Reducing Disaster Risk on the Poor through Urban Redevelopment:

A Case Study of Barangay Rizal in Makati City

Orestes C. Magdaraog III
Background
The urban poor and the less privileged in a society have always been in the front lines of
disasters. Their vulnerability to such disasters is not only derived from their physical incapacity
to cope up with damages, but their social status and marginalization vehemently add to their
level of vulnerability as compared to other sectors of the community. Disasters largely increase
the poverty of the people and their social marginalization even further compounds their
vulnerability in times of calamities. It has been a dogma that disasters pick and exempt no one
regardless of their race, gender, location, and economic status in life. However, the vulnerability
of the poor is placed at a much greater risk because of being more socially deprived and
marginalized closer to environmental hazards.
In urban areas, it is a great challenge in reducing the risk of disasters on the poor. Due to
the pressures of fast urbanization, those who are at the margin of poverty are unjustly displaced
in high risk areas. In most cases, the common solution by the local governments in relieving the
vulnerability of the poor from disasters is to relocate them out of the risky site. As it is, relocation
is not a viable solution. Physically removing them out of the vulnerable spot of the urban site
will only distance them from the risk, but such solution will not resolve their social vulnerability
which is the very reason why poor are more susceptible to hazards. Upon this, as an alternative,
urban re-development is found to be the better solution wherein the area is being re-developed
to become more resilient against risks and hazards.
There have been so many criticisms on a bureaucratic and highly-centralized government
system. In line with this, the trend today is to devolve intrinsic functions of the national
government to local government units who uniquely experience the problem, and enable them to
provide a potential solution to their own local dilemma. This treats them not just a passive
recipient of aid during disaster events. A well-capacitated community certainly can support
themselves and respond to any form of environmental threats. In this paper, facilitated by a
particular case study, the significance of decentralization in governmental management of
disaster risk-reduction function will be highlighted. It is one prospect of this case study to show
how decentralization in the area of disaster risk-reduction planning is more compatible to local
management setting.
For the particular case study, the Barangay Rizal is a good case model for pursuing a
disaster risk-sensitive urban redevelopment plan. The Barangay Rizal Makati Risk-Sensitive
Urban Redevelopment Planning Project was created by the Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative
(EMI) together with the cooperation of the Makati City Government, the community leaders of
Barangay Rizal, and Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. With the Barangay
Rizal as the chosen pilot site for the project, this project is undertaken essentially to lessen the

physical and social vulnerabilities of the local community to hazards from earthquakes, and at
the same time, subsequently improving the social living conditions of the residents of the
barangay.1
Towards a Local-Based Disaster Management
An effective disaster management strategy is one that is not reliant on outside
intervention and help. This is the very idea behind the decentralization of the structure in disaster
risk-reduction management. It is really not the entire nation that is at the frontline of disasters. Its
impact is largely felt at the grassroots communities, precisely because of this reason that
communities should be involved in managing the risks that may threaten their own community
members. By using what is available locally, it can improve the efficiency in disaster relief
delivery and response which could save more lives and properties. Along this process of
decentralization, communities also enhance the openness of those involved towards voluntarism,
making the community less dependent on the national government in times of disaster.2
All of these features of a decentralized disaster management are very much in contrast to
the top-down approach of a national disaster management that focuses more on structural and
technological solutions. In a community-based disaster management, the mitigation effort lies on
the community itself capitalizing on their own local resources and capacities to reduce peoples
vulnerabilities to hazards.3 It is important to take note that risk-reduction measures are
community specific. Disasters in different local communities have diverse contexts and may
need unique disaster plan different from each other. A centralized and national disaster plan
cannot see through the unique and exceptional disaster risks of a community. Therefore, an
appropriate risk reduction measures should be identified after conducting an analysis of the
communitys disaster risk.4
The legal consideration of the relevant importance of the local governments and
communities in handling disasters is provided in the Philippine Disaster Risk-Reduction
Management Act or the Republic Act 10121that paved the way for the need to adopt a disaster
risk reduction and management approach that is holistic, comprehensive, integrated, and
proactive in lessening the socio-economic and environmental impacts of disasters including
climate change, and promote the involvement and participation of all sectors and all stakeholders
concerned, at all levels, especially the local communities. 5 The DRRM Act explicitly calls for
strengthening the Philippine disaster control capability and establishing a framework on
community disaster preparedness. It is hence a policy of self-help and self-reliance.
1

Violeta Seva, Makati Risk-Sensitive Urban Redevelopment Planning Project, a

presentation presented for Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2011.
2
Arnel, Capili, How Should Disasters be Managed? The Governments View on
Community-Based Disaster Management, Philippine Sociological Review 51 (JanuaryDecember 2003), 41.
3
Lorna Victoria, Community-Based Disaster Management in the Philippines: Making a
Difference in Peoples Lives, Philippine Sociological Review 51 (January-December 2003, 65).
4
Ibid, 67.
5
NDRMMP, The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan, 2011,
available in http://www.dilg.gov.ph/PDF_File/resources/DILG-Resources-2012116420ac59e31.pdf.

An essential topic in this case study is devoted to the most vulnerable groups, families,
and people in the community. People who have adverse socio-economic standing may not have
the necessary capacity to withstand disasters, and poverty may in fact exacerbate their level of
vulnerability to such disasters. In urban areas, the most vulnerable groups are generally the urban
poor and the informal settlers who are forced to reside in areas that are very near to hazards. A
community-based disaster management seeks to address this form of vulnerability brought about
by poverty, social inequality, and environmental depletion and degradation. One pertinent goal of
a decentralized disaster management is to attain sustainability by developing communities. 6
The Hazards, Vulnerabilities, and Risks in the Area
Barangay Rizal is located on the eastern fringe of Makati City and is one of the 33
barangays of the city. It has a total land area of 59.4 hectares or only 2% of the total citys land
area with a population of 39,580. By and large, the barangay was selected as the pilot site for the
urban re-development project because of the unique combination of the areas susceptibility to
earthquake hazards and also the socio-economic conditions of its residents. With this eccentric
make-up of vulnerabilities of the local community, the physical risk from earthquakes is further
exacerbated by the social vulnerability of the residents.7
The barangay residents are generally low-income with a high level of unemployed.
According the result of the socio-economic survey in the barangay, it is revealed that nearly 34%
of the household have low household income and 16% of them fall below the poverty line. In
addition, almost 55% of the communitys population is unemployed. The lack of financial
resources and the economic opportunities of the people make them ill-prepared to quickly
recover from disasters.8
Looking at the physical make-up and characteristics of Barangay Rizal, it is a serious
problem that the community is situated in a spot highly susceptible to earthquakes. Barangay
Rizal is exactly located on top of an active fault line, making the area and its people more
vulnerable to the threats of hazard resulting from earthquakes. The West Valley Fault runs along
the northwestern portion of the barangay.
In the recent study conducted by Metro Manila Earthquake Impat Reduction Study or
MMEIR in 2004, a rupture of the fault can wreak a possible magnitude of 7.2 earthquakes, which
can have a severe damage to approximately 40% of the total number of residential buildings
within Metro Manila, with estimated deaths of 34,000 and 114,000 injuries. Being close to the
location of the fault, Barangay Rizal is expected to suffer serious damages due to the ground
rupture. Furthermore, inspection of buildings in the area for seismic vulnerability revealed that 1
out of every 3 buildings situated along the fault line may not withstand the impact of a
magnitude 7.2 earthquake.9
6

Victoria. op.cit. 68.

Fouad Bendimerad, and Violeta Seva, et al. Disaster Risk Reduction of Highly
Vulnerable Areas through Urban Redevelopment, (Okube: n.p., 2011).
8
Seva, Makati Risk-Sensitive Urban Redevelopment Planning Project, ibid.
9
Ibid.
7

The physical characteristics of the barangay can also make emergency access and
operation very difficult in case of disaster. There is only a limited circulation and access due to
congested and narrow roads. The presence of unsafe buildings and structures and the obstructed
roadways can contribute to the physical vulnerability of the residents to earthquake. The
barangay also has no enough open space for emergency use and evacuation. The roads being
narrow can be blocked by debris after a ground-shaking earthquake which makes emergency
operation more impossible to penetrate the area. Barangay Rizal is also subject to flooding and
other hazards such as fire and flooding. Not only are the physical features of the barangay the
only contributors in the vulnerability of the area. The inadequate management capacity in terms
of emergency preparedness and response can also be factors in exacerbating the vulnerability of
the residents to disaster.10

An Innovative Framework:
The Urban Redevelopment Approach in Reducing Disaster-Risks
With these concurrent problems contributing the total vulnerability of the residents to
earthquake, Barangay Rizal found it imperative to address the issue by implementing a disasterrisk management. The risk-sensitive urban redevelopment project will be the first one in the
Philippines to implement urban redevelopment in consideration of reducing risk from disasters,
particularly earthquakes. Essentially, this project in the barangay involved a plan with a goal of
transforming a highly- risky and disaster-prone area to a safer and disaster-resilient community
while also taking into the process the environmental quality, proper land use plan, and economic
livelihood of the residents.
By and large, the redevelopment plan addresses the problem of disaster risk into three
main concerns: physical vulnerability, socio-economic vulnerability, and emergency
management capacity of the barangay. The main concern in the reducing the physical
vulnerability of the people is the presence of unsafe structures built on top of the fault zone and
other vulnerable buildings scattered around the area than pose serious physical damage in event
of a high magnitude earthquake. For socio-economic vulnerability, the main dilemma here is the
high population of the area with many living below poverty line and, in effect, may not have the
economic capacity to cope with disasters. With regard to emergency management, the issue that
the project addresses is to improve the mobility around the area for possible emergency operation
and evacuation shelters given a little open space and blocked roadways of the barangay.11
In highly-urbanized places like the city of Makati, most of the urban projects of the local
governments are not risk-sensitive, thus missing one of the opportunities to reduce the impact of
urban risk from disasters. Just in the case of land-use planning, urban planning in big cities fails
to put into consideration the impact of the urban development to the vulnerability of the people.
Urban development thus has its own drawback in adding more to the risk and contributing more
on the level of vulnerability of people to disasters. While Makati City maintains economic
10
11

Fouad, Seva, et al., Ibid.

Ibid.

development, the poor is strictly marginalized closer to urban risks resulting from this pace of
urban development.
There is now a big need to review and re-formulate the traditional methodologies in
urban planning by accounting also disasters risk-sensitivity to these plans. As a new innovation
introduced in the urban settings by the Makati Risk-Sensitive Urban Redevelopment Planning
Project, re-development is seen as an innovative method since most of the area in Makati City
is already developed. Re-development means changing the existing structures of an already
developed city by reducing risks to older structures and facilities which are the main sources of
physical and social vulnerability.
This is the first project in the country to address the redevelopment of a built-up area.
Since the Barangay Rizal in the second district of Makati City is discovered to be mostvulnerable to disaster, redevelopment addresses earthquake risk of this high-risk community.
Redeveloping the physical structure of the barangay by clearing unsafe buildings, widening
roads, and building of open spaces and emergency facilities, it is foreseen in the years to come
that the level of susceptibility of the people to earthquake will be diminished subsequently. As
already mentioned, social vulnerability of the people is also another consideration that this
project aims to address. The economic standing of the residents directly creates more impact
from preparing and recovering from disasters. All these areas of concerns are contained in this
urban redevelopment planning project of the barangay.

Binding the People and the Government: A Participatory Approach

One intrinsic aspect of the project is that it involves a highly participatory approach. A
single integrated called the Project Implementation Team was grouped together that included
technical specialist from Barangay Rizal, Makati City Government, and PHIVOLCS.
Stakeholders were involved in all phases of the planning process. The crafting of the plan was
not done in the local government offices, but the series of planning workshops that engaged the
representatives of the barangay community in the development process.
The planning process demonstrates three social engagement of the resident of the
barangay: social investigation, social preparation and social acceptance. 12 On September 3, 2008,
technical teams of the Makati City Government and Earthquake and Megacities Initiatives (EMI)
took their first milestone by conducting a community consultation in the barangay. The next
month, on October 23 and 24, 2008, initial preparations and advocacy planning were processed
together with the local stakeholders in the area. Visioning Workshop was also conducted on
December 11 2008 where the barangay officials and residents worked together to formulate the
goals, missions, and visions of the project, identify the major residential problems, and
recommend their possible solutions. The project sees the value of allowing the direct
stakeholders to craft their own visions in the plan where they will be directly affected.13

12
13

Ibid.
Seva, Ibid

Finally on January 28 to 30 of 2009, the people were oriented on the hazards and their
vulnerability through the vulnerability assessment. On April 2, 2009, technical team from the
Earthquake and Megacities Initiatives visited the site and held a disaster town watching and
plotting to strictly identify the high-risk areas along the dangerous fault line. The planning
process also engaged the transport cluster in a meeting on May 1 to 5, 2009 where they discussed
a risk-sensitive road restructuring. The community also participated in the identification of
programs and activities, and the validation of findings and proposed redevelopment plan on two
validation workshops held on May 15 and June 24 of the same year. All of the accomplishments
in this planning stage were then presented to the stakeholders in a final presentation held on
December 11, 2009. 14
This participatory planning helped ensure that the plan reflected all interests especially
that of the residents. To create ownership in the redevelopment plan, there should be continuity
in this project by information and education campaign for the community stakeholders. In sum,
this planning process of building a urban redevelopment risk-sensitive plan goes hand-in-hand
with the participatory process where a consortium of the city and local government authority and
the community members was fostered to jointly plan the barangay disaster risk-sensitive project.

The Formulation of a Disaster Risk-Reduction Plan

The evaluation of physical, social and economic vulnerability to the households of
Barangay Rizal is the core to the redevelopment project. How each of the residents is affected by
these criteria is determined from the physical risk survey. The socio-economic surveys provide
the profile for the affected residents, which is crucial to the compensation scheme that will need
to be put in place for the re-development plan. The physical vulnerability of individual structures
was done through a Rapid Visual Screening for Seismic Vulnerability of Buildings. This was
carried out by means of a sidewalk survey where trained engineers from Makati City filled up
a data collection form for each structure based on visual observation supplemented by data
obtained from the Citys engineering office.15
Special attention was also paid to evaluate liquefaction potential. A total of 1,150
structures covering 44 blocks in Zones 7, 8, 9, and 10 were surveyed. This constitutes around 94
percent of the total number of structures (1,229) in the planning area. A special algorithm was
designed to classify the structures into four risk levels: Very High, High, Moderate and Low.16
Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (VCA) was undertaken to determine the existing
conditions that predispose the community to potential socio-economic losses and damages in the
event of a disaster. The VCA assessment specifically seeks to identify individuals and
households who will be adversely affected by a disaster event, and also identify and assess the
capacity of households and the community to respond and recover from a disaster event.

14
15
16

Ibid.
Fouad, Seva, Ibid.
Ibid.

The results of the surveys were shared with the community to raise awareness and for educating
the community in risk-sensitive re-development.17
The Proposed Risk-Sensitive Urban Redevelopment Planning Project
The Makati Risk-Sensitive Urban Redevelopment Planning Project is designed for a 10year timeframe with short term, medium term and long term actions. The priorities in the action
planning were driven by the input from the stakeholders and were driven mainly by ensuring
community acceptance and developing community trust and support. Below are the proposed
key interventions to address the different forms of vulnerabilities in the barangay:
Fault Zone Park One huge redevelopment strategy of this disaster risk-reduction plan is
the creation of an easement zone along the fault with access roads on both sides. This open-space
park will provide for the opportunity to redesign new utilities and fire protection systems that
considers earthquake motion. Aside from that, proper drainage systems will be added to prevent
high flooding. This available open space in the barangay can also serve as an open market,
recreational area, playground, parking space and a community garden.18
Retrofitting of Highly-Vulnerable Structures Since the barangay also considers the
danger of the physical structures in event of an earthquake, a voluntary retrofit program is
suggested for structures that are classified as High Risk. Structural analysis needs to be
undertaken on the structures to ascertain the level of risk considering their construction
characteristics and location.19
Social Housing Program and Pocket-Open Space The need for the re-housing of the
residents residing near the site for this redevelopment plan is necessary to pursue such strategy.
New medium density social housing will be provided for the households that will be affected by
the implementation of the plan. Nevertheless, this re-housing is not a relocation scheme where
they will be relocated outside of the barangay but on the premise that relocation will still be onsite or within the barangay itself.20
Improvement of the emergency circulation and response To increase the efficiency in
emergency delivery around the area, the existing circulation network and traffic management
should be improved. Anything that may disrupt disaster emergency operation must be omitted
and redeveloped. There should be an installation of early warning system, creation of evacuation
plan, disaster training and seminars, and construction of multipurpose centers for recreation and
temporary shelters.21
Compensation Scheme This scheme will be for the benefit of the household that are
affected by the redevelopment plan and will have to be relocated away from the site.
17
18
19
20
21

Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Seva, Ibid.

Developing Livelihood and Economic Conditions one feature of this redevelopment

plan is also to address the socio-economic vulnerability of the residents to disasters. As such,
measures to raise the income and uplift the economic conditions of the people must be
considered to reduce their vulnerabilities by conducting livelihood and skill enhancement
programs, promoting business and entrepreneurship, developing local commercial centers, and
establishing development controls and density controls.
A Visible Change: The Urban Risk-Sensitive Redevelopment Plans Outcomes
As of now, the project is still on its formative phase of three years. One tangible output of
the project is the social housing for the household that were affected by redevelopment. For those
who were displaced because their existing dwellings are considered to be at very high risk, a
compensation scheme that is based on pertinent legal provisions and regulations was provided.
Informal settlers in the said barangay who are residing in high risk areas and are most
likely to be affected by an earthquake and flooding were relocated to San Jose Del Monte City,
Bulacan. The facility covers a 3.2 hectare-lot that was purchased by the Makati City Government
for the relocation of families living in danger zones. The relocation facility is a joint project of
Makati City Government and Gawad Kalinga (GK), a non-governmental organization (NGO)
which provides housing for informal settlers. The relocated families are required to invest in a
so-called sweat equity where they have to build their relocation houses or help build houses for
other relocatees. Makati City not only relocates dwellers in slum areas but also helps in
developing self-reliant communities out of the relocation sites.22
Training for disaster preparedness and skills training for livelihood improvement were
also undertaken. This is another immediate output of the plan that is to increase the emergency
capacity of the people to disasters. Residents of the Barangay Rizal were given proper technical
disaster trainings and emergency relief operations. Students at the public school of the barangay
were also given lecture and drills in emergency operations and disaster-preparedness. The road
structure of the barangay was also retrofitted to provide more open space for the people and
allow for evacuations and circulation of emergency operations in the area. A clear evacuation
route was now visible in the area. Emergency and road signs were placed to facilitate the
emergency operations in safely evacuating the barangay. A voluntary retrofit was given to
structures that are classified as High Risk to make them more flexible to the impact of
earthquakes.
Furthermore, the advances in technologies were also utilized by the barangay to
administer an efficient communication of information and to enhance the delivery of relief
operations and other services. The barangay hall has its own radio and communication office
equipped with the necessary technologies and devices. In times of disaster, the office already
sends out warning of incoming disaster to barangay making the residents to be prepared before
the actual strike of the disasters. Operation sin delivering reliefs and evacuation response were
22

Pimentel Institute for Local Governance, Makati City hosts first World Banks Global
Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction, available in http://www.pimentelinstitute.org/index.php?
do=view&page=speeches&id=131.

also managed efficiently by this improvement in information technology whereby the radio and
communication office receives information and outside help from its radio devices. In short, the
use of this information and communication technology improves also the administration in
immediate disaster response and operation.
The outcome of this project resulted to a positive response from the people of the
barangay. At the outset, this project was planned and validated mostly by the residents of
Barangay Rizal. The role of the local government is only to facilitate the process, but the
planning itself is done by the people. It was shown that formulating an acceptable
redevelopment plan is possible if the planning process is systematic, transparent, participatory
and consensus-based. The systematic approach in data gathering, analysis, and presentation at the
stakeholder workshops helped significantly in developing a deeper appreciation of the risks that
the community faces. This allowed the people to own the redevelopment plan as they are the
principal actors who planned and implemented the project.
s
Some of the lessons that the actors involved in the planning process of the project learned
is that the conduct of community consultations may results in the delaying of the implementation
of the project. However, considering the interests of the community and letting them participate
in the planning process may increase the likelihood of success. The support of the community
was gained through this conduct of participation and consultation which had provided unique
insights on the project site and increased a more sensitive local knowledge of disasters and
vulnerabilities. It is realized that the undertaking of a community project would not be possible
without the involvement of other partners that provide technical, financial, and personnel
support. Most importantly, this project can be replicated and adapted in other vulnerable areas,
taking also consideration the socio-economic conditions of the community. Barangay Rizal will
serve as a pioneer community of this disaster-risk reduction project.
The Developmental Chain: From Centralized to Local Disaster Management to Local
Development
The overarching and central role of the national government in disaster management is
not ideal as it amplifies more the weaknesses of the communities. The national disaster risk
management is closely patterned to a military command structure and replicates a command and
control approach in dealing with disasters. Its basic strategy is only to provide immediate relief
through government aid and assistance. These inequities resulting from a centralized disaster
management and their irrelevance to specific local needs of vulnerable communities have to be
reformed by local-based disaster management approach.23
In effect, this shift to a people-centered disaster management may also provide a link to
local development. The goal of this local-based disaster management is to build safer, disaster
resilient and developed communities. The integration of community disaster risk reduction into
local development planning system will lead to sustainable and equitable community
development. The community should advocate for such integration of the local government to
23

Arnel Capili. op. cit. 44.

disaster management to address the issues f public safety, employment and livelihood security,
poverty, housing, health services, and education in the community.24
Disasters often strike people who have adverse socio-economic conditions because of
their vulnerabilities to it. The new concept of looking at disasters stimulates another way of why
people are more vulnerable. Instead of looking only to the hazards, a special recognition is given
to the actions by the people that contribute to their vulnerability. In this case study in Barangay
Rizal, poverty is the critical component that draws higher vulnerability to people. The fast
urbanization of the city of Makati brings certain groups of the society closer to environmental
hazards and risks. This is evident in the exposure of the barangay to earthquake hazards.
An assessment of profile of vulnerability of the barangay explicitly demonstrates that
physical vulnerability is not only the aspect in mapping vulnerability but also the social
vulnerability of the people to cope with disasters. The Makati Risk-Sensitive Urban
Redevelopment Planning Project intelligently incorporates into its plan the level of social
vulnerability of the people. Barangay Rizal is one of the poorest barangays in Makati City where
majority of its people live below the poverty line.
It is thus an intelligent idea to improve also the social living condition of the residents
through livelihood project, skills enhancement, and commercial and entrepreneurial
reinforcements, while at the same time redeveloping the physical structures that render the
barangay closer to hazards. In essence, this redevelopment project will not only physically equip
the people in times of disasters, but also provide measures to raise their income and uplift their
economic conditions. It is a win-win situation to the barangay residents as they not only prepare
for hazards but also mitigate the impact through social improvement of their lives.
Disaster Management at the local level positively invites a synergy of different local
actors and stakeholders to perform together at reducing disaster-risk in their area. This facilitates
more efficient local governance in disaster management. Upon so, this democratic mechanism in
handling the disaster risk-reduction function by the local government units bridges the gap to
sustainable local development. People at the local level feel more the urge to participate and
volunteer in disaster management and in return feel also the benefits that it may bring to them.
The local resources of the barangay are efficiently utilized. Urban redevelopment strategy of this
project promises development by reforming the structures and conditions of the barangay to a
disaster-resilient and highly-developed community.
Strengthening the Barangays
Another contribution of this case study is to present an innovative plan by a barangay
which is the smallest political unit in the Philippines. It is shown that a successful local disaster
management is to institutionalize into this decentralization process the barangays which has the
direct control of the people. The first to respond for help in an immediate call for disaster
emergency operation is the one closest to the people. The proximity of the barangays to the
people in an event of a disaster puts more responsibility on them. Thus, preparing the barangays
24

Victoria. op. cit. 75.

to practical disaster risk-reduction and mitigation will enable them to manage threats and
damages from disasters.
More specifically, the barangays ought to establish and implement policies and guidelines
draw from the experiences of the city, municipal, and National Disaster Coordinating Council.
As one of the mandated development plans, it is also expected to determine priorities in fund
allocation, services, equipment, and relief supplies as well as receive advisory and reports
situation from and to the city.25
The Barangay Rizal successfully demonstrated that a smallest unit of government can
perform a very huge function like handling disasters. Although this disaster risk-sensitive project
is an axis of coordination among national, city, and barangay actors, the emphasis on the
community and people-centered management is evident. The project allows the barangay
members and officials to directly participate in the planning and implementation stages of the
project.
Another strategy for harnessing community participation through barangay governance is
to strengthen the volunteer networks. This disaster management at the local barangay level can
operationalize volunteer groups who have the capacity to freely help other people in the
community.
Analysis and Recommendation to the Disaster Risk-Sensitive Project
It is highly applauded that the City Government of Makati and other technical experts are
sensitive to the particular culture and socio-economic conditions of the people of Barangay Rizal
which is tremendously helpful in maintaining a spirit of collaboration and cooperation
throughout the planning process. This highly participatory approach of this disaster risk-sensitive
urban redevelopment project appreciates the role of the community members in partaking in a
local concerns and issues that they directly experience in their area. This is the important
opportunity of the project which is to gain the social acceptance of the community members and
leaders to the project. The best way to maintain this existing project is to continuously engage
local leaders and members in directing the implementation of this project.
As mentioned, the project plan forecasts a ten-year implementation stages and to date, the
project has only been on its three years. The sustainability of the goals and missions of the
project may be disrupted by the change of political leaders during elections. It is to be
recommended that there must still be continuity in handling this disaster risk-reduction project
election after election. The incumbent barangay officials must ensure that the next people to
assume the barangay seats will be well-informed of the sustainability and significance of this
project to the barangay. The quality management of implementing this project must be observed.
Sustainability may be jeopardized if the next officials to come are not well-informed and
technically knowledgeable of the objectives and missions of the project.

25

Capili. op.cit, 45.

One criticism to this project is that it failed to accomplish its promise not to relocate the
residents, may it be informal settlers or not, outside of the site. The project did not remain
faithful to its goal of not applying the relocation scheme of the people that are affected by the
redevelopment in the project site. The informal settlers in the barangay residing in the high risk
areas were relocated to San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan. This strategy is not in cognizant to the
idea of redevelopment of addressing the social vulnerability of the people which is not to take
them out of their houses. They must be mindful of the fact that relocation is not a viable solution
wherein it does not really address the social vulnerability of the people to hazards. The social
living condition of the poor must be uplifted in order to enable them to prepare for disasters.
The project has also demonstrated that land use and redevelopment planning can also be
helpful tools in diminishing the physical and social vulnerability of the people. This
methodology of urban redevelopment is not yet explored in reducing the impact of disasters in
urban areas. Nonetheless, the project has generated valuable insights in addressing earthquake
risks in a high-risk community. In an already built-up and developed area like Makati City, urban
redevelopment is an innovative strategy to restructure the urbanized setting into a risk-sensitive
developed community. The Barangay Rizal is already congested location with small lots and
narrow streets and aggravated by the predominantly low-income households, urban
redevelopment compatibly addresses such physical and social vulnerabilities.
Although this disaster risk-sensitive project is only piloted in selected zone areas in
Barangay Rizal in Makati, the methodology used can be potentially replicated to other
barangays. The earthquake hazards in Makati are trans-boundary and encompass other vicinities
and neighboring barangays which are as vulnerable to earthquakes. It is hoped that given the
success of this project in Barangay Rizal, it can be expanded to other highly vulnerable areas in
Makati City such as Pembo, Comembo, West Rembo, and East Rembo.
Conclusion
Experiences in Barangay Rizal affirm the relevance, viability, and effectiveness of
involving communities in disaster management. The Makati Risk-Sensitive Urban
Redevelopment Project is making a difference in the lives of many families. This case study
illustrated vulnerabilities are rooted in the societys socio-economic system and level of
development. It is a key component in reducing the impact of disaster is to assess the level of
vulnerability of the people to hazards and risks. By alleviating the poverty among the poor
households, it can produce more efficient disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts in the local
governments and communities. The National Disaster Risk Coordinating Council must realize
the need to focus not only on providing immediate relief but also seeing the level of
vulnerabilities to disasters. The participatory element in community-based disaster management
is precisely the reason why a decentralized disaster management is necessary to address disaster
problems. Barangay Rizal exemplified as the pilot model in demonstrating barangay governance
in handling disaster-risks. To realize the reduction of disaster risk and achieve safety and
development for Filipinos, disaster management strategies must be complimented by the support
and commitment from the less vulnerable sectors of the communities. Reducing vulnerabilities
on the poor therefore results a real development.

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