Integrating the Local and Indigenous Knowledge (LiNK) of Barangays Dolo and Manzana in Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Planning ()
1. Introduction
Hit by an average of 20 typhoons each year, the Philippines is a low middle-income country that is highly vulnerable to various natural hazards such as floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, and drought (Climate Change Risk in the Philippines: Country Fact Sheet, 2017) [1] . The country also ranked the fifth most affected by extreme weather events between 1996 and 2015 with losses amounting to 2.7 billion US Dollars (Global Climate Risk Index, 2017) [2] . Given the prevalence of socioeconomic vulnerabilities, the most vulnerable communities bear the brunt of the disasters in the country, particularly those located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas such as coastal communities. The record showed that 62% of the population who live in coastal zones are affected by hydro meteorological hazards (DENR, 2001) [3] . With a coastline of more than 18,000 kilometers covering a coastal water area of 266,000 sq. kms., communities along the shoreline are highly dependent on coastal and marine resources as their source of livelihood (“Oneoceanorg.com” n.d.) [4] , thus highlighting the need to increase and improve their adaptive capacities in a manner that enables and helps them foster resilience at the community level.
Given the current imperative across all levels of advocacy and engagement to harness and build on local capacities, the need to integrate and mainstream local and indigenous knowledge or LInK gains more credence. However, local knowledge is still often dismissed as “inferior to scientific knowledge”, as it is not founded on scientific data nor validated through standard technical processes used by scientists (Mercer J., Kelman I., Taranis L. and Suchet-Pearson, S., 2010) [5] .
In 2010, the enactment of the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act or RA 10121 institutionalized and required the active engagement and participation of vulnerable sectors and marginalized communities, also highlighting the need to integrate local and indigenous knowledge into local DRRM planning processes. The landmark law institutionalized better sharing and mainstreaming of best practices at the local and barangay levels by ensuring that disaster risk reduction and climate change measures are “gender responsive, sensitive to indigenous knowledge systems, and respectful of human rights (Philippine DRRM Act of 2010) [6] ”. Moreover, RA 10121 has institutionalized the inclusion and mainstreaming of LInK under Section 2: “Ensure that disaster risk reduction and climate change measures are gender responsive, sensitive to indigenous knowledge systems, and respectful of human rights.”
In recent years, the call for integrated, community-based, and sustainable strategies toward addressing the impacts of climate change and disasters have gained more ground not only at the national but also at the regional and global levels. Mercer, J. Kelman, I., Taranis, L. and Suchet-Pearson, S. (2010) [5] stated the significance of “increased utilization of knowledge of the local people” in mitigating hazards and reducing disasters in local communities. In the same light, Smit and Wandel (2006) [7] noted that some developing countries are employing “bottom-up approaches” and investing in “indigenous knowledge in developing DRR initiatives applicable to their situations.” A sense of “security and communal belonging” is reported to have been felt by the local people in Africa when they share and impart the knowledge indigenous to their culture. This signifies that when indigenous structures and mechanisms such as the latter are nurtured and sustained, it will be much easier to facilitate active and meaningful participation of the stakeholders at the community level, particularly the most vulnerable and at-risk sectors.
This research is in line with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Framework (NDRRMF) of the Philippines as part of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP) of 2011-2028. The framework (Figure 1) depicts the “comprehensive, all-hazards, multi-sectoral, inter-agency and community-based approach to disaster risk reduction and management” with the overall goal of attaining “safer, adaptive, and disaster-resilient Filipino communities toward sustainable development (National DRRM Plan, 2011) [8] ”. It starts with recognizing risk factors such as hazards, exposures, vulnerabilities, and capacities. The process flows into a cycle of key components: Prevention & Mitigation to avoid or lessen disaster impacts; preparedness to organize and ready responses; response to minimize disaster effects during and immediately after an event; and Rehabilitation & Recovery to rebuild and improve post-disaster conditions. The diagram highlights the importance of integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into planning and implementation, suggesting a dynamic and ongoing process of managing disaster risks. Furthermore, the plan “recognizes the importance of culturally-sensitive risk reduction measures at all levels. People’s vulnerability to disasters as well as their capacities to adapt to the changing realities are more often than not, related to the cultural and indigenous practices. By being sensitive to the indigenous practices and local knowledge, DRRM approaches will become more effective and more easily understood and embraced by the people”.
This framework underscores the need to invest time and resources in the four thematic areas (disaster prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, rehabilitation and recovery) as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation to be able to implement DRRM and CCAM programs, projects and activities that are proactive and can help reduce loss of life and damage to social, economic and environmental assets [NDRRMP, 2011]. To better establish the significance of the four thematic areas of DRRM, the following outlines the key activities per pillar:
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Figure 1. National DRRM Framework for 2011-2028 (NDRRMP, 2011) [8] .
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation activities aim to “avoid hazards and mitigate their potential impacts by reducing vulnerabilities and exposure and enhancing capacities of communities” (National DRRM Plan, 2011) [8] . Examples of such activities are the establishment of Early Warning System, increasing disaster resilience of infrastructure systems, and conduct of community-based and scientific risk assessments.
Disaster Preparedness activities include simulation exercises or drills, Basic Life Support (BLS) Trainings and Contingency Planning, aim to “establish and strengthen capacities of communities to anticipate, cope and recover from the negative impacts of emergency occurrences and disasters” (National DRRM Plan, 2011) [8] .
Disaster Response activities, on the other hand, are those that aim to “provide life preservation and meet the basic subsistence needs of affected population based on acceptable standards during or immediately after a disaster” [NDRRMP, 2011]. The conduct of Damage and Needs Assessment (DANA), management of evacuation and provision of psychosocial support are all considered a response activity.
Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery activities aim to “restore and improve facilities, livelihood living conditions organizational capacities of affected communities, and reduce disaster risks in accordance with the ‘building back better’ principle” (National DRRM Plan, 2011) [8] . This includes strengthening of economic activities, mainstreaming DRRM and CCA in local development plans and retrofitting and strengthening of infrastructures.
LInK, based on UNESCO’s programme on Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS), is defined as the “understandings, skills, and philosophies developed by societies with long histories of interaction with their natural surroundings. For rural and indigenous peoples, such knowledge informs decision-making about fundamental aspects of day-to-day life (UNESCO, undated)”. Communities foster and develop this body of wisdom and knowledge by observing and monitoring weather patterns, behavior of insects and animals, notable changes in biodiversity, and activities of celestial bodies.
Before the establishment of scientific databases and bodies of scientifically validated data, communities relied on LInK or local and indigenous knowledge to monitor, assess, and evaluate the changing climate and weather patterns. This has helped them plan and set up indigenous adaptation, mitigation, and preparedness measures, efficiently reducing losses and damages based on their local context and situation.
LiNK has been the fundamental basis of communities for monitoring, assessing, and addressing the disaster risks to which they are exposed, helping them develop indigenous ways to prevent or mitigate the impacts of hazards not only to their households but also to their livelihoods.
Thus, it is pivotal for agencies and structures at the national, local, and community levels to institutionalize, mainstream, and integrate LInK in all planning processes, ensuring its efficient assimilation and validation in scientific knowledge bases, as it is only through the effective and efficient mainstreaming of LInKS in the socio-political infrastructure that communities will be empowered to better document, practice, and integrate their local and indigenous wisdom in all disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery measures, strategies, and activities.
2. Objectives of the Study
This study is primarily aimed to integrate the local and indigenous knowledge (LInK) of residents of two coastal barangays in San Jose, Camrines Sur in local disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation planning. More specifically, it has the following objectives: 1) to identify and document the existing local knowledge and practices of community members from Barangays Dolo and Manzana, 2) to validate the existing local knowledge and practices of community members, and 3) to develop Information, Education, and Communication Materials for Disaster Risk Reduction.
3. Materials and Methods
The study made use of focus group discussions (FGDs) in Barangays Dolo and Manzana in San Jose, Camarines Sur to determine the LInK in their communities then documenting, validating, and integrating the latter with scientific data at the local level through a process termed “Local knowledge and practices Inventory, Validation, and Establishing Scientific Knowledge (LIVE Scientific Knowledge)” but with some modifications on it (see Figure 2). Focused group discussions (FGDs) are a qualitative research tool where a moderator leads a targeted conversation with a small group to explore their perceptions and opinions on a specific subject. This method is useful for understanding group norms and behaviors, informing survey design, or interpreting quantitative data. FGDs leverage the group’s interaction to elicit rich, detailed insights.
LIVE Scientific Knowledge involves five (5) phases namely: Preparation, Data Gathering, Analysis and Validation, Science Integration and Popularization and Utilization.
Preparation Phase
This phase includes the orientation/training for the local researchers and the proponents. Part of the preparation was an ocular visit and inception meeting with the Local Government Unit of San Jose, Camarines Sur as the main partner and beneficiary of this research. Data-gathering tools were then developed putting into consideration the local culture thus employing the local dialect in the tools and in the actual conduct of the research.
Data Gathering Phase
Inception meeting with the Barangay Officials of Dolo and Manzana commenced after this research proposal has been finally approved. In the said meetings, target interviewees for the KII and participants for the FGD were identified. The objectives of the fieldwork were clearly discussed. Primarily, the data-gathering process aimed at coming up with the inventory of the local knowledge and practices of community members of Barangays Dolo and Manzana which are directly related to DRR/CCA.
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Figure 2. LIVE Scientific Knowledge (Source: Hiwasaki, L., Luna, E., Syamsidik and Shaw, R., 2014) [9] .
LinK Analysis and Validation Phase
KII and FGD results were categorized based on the respondents’ observation of celestial bodies (sun, moon, stars), animal behavior and their observation of the environment such as wind, plants, clouds, etc. These are all considered as directly related to hydro-meteorological phenomenon. Hence, observation and practices related to their material culture and traditional and faith-based beliefs were also gathered.
The provision of scientific explanations to the LInKs was originally designed to bring together scientists from different fields to have a group discussion in the analyses of the collected data. Due to time constraint and availability of the targeted scientists, the researchers conducted an individual interview with Animal Scientists, Meteorologist and Entomologist who generously shared their expertise in their field.
The findings were presented to the two communities for validation. The participants of the KII and FGD, together with the barangay officials of Dolo and Manzana were enjoined to be involved in the said activity. This aimed to provide venue for discussions and proper dissemination of information based on science.
The Scientific Integration Phase as well as the LINK Popularization and Utilization Phase was not performed because it will be part of the Extension Activity.
4. Results and Discussion
From the interviews and the tabulated KII, results exhibit the following observations:
• Questions regarding the effectivity of the LINK were not well answered or the respondents would just say the LINK is no longer observed or practiced especially in terms of observation of the celestial bodies and environment. What remains is the devotion to the tradition of the Catholic church where all the respondents still believe and practice the rituals and observe the tradition. The influence of modern technology and social media is referred to as the reasons why most of the present generation or the youth no longer believe in the LINK. On the other hand, beliefs in quack doctors or albularyo remain intact as they still bring their patients (mostly children) for a hilot or “santiguar” before going to a doctor.
• One (1) among the ten (10) respondents said that she did not even transfer the knowledge to their children.
• The observations of the nature and celestial bodies are mostly observed by the fisher folks. The traditional way of fishing is still being observed. Thus, the LINK directly related to hydro meteorological hazards and climate change are being observed by the fisherfolks.
• The frequency and effectivity of the LINK could not be exactly determined by the KII participants. The same uncertainty goes with the number of people in the barangay who still observe and believe in the LINK except for the religious or faith-based rituals and practices.
From the KII responses, FGD participants validated each LINK giving additional LINK observed or being practiced. As the FGD went through different groups or sectors, more and more LINKS were observed with variations. Example: ants going up or rushing inside the house were signs that heavy rain or flood is coming. Other group would say snails do the same.
Same as the KII results, more practices related to traditional and faith-based beliefs were shared during the FGD. From the gathered results of both KII and FGD, the researchers focused on the Category related to the observations to Celestial Bodies and Animal Behavior which have direct link to DRR/CCA. The matrixs below (Table 1) show the gathered responses during the Focused Group Discussion conducted in Brgy. Dolo and Manzana.
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Table 1. Responses of participants during the focused group discussions.
Legend: Animal Behavior ; Celestial Bodies .
Using the categorization process as shown in Table 2, the LINK observed in the community were then presented to the experts for scientific explanation and analysis. Scientists from the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) were consulted and engaged in an interview regarding the LINK listed above. Likewise, a meteorologist from PAGASA has been consulted regarding celestial bodies and even animal behavior.
Professors from the Animal Science Department of CBSUA have shared their analyses on the animal behavior being observed in the community. An Entomologist from the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources also gave her views on the behavior of insects mentioned in the LINK. Meanwhile, the Agro-Meteorological Station of PAGASA has documented widely observed LINKS with scientific explanation and can be considered as “precursory signs” of tropical cyclone. The matrix below (Table 3) shows the LINK observed with the corresponding scientific meaning:
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Table 2. Categorization of local knowledge (LINK) on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) and its relationship to scientific validation (Source: Hiwasaki, L., Luna, E., Syamsidik and Shaw, R., 2014) [10] .
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Table 3. LInK observed by the participants with corresponding scientific explanation.
The scientific analyses have been presented to the community for validation. Participants of KII and FGD were enjoined to the said activity. Barangay officials and other sectors also took part in the discussion affirming most of the findings. For them, the knowledge and practices handed down by their ancestors remain intact and widely used for their own benefit especially during disasters. Despite the presence of the technology and a relatively advanced disaster preparedness measures, these indigenous practices serve as legacy from generation to generation.
5. Conclusion and Recommendation
The two communities (Dolo and Manzana) are still rich with indigenous knowledge related to DRR and CCA and can be explained by Science. Thus, these practices are considered to be valuable factor in community’s resilience to disasters.
The proponents of this research strongly recommend the following:
• Implement development and/or extension activities such as the production of community-based IEC materials on local knowledge for hydro-meteorological hazards and climate change.
• Consider those LINKs which can be scientifically explained/validated and related to DRR and/or CCA during the crafting and updating of the Contingency Plan and Barangay DRRM Plans of the community.
• Raise awareness of the community people, especially the youth sector of the result of this study to be able to contribute to their resilience through educational programs, youth-led workshops, and community service projects.