IN Barotac Viejo, the Cayo River traverses in the different barangays in the town. During heavy rains, it would swell and cause floods in the lowland barangays including Barangay Rizal.

Barangay Rizal has two sitios, namely Giskan and Pundok. In Sitio Giskan, 30 households are vulnerable to flooding whenever the water level rises. People could not cross the other side. This is a perennial problem of the community.

One of those affected of this environmental problem are students from the Rizal Elementary School. There is no other way for them to reach school but to pass through Sitio Giskan.

As immediate remedy, the community built a makeshift bamboo bridge for the students to get to school without getting wet while passing the Cayo River. The river also passes the nearby Barangay California.

The bamboo bridge is slippery that at times students would slip and get injured. It is also impassable when the water rises.

Josie Escordial, mother of one of the pupils of Rizal Elementary School recalled her hesitations on sending her child to school whenever it rained before.

 “Grabe na ang kulba namon sang una mag taas ang tubi sa seguridad sang amon mga kabataan. Kis-a ang skwelahan ga announce na lang sa half-day ukon early dismissal kada mag-ulan kay basi ma anod ang mga kabataan sa suba, (We were worried for our children’s safety every time the water in the river rises. At times, the school would declare half day classes or early dismissal because the students might be swept away by strong current of water in the river),” she said.

The parents would wait for their children at the bridge and help them safely cross whenever the water would rise. However, the makeshift bamboo bridge did not appease the worries and fears of the residents.

They need a more resilient environmental protection project to address the pressing issue on flooding.

To address their need for structure that will protect them from flood waters, the barangay had prioritized for Kalahi-CIDSS funding the construction of an overflow project in 2015. A community grant of P667,000 was provided to the community for its proposed project.

In Kalahi-CIDSS, communities are given the opportunities to articulate their needs during barangay assemblies and Municipal Inter-Barangay Forum.

In November 2015, the construction of the concrete 360 linear meter overflow project started with Leonarda Alivar as the Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee chairperson. Alivar led the pool of community volunteers in the realization of their project.

Alivar recalled the challenges they encountered while implementing the project.“Sang pagsugod sang construction, nabudlayan kami sa pagpangita sang mga mabulig obra sang overflow. Tapos pirme pa ga-ulan sang tiyempo nga to. Maayo man kay wala man nagduwa-duwa ang mga pumuluyo magbulig kag maghatag sang ila na suporta (When construction started, we had a difficulty in looking for paid workers. And it always rained that time. It was good that the residents did not hesitate to help and give their support),” she said.

Everyone in the community helped in different ways. Some would provide snacks to the workers while others would help in cleaning the debris along the construction site.

The implementation of the project triggered the social cohesion and promotes volunteerism among the residents.  Peoples’ positive attitude was the key element on the speedy completion of the disaster response project. It became functional on December 20,2015.

Barangay Kagawad Arnel Hasigan expressed his gratitude to the government for providing them with the project.

“Gapasalamat ang bilog na barangay sa ginhatag sa amon nga proyekto nga ini. Dako gid nabulig sa amon barangay labi na gid sa mga estudyante kay mas hapos na subong para sa ila magsulod sa eskwelahan. Siyempre, sa amon man nga mga opisiyales sang barangay,grabe ang paghalong sa ginhatag sa amon na project nga ni kay amo ni amon pag-asa sa mas hapos nga pangabuhi (The whole barangay is very thankful that we were given a project like this. It is a huge help to us, especially to the students because it is now it is easier for them to go to school. Of course, we, the officials of the barangay, takes good care of this project because it is our relief for an easier life), he said.”

Every year the barangay also allots P5,000 from their Internal Allotment Allocation for the maintenance of the overflow. They also conducted monthly inspection to ensure the structural worthiness of the project.

They would also apply another coating of cement on the concrete overflow to further strengthen it and ensure that no cracks would form on the surface.

The community is now protected and prepared in the face of natural disasters like flood.#