Prof. Rosanna R. Dureza, project leader, explains the progress of the program to Mr. Tim Sterwardson, New Zealand Deputy Head of Mission (2nd from right) and Ms. Gemma Regina Cunanan (left) of the Philippine Climate Change Commission on their monitoring visit.
True to its commitment to social responsibility, ISAT U developed a program geared to prevent loss of lives, properties and resources due to climate change hazards specifically rain-induced landslides and to strengthen efforts towards climate change adaptation, mitigation and resiliency.
With a pool of faculty members who have undergone trainings with Project Rebuild of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), a three-year (2018-2021) program “Capacitating Communities in Mitigating Impacts of Climate Change (CCMICC)” was conceptualized.
Part of the CCMICC is the “REDUCING DISASTER CAUSED BY RAIN-INDUCED LANDSLIDE: TRAINING FOR COMMUNITIES AND NON-EXPERTS Project”.
ISAT U faculty members conduct community field work on landslide susceptibility assessment at Barangay La Consolacion, Miagao, Iloilo.
The project identified the Municipality of Miagao, Iloilo as the partner Local Government Unit for implementation due to its vulnerability. As of 2016, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Region 6 identified Miagao as one of the municipalities in the Province of Iloilo having many communities vulnerable to rain induced landslides.
After an exploratory talks with the local authorities of the municipality and a series of meetings with the geologists of the MGB, a site inspection and documentation of communities in Miag-ao with slope failures due to rain induced landslide was held on October 22-24, 2018.
The university, in collaboration with Kalinga State University (KSU), started conducting trainings in mitigating disaster caused by landslides to 120 non-expert individuals in 24 barangays on November 7.
The training utilized a guidebook and a landslide susceptibility assessment material develop by KSU. It introduces procedures, practical techniques and technologies and involves a knowledge set easily understood by the locals.
Training of communities and non-experts in reducing disaster caused by rain-induced landslides at Miagao, Iloilo.
Aside from training on risk reduction on rain-induced landslides, the project will also conduct a vulnerability risk assessment for the enhancement of the local climate change action plan, formulate project proposals geared towards climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resiliency to access climate finance subsidy e.g. People’s Survival Fund, initiate the conduct of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventory in the Poblacion area of the municipality , and to initiate activities and engagements towards the possibility of green energy utilization in the Municipality of Miagao.
On December 7, New Zealand Head of Mission Mr. Tim Stewardson with Rune Raphael Ylade and, Ms. Gemma Regina Cunanan of the Philippine Climate Change Commission visited the university for complete monitoring and project evaluation . Through the Climate Change Commission, the Project ReBuild of the New Zealand government is providing the financial support to the Municipality of Miagao for program implementation.
Miagao Mayor Macario Napulan expressed his gratitude and support to the program. Meanwhile, according to Dr. Raul F. Muyong “this project is a testament of ISAT U’s social responsibility to help build resiliency in the community.”
In 2017, similar project was developed to help mitigate the effects of flood to the people of the Municipality of Zarraga, Iloilo which is located adjacent to Jalaur River, one of the biggest rivers in Iloilo Province.
