A Look into The DRRM Program

Maila F. Gutierrez

“It’s wasn’t raining when Noah build the Ark”-Howard Ruff. Living in a country often beset with natural calamities such as typhoons, earthquakes and even volcanic eruptions, it pays to prepare for natural disaster. However, its saddening that for the past decade people don’t take preparation for this things seriously. It was only when the Philippines was hit by natural disasters, one after another, especially quakes which could strike anywhere with no warning that the realization on the relevance of disaster preparedness have come to us.

Now, the Disaster Risk Reduction Program is placed on a different light especially in schools. Fear of the “Big One” has brought forth the desire to immediately spread and increase the awareness on Disaster Preparedness not just to students, but to a diverse populace. Different agencies and sectors recognized the fact that through proper education and information dissemination, we increase our level of resiliency and reduce impact of an impending disaster.

School-wide safety could only be achieved if all stakeholders actively collaborate in careful planning of contingency scheme, for the basic reason that we know more how to assess the possible risks as well as the strength of our institution.

We also capacitate the resiliency of everyone through having regular drills. By encouraging our students to actively participate in the drills, we are teaching them how to respond appropriately in different situation.

Lastly, cliché maybe, but we teachers play a significant role in the success of all these planning and training. It’s crucial that as teachers we are always a step or two ahead of our students when it comes to DRRM program. Stakes are too high, for our students’ safety rest on our hands. Knowing what to do and how to react could spell the difference between safety or mayhem of our students.

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The author is Teacher III at Angeles City Science High School