Integrating Children's Rights in Barangay Disaster ... - INEE Toolkit

committees and their corresponding responsibilities. Further, the wider community also knows very littleabout the existence or use of these government bodies.The under-utilization of these committees is reflected in the lack of resources, activities and support madeavailable by the BCPC to children before, during and after displacement, and the low levels of emergencypreparedness illustrated by lack of preparation for and coordination of evacuations by the BDCC.InformationIn all three barangays, there was little or no early warning about any impending conflict. People, bothadults and children, were surprised. The children recall being alerted to trouble by sounds of gunshots,dogs barking and seeing strangers coming down from the hills (Dalengaoen) and inside the community(Takepan and Panicupan). Some were alerted by their neighbors and the barangay captain, but communicationwas uncoordinated, leading to confusion and fear among those who had to evacuate.During flight, there was again very little planned and ready assistance or system for coordination. Somefamilies had to flee across marshland in the middle of the night, taking only what they could. Many had notransport or food for the journey, although in Panicupan, some families were able to leave on a government-lentdump truck. While the MSWDO/MHO/DA (government agencies) were able to mobilize somevolunteer helpers in other barangays to provide evacuation assistance such as warnings and transportationof people and their possessions to the evacuation centers, this assistance seemed to have little impact onthose who were interviewed for the COPRA.In this situation, children became vulnerable not only due to the conflict and the destruction around them,but because adults, in particular the BDCC and BCPC, neglected to share information with them. Somechildren became separated from their parents during evacuation, and became doubly traumatized becausethey had no knowledge of where they were supposed to be going or what they were supposed to do. Inthe evacuation center, again the children were not told enough information about what was happening intheir homes and barangays, and this worried them a lot.Survival assistance in the evacuation centerMunicipal officials started out by assigning and bringingthe displaced families to their respective evacuationcenters. They deployed volunteers to different evacuationcenters who helped prepare masterlists of theinternally displaced persons (IDPs), and IDP cards toidentify individual IDPs and their needs, and otheractivities. They put up community kitchens and installedtemporary health centers in different evacuationcenters. Municipal officials also organized the IDPsby assigning a team leader per barangay who the IDPscould go to for problems. Inquiry desks were put upto handle immediate problems. The municipal healthoffice provided 24-hour service in the main health center, including consultations, treatment referrals andalso admissions. Standards of cleanliness and sanitation within the evacuation center were also monitoredand maintained.160Aside from helping distribute relief and providing supplemental feeding for the children, local officialsarranged for daycare services, psychosocial activities (debriefing), a women’s session, skills training insome evacuation centers (slippers-making, food processing, stuffed-toy-making, sewing, etc.), and a parentseffectiveness service.