13 Oct 2010

PHILIPPINES / DISASTER REDUCTION

The UN reports that more than a billion people in Asia live in cities on the coasts, vulnerable to storms, inundation and sea level rise. Albay Province in the Philippines, one of the most disaster-prone places on earth, becomes a role model in its efforts to make its communities safer from disasters. UNICEF

Posted at: October 13, 2010 3:36 pm

Duration: 02:05

Available in: SD

DOWNLOAD

Full script

STORY: PHILIPPINES / DISASTER REDUCTION 
TRT: 2.05
SOURCE:  UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS:  NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / TAGALOG / NATS

DATELINE:  18 APRIL 2010, ALBAY PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, view of Mount Mayon volcano in Albay Province with a damaged building in the vicinity 
2.  Wide shot, Mount Mayon volcano and a person passing by
3. Pan right, children at the elementary school near Mt. Mayon volcano practicing an evacuation drill
4. Med shot, children moving books and teaching equipment into 'safe room'
5. Various shots, families staging evacuation exercise, being relocated by truck to central school block which becomes temporary displacement centre in times of emergency
6. Med shot, teacher erasing blackboard in classroom
7. Various shots, meeting of community Disaster Risk Reduction Council, bringing together community leaders, teachers and pupils to discuss risk reduction issues 
8. Various shots, children taking part in a risk reduction seminar at nearby High School, 'MORMS'
9. SOUNDBITE (Tagalog) Ayn Realasa, Disaster Risk Reduction Council:  "During Typhoon Reming, our roof was blown off and we were evacuated with many others. We thought it was the end but we recovered."
10. Various shots, Risk Reduction Council child members holding first aid class for the rest of the school
11. Various shots, Antonette Liquigan (11) leads a team inspecting abandoned classroom building while identify potential hazards around their school, San Jose Elementary
12. Various shots, busy road crossing outside front gates of school with students crossing street with help of traffic officer
13.  Various shots, Antonette Liquigan leading team
14. SOUNDBITE (Tagalog) Antonette Liquigan, Student Leader: 
"I'm happy that I get to help children and that I can keep them safe."
15. Various shots, singing team building song
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Lanie Relloso, Student Social Worker: 
"The children are empowered.  They know what to do in times of disaster, even if they are still young."
23. Wide shot, students, teachers & NGO partners walking with UNICEF staff across school yard

18 APRIL 2010, MANILA, PHILIPPINES

24. Wide shot, interior Department of Education's lobby with relief supplies collected in large piles of bags and awaiting distribution to typhoon-affected areas, during height of typhoon season
25. Various shots, Antonio Inocentes, Undersecretary of the Department of Education overseeing administration of relief supplies with Department staff
26. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Inocentes, Undersecretary, Department of Education, Philippines:
"A lot of people have prepared for it. They started stacking up on certain things. They started fixing up their infrastructure, they started moving things."
37. Various shots, San Jose Elementary school children in class
38. Various shots, children from 'MORMS' high school, leaving at end of class

STORYLINE:

The Philippines is no stranger to disasters, and Albay Province is one of the most disaster-prone places on earth.

Looming high above the landscape, the Mount Mayon volcano is a permanent reminder of potential danger here.

With the storms creating torrents of volcanic ash, combined with the constant threat of eruption.

So, for the students, staff and parents at the San Jose Elementary School preparing for the next disaster can one day save lives.

As children move books to a safe room, some of their family members practice how they would be relocated to the main school building in search of shelter.

For this classroom block doubles as an evacuation centre in times of emergency.

Coordinating the response to a shared threat, special disaster risk reduction councils, bring together representatives of the school and community.

And principal players are the children themselves.

In a neighboring town, students at 'MORMS' High School illustrate through a show of hands, just how many of them have lived through a disaster - most notably, Typhoon Reming.

SOUNDBITE (Tagalog) Ayn Realasa, Disaster Risk Reduction Council:  
"During Typhoon Reming, our roof was blown off and we were evacuated with many others. We thought it was the end but we recovered."

Ayn leads a team that today is giving first aid instruction.

This is an education system, very much in the frontline of preparing for natural disasters, through risk reduction programs.

Led by 11 year old Antonette, this group of students is tasked with identifying potential hazards in their school.

From an abandoned classroom, wrecked by the last major typhoon, to the dangers of the busy main road outside the school gates, the students are encouraged to identify the risks they face then get the adults to do something about them.

SOUNDBITE (Tagalog) Antonette Liquigan, Student Leader: 
"I'm happy that I get to help children and that I can keep them safe."

Benefiting from partnerships, the school children are helped by students in social work from a local college. All of these initiatives are supported by TABI, a local NGO an emphasis on community self-reliance.

An active Parent Teachers Association helps to spread the word of disaster preparedness.

SOUNDBITE (English) Lanie Relloso, Student Social Worker: 
"The children are empowered. They know what to do in times of disaster, even if they are still young."

In the Philippines capital, Manila, the lobby of the Department of Education has been turned into a temporary centre for relief supplies.

In the middle of typhoon season, the progress of the latest storm to hit is monitored by an emergency desk.

SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Inocentes, Undersecretary, Department of Education, Philippines:
"A lot of people have prepared for it. They started stacking up on certain things. They started fixing up their infrastructure, they started moving things."

Working with the Department of Education on a national level, UNICEF co-leads a cluster of international organizations, and civil society partners, that bring to bear their particular skills, to support the education system.

In preparing for the worst, students become more resilient and active citizens.