Bracing for impact: A disaster risk reduction specialist in the Philippines
The Philippines is one of the ten most vulnerable countries to climate change. According to the 2016 Global Climate Index, the country is impacted by tropical storms, heavy precipitation and flooding. In November 2013, the country suffered the catastrophic devastation of typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded. CARE has implemented emergency and development projects in the Philippines with focus on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) primarily to build and increase resilience of people who live in vulnerable areas.
Deeji Baclig, CARE Philippines’ Disaster Risk Reduction Specialist, shares how she leads CARE’s work in helping people in rural communities protect the environment and adapt to a changing climate.
2.00am
I wake up and start preparing for my early morning flight to Iloilo, one of the provinces severely affected by typhoon Haiyan in the year 2013. I am a Manila-based CARE staff and I frequently travel to various communities supported by CARE to conduct trainings with the communities, provide technical assistance to our local partners and ensure that our project participants are properly guided in applying the knowledge and techniques we impart.
6.00am
I just arrived in Iloilo from Manila. From the airport, I travel to San Dionisio, a coastal town in the Northern part of the province where we carry out our seaweed production livelihood project. CARE provided financial and training assistance to ten rural villages in San Dionisio to plant and harvest seaweeds. Seaweed is one of the most important aquaculture commodities in the Philippines. It is usually processed to produce food and cosmetic products, agricultural fertilizer and so forth. Seaweed producers usually enjoy a good harvest from January to June, which are considered peak months for seaweed farming. The coastal areas of Iloilo have also been good locations to put up seaweed plantations.
9.00am
I regularly visit the Municipal Hall of San Dionisio to meet with the municipal council that is also the legislative body. In order for us to properly mainstream disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, we also build collaboration with the government to implement policies and ordinances that would ensure the protection of San Dionisio’s marine biodiversity. This includes eliminating the unsound environmental and agricultural practices of some community members. I also present to them a study conducted by CARE on coastal resource management and protection focusing on seaweed production.
10.00am
In order to complement the government’s initiatives, I also meet with the Municipal Fisheries Officer to know their plans and also present to them our line of activities. CARE has been providing technical assistance to fisherfolks (also the project beneficiaries) through the introduction of climate-resilient variety of seaweeds, climate-smart technologies and techniques. Most of the time, I work with the local authorities and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to address certain challenges being experienced by our project beneficiaries. One concrete example is the recent El Nino climatic event. Aside from getting less fish, some of their seaweeds are affected by what the locals call “ice-ice” disease due to the extreme heat. This particular disease condition is caused when changes in salinity, ocean temperature and light intensity give stress to seaweeds attracting bacteria in the water. This leads to decrease in production and quality as seaweeds die or become brittle. In response to that, we educated the project participants about mitigating measures specifically the deep sea planting. We advised the fisherfolks to place their seaweeds a bit deeper under the sea to achieve the seawater temperature between 27 and 30 degree Centigrade, the ideal temperature for seaweeds.
1.00pm
After lunch, I visit the seaweed plantations located near the shore. CARE’s project participants formed community associations to mobilize themselves and become organized in running their enterprises. Some associations are also led by women and there is even one being managed by all women members. During my visit, I monitor their agricultural and production techniques, how they ensure that they are not harming the environment and properly addressing the challenges they experience. We also educate the fisherfolks not to clear seagrass because it filters pollutants and provides food and habitat to certain marine creatures such as shrimps, sea cucumber, parrotfish, seahorse and sea turtles. My visit also allows me to catch up with our project beneficiaries and talk about not just their livelihood but also the positive changes in their life. It feels great to also witness their development and how they are able to overcome such challenges. I am proud to say that these people have become resilient and know how to prepare for future disasters.
2.30pm
It’s time for me to go back to the city proper and catch up on emails and other reports to write. I believe that my experiences in various communities I visit give me extra motivation to complete my tasks because this is not just about executing my work plan. I love spending time with people in the communities and help them adapt to climate change. As a mother, I know that if we protect our natural resources, this also helps the future generation. I want my son to also enjoy a healthy environment and become resilient to disasters.
For more on our work in Philippines, click here.