LANDSLIDE DRILL. Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) officer Nerisa Barbosa of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Benguet says they are now looking for drill videos and other materials that can be used to boost the resiliency of students in responding to emergencies such as landslides, flash floods and earthquakes. Cordillera has lately been battered by several typhoons that induced landslides and flash floods claiming scores of lives. (Photo by Liza T. Agoot)
BAGUIO CITY -- The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to incorporate capability enhancement training drills in the programs of schools to boost students’ capability in responding during landslides and floods in the wake of calamities that recently hit the Cordillera region.
"Not just the “dock-cover and hold,” which is an earthquake specific training drill, we see the need to also prepare the students on what they should do before and during a landslide situation and threat of flooding,” said Nerisa Barbosa, DepEd-Benguet Division Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) officer, at the sidelines of a press conference by the department on Wednesday.
She said that by 2019, resiliency training drills to prepare the students for the occurrence of landslides and flood will be included in their programs to prepare and teach students how to appropriately respond.
Barbosa said that in their curriculum, there are resiliency topics integrated into different subjects, which teachers discuss to the students. She added that the topics are in the subjects Science, MAPE (Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health), Araling Panlipunan, among others.
"For example, in Science subject, the book explains how dormant volcanoes are, also what to do during eruptions, even during typhoons. Basically, safety is already incorporated in the lessons," she explained.
She cited that one whole module for the Senior High School focuses on disaster preparedness, mitigation, and readiness.
Barbosa said Dep-Ed is now coordinating with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the agency that produces videos on disaster preparedness and mitigation, for drill materials and videos that can be used to teach school children, specifically for landslides and flooding incidents.
“Actually, that is what we are requesting, since Cordillera region is prone to landslides and flash floods due to its geographic location. We are really hoping for that kind of drill," Barbosa added.
“As of now, what we have taught our learners is that once they notice that rain is continuously pouring, and they see the soil being saturated, there is already an impending landslide, and if the water canals are overflowing, there is a possibility of flash floods," she explained further.
She said they cannot give the same guidelines for earthquakes because there are different approaches on how to handle different calamities.
This topic is specifically important, considering the recent experience in the Cordillera, where landslides due to the typhoon happened and claimed scores of lives.
The landslide during Typhoon Ompong in September claimed less than a hundred lives in Itogon, Benguet alone. On the other hand, Typhoon Rosita caused the death of more than 20 people in several provinces in the Cordillera, with still many bodies missing.
Barbosa said students and offices in government and private institutions have been practicing the “dock, cover and hold (DCH)” and had been institutionalized as a quarterly activity all over the country, but she hopes the drills for landslides and flooding will also be made available soon.
She said the cooperation of families and the communities are also vital in setting up the "preparedness" measures.
"Right now, we are pushing for a community drill because that is where families participate, not just the schools. We want them to get involved in the preparedness activity of every barangay like what we have done in Dalupirip and Fianza schools," she cited.
"The key here is to be alert and aware of your surroundings, prioritize your life, not your personal belongings," she added. (PNA)
