Vol. 34 Nos. 3-4 (July-December 2013)
Governability (Management)...
(From page 30)
and resulting in a transition. PR China identified
a transition vision for the 11th Five-Year Plan; it
strategically identified energy conservation and ecofriendly Chinese society as a goal. The Chinese
government targeted 20% reduction in energy
intensity. A transition arena was established in search
of transition paths. According to Mr. Liu, possible
paths for energy conservation are the following: 1)
industry, 2) building construction, 3) transportation,
and 4) industrial structure optimization.
EROPA Bulletin
31
The Roles of Community and Communal Law in
Disaster Management in the Philippines: The Case
of Dagupan City
Taking off from his
another paper on
disaster management,
Dr. Ebinezer Florano
discussed the concepts
of community and
communal law, and
community-led disaster
management and,
through a case study,
Efforts Towards Reconstruction
how the same were applied, or are being applied,
in the Philippines. To be able to look deeper into
On behalf of Mayor
this subject, he also explored under what conditions
Masanori Yamamoto,
community involvement result in effective disaster
Vice Mayor Ichiro
management. The case showcased in the presentation
Nagoshi revisited the
is that of barangay (village) Mangin in Dagupan City
experience of Miyako
of the province of Pangasinan. Dr. Florano called
City when it was
the barangay a “model community for disaster risk
struck by the March
reduction and management”, after having won national
2011 earthquake and
awards and received international citations. According
tsunami which resulted
to Dr. Florano, impacts of climate change such as
in fatalities, financial
rising sea levels, disturbance in climatic patterns,
losses, and destruction of houses. Showing photos of
stronger typhoons and surges, flooding, and water
the city taken before, during and after the disaster,
shortage/drought have been felt in Dagupan City and
Vice Mayor Nagoshi expressed how saddening that
barangay Mangin is the most vulnerable from among
situation was. Despite such tragic event, Vice Mayor
the city’s villages. This was one of the reasons why
Nagoshi showed how the city remains strong to
the village was a recipient of the Project PROMISE
rebuild itself and be back on track. According to its
(Program for Hydro-Meteorological Disaster
Basic Reconstruction Plan for the period of 2011 to
Mitigation in Secondary Cities in Asia) implemented
2019, Miyako City is in the process of promoting
by the Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP) in
reconstruction projects and community rebuilding. The partnership with the community under a grant from the
city’s community rebuilding plans for its districts were USAID. Dr. Florano listed the accomplishments of the
spearheaded by the residents themselves. Vice Mayor
project
Nagoshi shared that opinions of residents were highly in terms of both quantifiable and non-quantifiable
valued in the process, which means that citizens are in indicators. The former include 0% casualty, 100%
the heart of the city’s governance. The specific efforts compliance to evacuation efforts, 100% community
in Miyako City’s reconstruction include building
participation, and 100% efficiency of the early
of houses in safe areas to ensure a safe community,
warning system, while the latter includes minimal
reconstructing basic infrastructure in order to bring
dependence on the city for assistance, increased
back people’s lives to normal, and the reconstruction
capacity, increased ability for program sustainability,
of the economy and industry. Again, Vice Mayor
and fast flow of communication in an actual
Nagoshi emphasized the role of citizen participation in evacuation. The presentation concluded that cothis endeavor.
(Continued on the next page)
management has