole community. There are also Food Facility production clusters in Malinao. Their rice production sustained slight damage. The goat-raising cluster, however, lost some 77% of their livestock. When the residents were airlifted, of course they could not take with them their goats. Since none was left to take care of the goats, and residents were not allowed to return to the barangay for a month, many of the goats died of hunger and exposure. The tilapia aquaculture project of another production cluster is also no longer feasible following the barangay’s displacement. The Malinao residents are back to the drawing board, identifying food production projects that are less at risk to hazard events.

The story for barangay Panian is quite the same. Their palay production activity has sustained partial damage, while some other cluster members can no longer plant during the current season because the thick debris left by the floods rendered their farms unsuitable for immediate crop cultivation. But they are looking forward to receive their hand-tractor, which will make farming during the next cropping season easier for cluster members. The production cluster for poultry-raising needs to identify a new location for its poultry houses, away from flood-prone areas. The tilapia production cluster on the other hand needs to identify an alternative production activity after floods made production of tilapia in the barangay no longer viable.

Barangay Tambis-2 was finally allowed to return to their original location on February 5. One production cluster was organized earlier in this barangay. The production cluster was also planning to raise tilapia in cages that will be set up in Madagook Creek. The floods likewise have rendered this planned production activity not viable.

The Food Facility Project, with funding from the European Union, was designed by CARE to complement disaster risk reduction activities in Saint Bernard municipality. The idea is that by providing livelihood opportunities to vulnerable communities, their vulnerability is reduced and their disaster risk reduction capacities are strengthened. The Food Facility Project, moreover, is an attempt to incorporate disaster risk reduction in livelihoods. Livelihood activities need to be protected from possible negative impacts of hazard events. Livelihood activities also need to ensure that no new vulnerabilities are created, or existing ones aggravated. For example, if livelihood activities are carried out in high-risk zones such as landslide-prone or flood-prone areas, the livelihood assets may be destroyed in case a hazard event occurs. And community members carrying out these livelihood activities are also exposing themselves unnecessarily to risks.

The flooding and landslide events that hit Saint Bernard in January are illustrative of the necessity of disaster risk reduction. There is an ongoing disaster risk reduction project in the municipality, ASCEND, which started in 2007 (as ACCORD). Barangay Malinao, however, has yet to be reached by this project. Hence, the barangay has low level of awareness about local hazards, and generally has limited disaster risk reduction capacities. The barangay council and residents were caught unprepared and they had to be airlifted to safer locations. They were not sufficiently ready to secure their personal safety, much less the safety of their livelihoods.

While in the guidelines for designing production activities incorporation of DRR is emphasized in the Food Facility Project, the extent to which DRR is incorporated still needs to be improved. While a review has yet to be conducted, it can be suspected that “tokenism” was a factor in the quality of risk reduction measures put into the design of production activities.

On the other hand, the residents and the local government of Saint Bernard were one in saying that the floods were worst in memory. Hence, the risk assumptions made in the design of projects will have to be revisited. Areas not previously affected by flooding were affected this time (with climate change projections, risk assumptions need to be reviewed). Hence, some production activities need to be relocated as they are now in risk zones which were considered low-risk in the past.

If anything, the experience of Saint Bernard has convinced vulnerable communities of the need to risk-proof and climate-proof livelihood activities. In order to reduce people’s vulnerabilities and make them more resilient, livelihoods also need to be made more resilient by risk-proofing and climate-proofing them.

On the afternoon of February 11, while meeting with residents of Panian, a moderate earthquake occurred. We felt the shaking exactly when the discussion was on conducting evacuation drills. Perfect timing.

In late afternoon of February 12, it started to rain again in Saint Bernard. A colleague, Jolly Anne, joked that it’s because I, who brought the warm and sunny weather to the municipality, was already leaving. I left Saint Bernard at 2:00 a.m. on February 13 and it was still raining. Of course the sun and the rain and the moderate quake were all coincidental to my presence. But they are gentle reminders, telling us that we should take disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation seriously. Telling us that we should not wait for less gentle reminders.

DRR capacities of Saint Bernard tested by floods and landslides

The Philippine Daily Inquirer (5 January 2011) account on the death of 10 persons, including three children in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, due to landslides and floods (induced by heavy rainfall brought about by a cold front affecting the Visayas and Northern Mindanao) in part reports that:

“For me, the major issue is St. Bernard in Southern Leyte because most of the people had been relocated there and yet their lives are still endangered,” the President (Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino) told reporters after attending the command turnover and conference at the Philippine Navy headquarters in Manila.

He directed Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, who is the concurrent chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Commission, to “find out exactly why there were two people who died in the same place that in 2006 resulted in over a thousand casualties.”

“So we will review this. I’m also going to task the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Public Works and Highways, among others, why a relocation (had been done in St. Bernard) and there were still deaths,” Mr. Aquino said.

A quick answer to the President’s query is that only seven barangays located within a declared permanent danger zone were relocated to relatively safe areas. The landslide that killed three children occurred in barangay Bolod-bolod. This barangay, while more than half of its land area was classified as highly susceptible to landslides, is located outside the permanent danger zone. Hence, it was not relocated.

Multi-hazard assessments

A rapid assessment conducted in 24 of the municipality’s 30 villages by the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau following the Guinsaugon landslide revealed that 12 villages are highly susceptible and 5 moderately susceptible to landslides.

A more recent multi-hazard assessment conducted by the national government’s READY Project affirmed the earlier findings of the MGB. The assessment covered eight types of hazards. The READY Project’s findings for Saint Bernard municipality are as follows:

1. Rain-induced landslides remain the biggest threat to the municipality’s safety with 24 out of 30 villages classified as high-risk.
2. Earthquakes can also induce landslides in the same villages.
3. Ground shaking can affect all 30 villages in varying degrees since the active Philippine Fault Zone transects the municipality.
4. Liquefaction will affect 19 villages, nine of which are along the coast of Cabalian Bay while 10 are located close to Lawigan River.
5. Tsunami threatens all nine coastal villages.
6. Heavy rainfall will cause flooding in 17 out of 30 villages.

Of the 24 villages classified as highly susceptible to landslides, seven were declared as permanent danger zones and were relocated. These are barangay Ayahag, Guinsaugon, Nueva Esperanza, Sugangon, Magatas, Hinabian and Kauswagan.

Contingency plans and early warning systems

Largely using the results of the multi-hazard assessments as key consideration in the decision, the municipal local government unit in collaboration with CARE developed a municipal contingency plan with floods and flashfloods as focus. The prioritization of floods and flashfloods in the municipal contingency planning was based on a risk ranking exercise where the likelihood of occurrence and the severity of impacts of different hazards were weighed. With the seven communities classified as high-risk to landslides already taken out of relative harm’s way, floods and flashfloods became the priority for contingency planning.

As part of contingency planning, an early warning system (EWS) for floods was also set up. Redundant systems were actually set up. Through CARE’s ACCORD Project, a system using a network of manual rain gauges, tide gauges and flood markers were installed. This system was developed with support from PAGASA. GTZ, on the other hand, set up a telemetric rain gauge that automatically sends data to the local government unit.

Having completed the setting up of community-based early warning systems for floods, CARE, and also GTZ, have started work on developing community-based early warning systems for landslides. It is very unfortunate that the landslide in Bolod-bolod occurred before landslide EWS could be set up in Saint Bernard municipality.

On the other hand, the community-based EWS for floods set up in Saint Bernard proved effective in providing the Saint Bernard LGU information that served as key input to the decision of ordering a systematic evacuation of 17 flood-prone barangays.

The flashflood that hit Saint Bernard was the worst in recent memory in terms of areas affected and the duration of the hazard event. However, with timely issuance of the warning to evacuate, and appropriate and timely response especially by flood-prone communities that have participated in disaster risk reduction activities of the ACCORD Project, no flood-related casualties were recorded.

Lessons learnt

While the municipality is still in an emergency mode, some lessons can be gleaned already from the event.

1. The importance of community preparedness is highlighted in this event. When the LGU issued the order to evacuate, barangays participating in ACCORD Project immediately activated their barangay contingency plans and carried out evacuation measures. Others are on heightened alert status and are ready to evacuate any time when so ordered. On the other hand, Bolod-bolod, which has not benefited from any disaster risk reduction program, did not heed the evacuation warning. The deaths of three children could have been avoided had the Bolod-bolod community taken timely disaster preparedness actions.

2. The “success in progress” being experienced in communities benefiting from CARE’s ACCORD Project should be quickly replicated in other high-risk barangays such as Bolod-bolod. The ACCORD Project is a disaster risk reduction project that has benefited seven high-risk communities in Saint Bernard (Barangays Tambis 1, Tambis 2, Sugangon, Ayahag, Nueva Ezperanza, Panian and Himbangan). The ACCORD Project is complemented by a Food Facility Project and covers 15 Saint Bernard communities.

3. Having developed already the municipal contingency plan and EWS focused on floods, the municipality, with support from national government agencies and NGOs like CARE, CNDR and GTZ, should quickly develop and put in place EWS on landslides.

4. While the redundant community-based flood EWS has been relatively effective, the floods and landslides should spur the communities, the LGU and other stakeholders to further improve the system. Some barangays failed to report or relay their rainfall readings to the LGU. An assessment of what worked and what did not work for the flood EWS is in order.

5. The LGU has still to strengthen its emergency preparedness capacities. For example, the municipal contingency plan has determined that there is a 70 percent deficit in shelters for evacuees in the event of a major evacuation. This problem is now being faced by the LGU. Neighbouring LGUs are being asked to house some Saint Bernard evacuees.

6. Building community resilience is far from over. Hazard and risk assessments should be continually updated, as well as contingency plans and EWS. Public awareness should be maintained at a high level. Disaster risk reduction knowledge and skills upgraded. Good practices replicated in other high-risk areas. Learnings should be documented and disseminated.

The DSWD’s conditional cash transfer is a dole-out, needs to be redesigned to be effective

The conditional cash transfer programme of President Noynoy Aquino’s administration should receive a healthy dose of good quality programme innovation if it is to deliver on its promise of making a difference in the lives of 2.3 million poor Filipinos. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Dinky Soliman claims that the cash transfers are note dole-outs and the programme not a stand-alone because entitlement of a poor household to cash assistance of a maximum PhP1,400 a month is conditioned on children attending pre-school/school, children getting regular check-up and vaccination, parents attending responsible parenthood sessions, and pregnant women getting pre- and post-natal care be attended to during childbirth by a skilled/trained birth attendant.

At the superficial level, the conditional cash transfer (CCT) is indeed not a stand-alone due to the conditions set by the programme. However, a closer look reveals that the programme design of the CCT is based on several shaky, if not “killer” assumptions. What is the quality of care children will get from day care centres and pre-schools – if at all these centres and schools are existing? Are there doctors and nurses in barangay health centres who will conduct regular check up and vaccination for children? Are vaccines available? Is there a skilled/trained birth attendant who will provide pregnant women with pre- and post-natal care? What is the competence of those who will conduct the parents’ classes or sessions, and what is the content of these sessions?

Were the Department of Education and the Department of Health part in designing the CCT programme? Are they fully committed to support it? Has a memorandum of agreement among the three been signed, defining respective responsibilities?

The answers to all of the above questions appear to be in the negative, thereby negating the claim that CCT is not a stand-alone project, but an effective poverty reduction programme.

Perhaps the administration of President Noynoy Aquino should look at the practice of some communities that were devastated by Ondoy and Pepeng and draw inspiration from their successful implementation of activity-linked distribution of cash, food or short-term livelihood support. These modalities of distributing relief assistance are very similar to conditional cash transfers. Targeted households will receive cash, food or short-term livelihood support such as farm tools, seeds and fertilizers. These modalities of assistance distribution are also called cash-for-work, food-for-work and short-term livelihood support-for-work. Receiving assistance, however, is linked to a household’s participation in activities that will benefit the community, such as repairing communal irrigation systems and potable water systems, carrying out minor road repairs, and cleaning up and properly disposing of solid waste and other debris left by the floods. Through this linked activities, communities have benefited from repaired agricultural infrastructure; improved access and mobility of people, goods and services; and improved water supply, sanitation and health services, among others.

An interesting sidelight in the activity-linked distribution of relief assistance among indigenous peoples of the Cordillera is that even those community members who were not prioritized for assistance participated in the community activities, saying that the community activities will also benefit them. The relief programme also required only two to three days of community work. Yet communities worked up to two weeks without expectation of additional relief assistance, just so to finish work on the repair of the potable water system, or the communal irrigation system, or clearing of drainage canals.

Households that received activity-linked cash, food or livelihood inputs have also applied their creativity in making the assistance more long lasting, and to benefit more members of the community.

In Burgos, Montalban municipality, in Rizal province, the beneficiaries of activity-linked distribution of short-term livelihood support received 50 kilograms of rice each. They brought home for consumption of household members a small portion of the rice they received. The rest of the rice were pooled and served as the initial stock of a rice retail cooperative they decided to establish. They also approached local donors and were able to access enough resources to build a small store where they can sell their rice stock. Since the establishment of the cooperative, with the help of an accountant residing in the community who volunteered her free services, the cooperative had completed sessions on bookkeeping to help them better monitor and manage the cooperative’s enterprise. This has improved the sustainability of the cooperative’s enterprise.

The establishment of the cooperative ensured that the direct beneficiaries, as well as other community members will have access to affordable rice over a longer period. The rice retailing enterprise is doing well and is developing appropriate mechanisms for sustainability. This practice is replicated communities in Abra and Kalinga.

In many Cordillera communities, the households who received farm tools also pooled their resources so that all community members will benefit from them. Any member of the community can borrow tools from the pooled farm tools for a minimal fee. The fee will be used for maintenance and repair, or replacement of tools that will be damaged or lost. The communities have drawn up their rules on the use and maintenance of the farm tools. Through pooling of resources, more community members are benefiting from the distribution of livelihood inputs. The rules on use and maintenance will also help ensure that benefits from the livelihood inputs will last longer. The linked activities, meanwhile, such as repair of communal irrigation systems and rice paddies will further contribute to helping disaster affected communities immediately resume their disrupted livelihood activities.

If the conditional cash transfer programme of President Nonoy Aquino’s administration will draw inspiration from this activity-linked distribution of cash, food or livelihood inputs, perhaps the CCT could indeed make a difference in the lives of the poor. The cost of one-time cash, food or livelihood support distributed to household who suffered from Ondoy and Pepeng ranged from PhP1,000 to PhP1,500. The CCT can be as much as PhP1,400 every month. Used judiciously, the CCT can indeed be a more effective in helping reduce poverty. Perhaps.

(Mis)understanding the Philippines’ typhoon warning system: or why the PAGASA Administrator was sacked by President Noynoy Aquino

PAGASA Director Prisco Nilo has become the first casualty resulting from the government of President Noynoy Aquino’s apparent lack of understanding of the country’s typhoon warning system. Nilo was relieved by President Aquino for the weather agency’s alleged failure to make a correct forecast of typhoon Domeng. Earlier, in the aftermath of typhoon Basyang (international name: Coscon) President Aquino reprimanded PAGASA for purportedly having failed to make a correct forecast.

Everyone must understand, including this Administration, that no weather agency, even those of advanced countries, where technology and human resources is not a challenge, has the capacity at this time for 100 percent accuracy in typhoon forecasts. The US experience during typhoon Katrina is a perfect example. It is therefore incorrect and unfair to expect so from the poorly equipped and poorly manned PAGASA. In the 1990s, this highly gender-insensitive joke became popular: that Philippine typhoons have women names because like women they keep changing their minds and are unpredictable. The point is that typhoons do change course, they become stationary, gain speed, slow down, or make U-turns within a short time span, making forecasting a very challenging responsibility.

Part of any effective warning system is lead time. Lead time aims to give populations that will be likely affected to adequately prepare. A very accurate forecast is useless if the people will have no more time to act on the warning. Thus in the country’s typhoon warning system, Public Storm Warning Signal 1 means that winds of 30-60 kilometers per hour is expected in at least 36 hours. Public Storm Warning Signal 2 means that winds greater than 60 kph and up to 100 kph may be expected in at least 24 hours. A lot of people, including members of the media, make the often incorrect observation that PAGASA is incorrect in its forecast because Signal 1 or Signal 2 has been raised already whereas the weather is very fine. A correct understanding of the warning system should make everyone aware that bad weather can be felt after 36 or 24 hours yet after the initial raising of the signal. Especially if the radius of a particular typhoon is short, then bad weather won’t immediately be experienced in areas where the warnings are raised.

Members of the media have the propensity to make this mistake, reporting “live” and making the observation that the weather is fair in the area where the signals are raised. It is media’s obligation to understand the warning system correctly and to report correctly, in order to guide the general public into correct preparedness actions. It is also President’s Aquino’s obligation to understand this country’s typhoon warning system. To relieve a hands-on weatherman from leading the weather agency and replace him with a bureaucrat based on the mistaken notion that PAGASA again failed to make a correct forecast is unfair to Nilo and to all PAGASA personnel, and a disservice to the country. As it is, PAGASA operations is being hobbled by highly qualified staff leaving the agency to work in other countries. One less senior weatherman does not bode well for the Philippines’ typhoon preparedness, especially at this time when a La Nina episode is being anticipated.

There is a side issue about internet sites being more accurate than PAGASA. It is but right to look at whether these sites are recording 100 percent accuracy in their forecast. And by repeatedly harping on the accuracy of others, is it being suggested that the country should just do away with PAGASA and just refer to internet sites?

If the Philippines is to be spared of the negative impacts of typhoons that are expected to be be stronger and to come more frequently due to climate change, PAGASA should be strengthened equipment-wise and human resource development-wise. Moreover, a informed leadership should be provided at the highest levels. Making Nilo and PAGASA the whipping boys and girls will never be beneficial to the country, especially to communities located in high-risk zones.

Magnetite mining threatens risk reduction activities in Calabanga municipality

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has issued a Notice of Application for Exploration Permit in favor of Bo Go Resources Mining Corporation. The Exploration Permit, if issued, will allow the mining company to “explore” magnetite sand and other associated minerals in a total 6,089.25 hectares of San Miguel Bay, and will affect barangays Punta Tarawal, Paolbo, Sabang, Sogod, Belen, Bonot-Sta. Rosa, Sibobo, Cagsao and Cabanbanan of Calabanga municipality.

Exploration activities will also affect barangays San Vicente, Cotmo, Anib, Calampinay and Mangga in Sipocot municipality; and barangays Barcelonita, Biong, Pandan and Castillo in Cabusao municipality.

In Tinambac municipality, to be affected are barangays Bagacay, New Caalwan, Old Caalwan, San Isidro and Sogod.

In Calabanga, risk reduction measures including construction of gabions and mangrove reforestation are being undertaken by coastal communities with support from the barangay and municipal local government units. These risk reduction measures are deemed necessary as coastal communities including Punta Tarawal, Sabang, Bonot-Sta Rosa and Cagsao are prone to multiple hazards including floods, storm surges, liquefaction, tsunami and typhoons. Disaster preparedness activities including contingency planning, setting up community-based early warning systems and drills are also being regularly undertaken by these communities. Their risk reduction activities will be put at risk by the planned exploration of magnetite or black sand, and other minerals.

The Notice of Application was endorsed by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to the Calabanga municipal local government unit on 26 May 2010. Possible oppositors to the application were given 30 days from the last date of publication/posting to file their opposition with the DENR Regional Office concerned, or CENRO or PENRO.

Concerned communities have just recently learned about the Notice of Application and are scrambling to prepare and submit their opposition, even as they are seeking more information to understand the implications of magnetite sand exploration.

26 June 2010

Interaction with residents of Cagsao and Punta Tarawal revealed that they fear that extraction of magnetite sand will aggravate flooding and storm surge events (frequent) and tsunami (possible but rare occurrence). Others point to increased coastal erosion, which is already a serious problem even without mining activities, excepting gathering of “bogitis” or shells. A community leader said that their fishing activities, their main source of livelihood, will be seriously affected by the mining operations. Productivity of San Miguel Bay, which is already declining, will be seriously set back by mining magnetite sand in the bay. Community members are opposed to the proposed mining “exploration”.

Metro Manila sinks in flood

Widespread flooding engulfed Metro Manila as tropical cyclone “Ondoy” dumped record rainfall on the Philippine capital. According to the government meteorological agency PAGASA, Metro Manila experienced the heaviest rainfall in recorded history today, 26 September 2009. The national capital region received 341 millimeters of rainfall in just six hours, from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Today’s rainfall eclipsed the earlier record set 42 years ago, on 7 June 1967, when Metro Manila received 334 millimeters of precipitation during a 24 hour period.

Metro Manila residents and authorities were caught largely unprepared. Based on radio and television reports, communities failed to move to safer grounds. Many are trapped on rooftops awaiting rescue. Capacities of local autorities for rescue have been simply overwhelmed by the number seeking immediate assistance. The magnitude of the problem can be discerned from continuous appeals coming from trapped residents and local authorities for national government support in rescue operations. For many trapped residents who were able to access broadcast media through mobile phones, their immediate rescue expected from government agencies was simply not forthcoming.

Outside of Metro Manila, tropical cycle “Ondoy” also affected 19 provinces in the main Philippine island, Luzon. The National Disaster Coordinating Council has declared a state of national calamity covering Metro Manila and the the 19 provinces. The declaration allows local authorities to use their calamity funds for emergency operations.

The record-setting rainfall is yet another reminder of the threats posed by climate change to countries like the Philippines. The event in itself does not establish a trend from a statistical point of view. But it does contribute to accumulating evidence that confirm the findings of the IPCC. This flooding of Metro Manila should spur communities, local authorities and the national government to prioritize and to invest more on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. There is no argument for DRR and CCA more convincing than this recent flooding of Metro Manila.

The Philippines is not preparing adequately for AH1N1

Computer modeling has placed the number of AH1N1-infected Americans at around a million. The British fear that they would soon be facing more than 100,000 cases daily, even as the second case of resistance to Tamiflu has been confirmed. In the Philippines, health authorities are on the other hand downplaying the threat and have practically abadoned their obligation to uphold the right of every Filipino to be adequately protected from AH1N1.

Health authorities are saying that AH1N1 cases in the Philippines are mild, and are not correcting media reports that portray the type of virus circulating in the Philippines as more benign, as if there are different strains of the AH1N1 virus. The health department also appears to be obfuscating when it says it has shifted its strategy to “mitigation.” In disaster risk reduction (AH1N1 has the potential for a major-major disaster event) mitigation refers to measures conducted prior to the occurence of a hazard event aimed at reducing the adverse impacts of such an event. With the health department, mitigation means shifting from a strategy of containing the spread of the virus (through intense surveillance, contact tracing, etc.) to limiting the government’s distribution of the anti-flu drug oseltamivir only to patients who are considered high-risk: infants or the elderly, pregnant women and those with chronic illnesses. This shift to a “mitigation strategy” is in essence an abandonment of governmental functions. It is the health department’s obligation to provide quality healthcare to all Filipinos.

After the big to-do about Bird Flu preparedness, shifting the contingency plan formulated for that particular threat to suit the requirements of AH1N1 would have been easy. But this seems not to be the case. For the entire country, there is only one center conducting tests to determine AH1N1 infection. And the health department has emergency response capabilities for this kind of threat only at the regional level. Health personnel and disaster coordinating councils from the provincial down to the barangay levels are not prepared to deal with cases of AH1N1 at their current levels, much less with a more deadly pandemic.

Government is duty-bound to prioritize reduction of the AH1N1 risk. Dismissing the risk as minimal and portraying Philippine cases as mild and self-limiting, and that can be managed by paracetamol is cavalier. If AH1N1 can indeed be managed by merely taking paracetamol, why then the much ado led by WHO? The way forward is for the national government to put more financial and other resources in combating AH1N1, and build the capacities of local government units, local health personnel, disaster coordinating councils and communities, the frontliners in the war against AH1N1, in combating the AH1N1 risk. Communities, schools, workplaces and local government units should be assisted in setting up functional AH1N1 contingency plans. These are people’s rights and entitlements that should be claimed from the government.