The project team of the Resilience-building and Future-proofing Strategies in a Multi-stressed Scenario in the Province of Albay, Philippines conducted multiple focus group discussions and site visitis last November and December 2022 in the Municipalities of Guinobatan, Libon, Oas, and Polangui as part of its participatory vulnerability and risk assessment of communities in the Quinali A Watershed in Albay.
These focus group discussions aim to assess the vulnerability and risk of the chosen communities in the watershed through narrative analyses and participatory mapping of hazards and stressors present within their communities. These FGDs were held in their respective barangay halls, save for Libon where the participants were gathered in the Burabod Barangay Hall.
Site visits were conducted in Barangay San Francisco courtesy of the Sangguniang Barangay in the areas where houses were washed out and buried by sands and large rocks as a result of the onslaught of Typhoon Rolly in 2020. The team was also given a short tour of the river flowing from Mt. Masaraga in Barangay Balogo, said to be the source of flood waters in low-lying areas according to the participants.
The chosen communities in Guinobatan are Barangay Quitago – facilitated by Dr. Catherine de Luna; Barangay San Francisco – facilitated by Assistant Professor Liezl Grefalda; and Barangay Travesia – facilitated by Dr. Maricel Villamayor.
For Libon, the barangays invited were Barangay Nogpo – facilitated by Dr. Catherine de Luna; Barangay Buga – facilitated by Dr. Maricel Villamayor; and Barangay Burabod – facilitated by Assistant Professor Liezl Grefalda.
The project team was welcomed by the following barangays in Oas: Barangay Iraya Norte – facilitated by Assistant Professor Liezl Grefalda; Barangay Busac – facilitated by Dr. Lorena L. Sabino; and Barangay Balogo – facilitated by Dr. Rose Jane Peras.
The communities where these FGDs were conducted in Polangui are Barangay Ponso – facilitated by Assistant Professor Liezl Grefalda; Barangay Sugcad – facilitated by Dr. Rose Jane Peras; and Barangay Ubaliw – facilitated by Dr. Lorena L. Sabino.
The project team was accompanied by Polangui MENRO staff Ms. Analie Ret, Mr. Julio Sabao, and Mr. Noel Rance for the FGDs conducted in Polangui. DENR 5 representatives for the Oas and Polangui FGDs were Ms. Mary Joy Renic, Mr. Alex Nierva, Mr. Eduard Llena, Ms. Jhoviern C. Grageda, and Ms. Angela Marie Grageda – all are staff of CENRO Guinobatan.
The research project is being implemented by the UPLB Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management (UPLB-INREM) and the UP Resilience Institute (UP RI) in partnership with the City Government of Ligao, Bicol University, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resource – Bicol Region with funding from the Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN). (Kyle Vincent R. Singson, UP RI and IdSC-INREM)
