BCN Risk Report Jan 2022
BCN Risk Report Jan 2022
BCN Risk Report Jan 2022
ASSESSMENT REPORT
Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan, Cotabato
Purpose of this report
This landslide risk assessment report presents an integrated hazard, exposure,
vulnerabilities, and capacities information of the Dynaslope Project site in Brgy. Bacong,
Tulunan, Cotabato. It is intended for the use of the local stakeholders, i.e., local government
units (provincial, municipal, and barangay) and the community, as an aid in the planning and
implementation of landslide risk reduction measures in the site.
Data and information presented in this report were gathered through the different activities
conducted in the Project site (see Appendix A).
Setting 5
Location and Climate 5
Geology 5
Landslide Hazard 6
History and Activity 6
Landslide Features 7
Materials Characterization 10
Landslide Mechanism 10
Deep-seated Landslide Hazard Zone 11
Landslide Exposure 11
Social Exposure 12
Economic Exposure 17
Environmental Exposure 18
Human Exposure 18
Overall Landslide Exposure 23
Landslide risk 47
Risk perception 52
Recommendations 54
References 57
Appendices 58
EaR Elements-at-risk
Figure 1. Location map of the EWS-L site in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan, Cotabato. Traces of active faults
were obtained from DOST-PHIVOLCS (2019). Administrative boundaries are from PSA (2016).
The site falls under Type III climate, characterized by seasons that are not very pronounced,
with relatively dry months from November to April and wet for the rest of the year (PAGASA,
2014).
Geology
The Province of Cotabato is largely situated over the Cotabato Basin. It is bounded by the
Lanao-Bukidnon highlands to the north, the Tiruray-Daguma Range to the southwest, by
Mount Matutum and Mount Parker to the southeast, and by Mount Apo to the east (Corpuz,
1992).
The province is traversed by the Cotabato Fault System, which was responsible for the
October 2019 Cotabato earthquake sequence. This includes the M’lang Fault, Makilala
Fault, Balabag Fault, Makilala-Malungon Fault, North Columbio Fault, and the South
Columbio Fault. The site is 840 m NE of M’lang Fault (DOST-PHIVOLCS, 2019).
Landslide Hazard
History and Activity
According to locals, the first landslide event in the site occurred in October 1970, during
Super Typhoon Titang (international name: Kate) which made landfall in the southern part of
Mindanao. A depressed area where the landslide originated from can still be observed on
the slope. The debris spread across Banayal River but did not reach the houses near the
foot of the slope.
In 2012, rainfall that lasted for a day caused local slope failures, not only in the landslide site,
but in other nearby slopes as well. The debris blocked the Banayal River, particularly along
the bridge at the entrance to Brgy. Bacong. The water overflowed towards the houses,
causing one casualty in the community.
In October 2019, a series of strong shallow earthquakes, generated by the Cotabato Fault
System, struck the province of Cotabato. The earthquakes started on October 16, but it was
only after the October 29 magnitude 6.6 earthquake when tension cracks appeared at the
site. A magnitude 6.5 earthquake then occurred on October 30, resulting in the widening and
lengthening of the cracks, as well as the progression of a crack to a scarp farther upslope.
Other than cracks, multiple shallow landslides occurred at the fall face. The debris reached
Banayal River at the foot of the slope.
The most recent activity occurred in October 2020 where heavy rainfall resulted in erosion of
materials along the steep part of the slope.
Figure 2. Oblique aerial view of the landslide site and elements at risk in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan,
Cotabato. The uppermost part of the landslide is marked by a white arrow and the fall face area of the
shallow landslides is marked by a yellow arrow.
The main landslide scarp is 25 m long and trends NNE (Figs. 4a and 4b). Vertical
displacement ranges from 45 to 50 cm high and horizontal displacement is 45 cm wide at
places. Ground cracks, which are distributed on the slope, generally trend NE and vary from
2 to 27 m long and from 8 to 40 cm wide (Figs. 4c and 4d). The longest crack is ~15 m
WNW of the main scarp.
About 25 m west of the main scarp, the remnant of the 1970 landslide is observed. It is
bounded by smooth landslide scarps and lateral margins, and is recognized by gradual
depression and disturbance on the slope. It covers an area of about 3000 m 2. At the
steepest part of the slope on the fall face, which spreads over an area of about 10000 m 2,
bare surfaces exposed by shallow landslides and frequent erosion are observed (Fig. 2).
Local shallow landslides can also be observed on nearby slopes.
Three pairs of surficial markers, namely A, B, and C, were strategically placed along
selected features. The main scarp is straddled by marker A, the uppermost crack by marker
B, and the lowermost crack by marker C. These markers are measured by the LEWC and
operate as the data source of surficial ground movement. Subsurface landslide sensors
BCN_A and BCN_B were installed to detect underground movement. Sensor BCN_A is
located ~14 m west of the main scarp and sensor BCN_B is situated within the 1970
landslide body and 28 m WSW of BCN_A. Locations of the markers and sensors are marked
in Fig. 3. Other details on the monitoring instruments are shown in Appendix B.
Figure 5. (a) Marl outcrop along Banayal River (6°48’38.7”N, 125°1’0.3”E). Rock pick (yellow arrow)
is 33 cm long. (b) Weathered marl exposures along the trail to the site. Handheld transceiver is 19 cm
long.
Landslide Mechanism
Based on the ground movement activity reported by the community and the landslide
features observed in the site, a deep-seated landslide may occur. The delineated moving
mass extends from the scarps and cracks upslope that formed in October 2019 up to the
base of the shallow landslides downslope, and has a total area of ~23,500 m 2. Rotational
slide is the probable failure mechanism, though planar slide may also happen along SW-
dipping discontinuities. Preliminary slope stability analysis suggests that the depth of the slip
surface at BCN_B ranges from 30 to 50 m. Debris avalanche is the most likely transport
mechanism considering the configuration of the slope. Once deposited at the base of the
slope, the debris may cause landslide damming. Landslide damming along Banayal River
would induce landslide-amplified flash floods just like what happened in 2012 when the
water overflowed towards the houses.
Figure 6. The active landslide area (red polygon) and buffer zone (orange polygon) of the deep-
seated landslide site in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan, Cotabato.
Landslide Exposure
Exposure refers to the situation of elements at risk (EaR) at a given time with respect to the
landslide hazard. Elements-at-risk are the people and properties or tangible assets deemed
important by the community, including resources, critical facilities, and social and cultural
assets, that may be affected in case a landslide occurs.
This section presents the site exposure information gathered during the community landslide
risk assessment (CLRA) activity in October 2021. The section provides an overview of the
different consequences or impacts to the community if a landslide occurs on the monitored
Social Exposure
Social exposure refers to the structures and areas within the DSL hazard zone that provide
basic social service and venue for community interaction. Examples of these structures and
areas are:
● Residential: Buildings intended for private occupancy, e.g., houses, boarding houses.
● Institutional: Structures and areas that are meant to provide service to the
community, such as for educational/recreational function (e.g., schools, parks, gyms,
courts, day care centers), religious function (churches, temples), government service
(barangay hall, other government offices), and health and emergency (e.g., clinics,
hospitals, evacuation center, community bathrooms, septic tanks, and sewage
facility).
● Utilities: Infrastructures that provide basic amenities to the community, such as power
(e.g., electrical towers, solar power storage), water (e.g., well, water tanks), and
communication (communication towers).
● Cultural landmarks: Structures and sites that have cultural significance to the
community, such as monuments, burial grounds, and others. These also include
areas or structures that the community deems important for congregation, assembly,
or social gathering.
Table 1 and Fig. 7 present the social exposure identified by the community. There are 98
identified social exposures, including 91 houses, a school, a day care center, a church, a
barangay hall, a barangay health center, a covered court and a multipurpose hall.
Table 1. List of social exposure identified by the community in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan,
Cotabato as of October 2021.
Label in Deep-seated
Description Head of Household/Owner
Landslide Exposure Map
Economic Exposure
Economic exposure refers to the economic assets within the DSL hazard zone. Examples of
these structures and areas are:
● Agricultural: Structures and areas used for agricultural activities, such as for crops
(e.g., garden, plantation, orchard), livestock/poultry (e.g., piggery, poultry, pasture
land), and processing or storage.
● Commercial: Structures and areas mainly used for trade or business, such as for
food (e.g., wet/dry market, restaurants), retail (e.g., sari-sari store, grocery), industrial
(medium- to large-scale processing or manufacturing plants), and tourism (e.g.,
museums, view deck).
Table 2 and Fig. 8 present the economic exposure identified by the community. There are
seven (7) identified economic exposures, i.e., three coconut groves, two parcels of land for
banana planting, and two parcels of land for rubber cultivation.
Table 2. List of economic exposure identified by the community in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan,
Cotabato as of October 2021.
Label in Deep-seated Description Owner
Figure 8. Economic exposure map of Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan, Cotabato as of October 2021.
Environmental Exposure
Environmental exposure refers to the natural resources that may be directly affected by
landslides. Examples are natural cover/vegetation (e.g., forest, grassland), water bodies
Human Exposure
Human exposure refers to the population that may be harmed in case of a landslide. Based
on the estimated potential runout, an estimated number of people may be reached by
landslide deposit once the slope fails. Tables 3 and 4 and Fig. 9 show information of the
population that may be directly affected by deep-seated landslide in Brgy. Bacong.
Table 3. Population that may be directly affected by landslide in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan,
Cotabato as of October 2021.
Estimated population size that may be approximately 529
directly affected by a deep-seated
landslide*
Number of households 91
Table 4. List of households that may be affected by the deep-seated landslide in Brgy.
Bacong, Tulunan, Cotabato as of October 2021.
Label in Deep-seated
Head of
Landslide Exposure Household Size*
Household/Owner
Map
H2 Ariel Edian 3
H3 Lita Ocom 5
H4 Rogelio Gante 22
H5 Ronnie Malinoy 5
H6 Rolando Gante 7
H7 Leopoldo Pandacan 7
H8 Jerry Atao 6
H9 Armando Aguadilla 4
Among the EaRs identified by the community, five (5) have high exposure classification, 83
have moderate exposure, 12 have low exposure, and two (2) still need additional data to
classify exposure (Table 5 and Fig. 10).
Table 5. Summary of exposure classification per structure and area.
Number of Exposure
Label in Description Head of Occupants Classification*
Deep-seated Household/ day night day night
Figure 10. The overallprimary landslide exposure map of Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan, Cotabato
as of October 2021.
Vulnerability and capacity (VC) are also multi-scalar, which means the range of the VC data
can either be global, national, community-level, or household-level. The data presented in
this profile will focus on two scales: household-level and community-level. Household-level
profiling was done to look into how the VC of each household-at-risk affects their landslide
risk; while community-level VC profiling was carried out to check how community
vulnerabilities can aggravate and how community capacities can help minimize household-
level risk.
Community’s vulnerability and capacity profile are classified into the five (5) dimensions.
(Table 6).
Environmental VC
Environmental vulnerabilities and capacities refer to the presence and status of natural
resources, changing climate trends, and environmental changes that the community
experiences.Descriptions of environmental conditions of Barangay Bacong that are relevant
to landslide risk are shown in Table 7.
Table 7. Environmental VC data collected from Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan, Cotabato on October 14-16,
2021.
The area of Barangay Bacong is situated on different slopes. It has a forest cover with an
estimated area of 10 to 15 ha. Forest areas include trees such as gmelina, ipil-ipil, bamboo,
lawaan, and mahogany. The Banayal river and the Fekong Ambok falls are the two major
water bodies in the barangay. The Banayal river which passes through the barangay serves
as an alternative source of water. This river is also used for washing clothes, and bathing. As
a tourist spot in the barangay, the Fekong Ambok falls generates income for the residents
wherein the residents provide transportation services to tourists. However, roads going to
this tourist spot are still undeveloped.
In terms of local climate conditions, the community recognized high temperatures all
throughout the year. According to the elders in the community, drought has been
experienced in the past which resulted in famine and death. In recent years, the community
also noticed a shift and a shortened rainy season from August to October in the past, to
May, June, and August in the present. A prolonged dry season in the barangay is also
observed which occurs from January to April and in September.
There are also noticeable changes in soil conditions in the barangay. The community
members also observed that the soil is more productive in the past compared to the present
wherein they need fertilizers to increase the yield. Pest infestation is also prevalent in the
production areas. Different pests such as bugs and rodents affect crop yield.
Physical VC
Physical dimension refers to the availability and status of infrastructures (institutional and
industrial), technologies, public utilities, and communication, equipment, and transportation
facilities within the community. The succeeding tables present the available infrastructure
(Table 8), technologies (Table 9), utilities (Table 10), and communication, transportation, and
other equipment (Table 11) in the barangay.
Table 8. Institutional infrastructures present in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan, Cotabato. There are two types
of infrastructure: institutional and industrial. Institutional infrastructures are government- or
community-owned while industrial infrastructures are government-, community- or private-owned that
are used for economic purposes.
Table 9. Technologies present in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan, Cotabato. Technologies pertain to the DRR-
related equipment in the community.
Table 10. Public utilities present in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan, Cotabato. Public utilities are entities that
provide or maintain public services.
Table 11. Communication, transportation, and other equipment present in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan,
Cotabato that can be used in DRR.
Human VC
Table 12. Summary of community identified knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) in Brgy. Bacong,
Tulunan, Cotabato.
KSA Vulnerabilities Capacities
Skills The elderly, PWDs and PLWs Some children can serve as
are perceived to be physically sources or channels of general
weaker, have disadvantage in information. Some of the unique
mobility, and are fragile. traits of this age group is being
more observant and extremely
curious of their surroundings.
The community members identified trauma, panic, physical injuries and stress, loss of
livelihoods, and loss of lives as the major effects of landslides to the residents. They also
specified the possible effects of landslides to different age groups in the community. Children
of young age are more vulnerable to physical injuries and accidents because they are mostly
dependent on their guardians. Schooling for children and youth might be affected due to
disruptions caused by a possible landslide. Mental health issues like depression and loss of
morale would be a prevalent effect on adults. This is tied to possible financial challenges
they might experience brought about by loss of livelihoods when a landslide occurs.
Moreover, the community mentioned that vulnerable groups like PWD can help in planning
for evacuation. They presented the idea of having a ”partner system” with the neighbors of
PWD households that will assist them in evacuation situations. This will enable the PWDs to
easily seek help in case of a landslide.
Different characteristics between different genders are also noted by the community.
According to some residents, girls tend to be more easily affected by events and become
more nervous while boys are relatively calm. There are notions that women are more
worried when the family is away because they care more for their loved ones. Some
community members expressed that typically, women still take on most of the household or
familial duties while men provide financial support for the family. In connection, they said
men are the ones responsible for securing a safe place for the family in evacuation
situations, while women prepare food and beddings during evacuation, and help in health
and medical concerns when needed. Members from the youth sector added that women
have the foresight because of their ability to give appropriate care and provision when
something is about to happen.
The community consists of 99.9% indigenous people (IP). There are no discrimination
between members of the community. They recognize that they can experience the same
effects of landslides. On the other hand, B'laan tribe’s culture of sharing and bayanihan
efforts are some of the strongest traits of the people of Bacong.
Social VC
The community has access to primary and secondary education. The presence of a daycare
center, elementary school, and junior high school in the barangay serves as a capacity for
the residents, as the children do not need to go to nearby barangays to have their education.
There is an accessible barangay health center which provides services for birth delivery,
medical supplies, and contraceptives for the community. Some of the identified households
at risk are also Philhealth members.
Cracks seen in the infrastructures make it susceptible to shocks and stresses, thus services
may be affected by a landslide as the facilities may be damaged. Destruction of roads may
also disrupt basic educational and health services as the roads are being used by the
teachers and students.
Basic utility services such as water and electricity are also accessible to the community.
Majority of the households in the barangay have access to water and electricity. Water
supply is distributed in the barangay with the help of barangay waterworks and sanitation
association (BAWASA). There are also toilet facilities present in all households at risk.
In terms of health, there are no major disease outbreaks in the community. Coughs and
colds are often experienced by elderly, children, and teenagers because of the changes in
season. There are recorded cases of dengue according to the residents, but only a few.
Diarrhea was a concern in the past due to lack of potable water in the barangay as residents
used to get drinking water from the river and deep wells.
The community identified the different stakeholders that have contributions to disaster risk
reduction (Table 13).
The BLGU is considered to be very active in all community-led activities among all internal
organizations. The BLGU is also said to be the gateway for the implementation of barangay
activities. In terms of DRR contribution, the community members initially identified BLGU to
have moderate contribution due to lacking facilities and equipment for rescue and DRR, but
was changed to have high contribution due to the presence of plans. Moreover, they are also
active in attending and facilitating seminars and trainings together with the MLGU and youth
sector.
Organizations of different sectors are also present in the community. The youth organization,
with the most number in the barangay (607) are active in both internal and external
programs. Some of them attended DRR training such as water search and rescue training
(WASAR) and basic life support/ first aid training conducted by the MDRRMO. The TUWID
women’s organization, with around 90 members, is primarily focused on skills training such
as cooking and soap-making but does not have DRR-related activities. PWD and senior
citizen associations were also identified to have low contributions in DRR.
Other internal stakeholders in the community are the BKADDS, LA BUGAL and BAKADBA.
The BKADDS is a DOLE registered organization mainly composed of farmers in the
barangay. To be a member, the organization requires a banana plantation, a business
capital of 1,000 pesos, and additional documents such as birth certificate and marriage
license. LA BUGAL, on the other hand, provides scholarship programs and other educational
support for the community. They are connected to the ICON SP (external counterpart of LA
BUGAL) who also provides educational support, and conducts training and seminars on
adolescence and HIV awareness in the community. Lastly, BAKADBA is one of the most
relevant organizations in the barangay. The group is mainly composed of ancestors, elders,
and tribal leaders (datus). Culturally, elders consider the mountains, specifically the identified
unstable slope, as sacred areas. It is believed that there are spirits that guard the mountains.
Most of the organizations in the barangay are open to all genders. They are also open to
LGBTQ, but there are no specific groups for them. These groups lead some of the activities
in the barangay.
The community identified that external stakeholders also have stakes in the community.
Some from religious sectors are involved in DRRM. The community identified around 12
religions in the barangay. Although some still practice the B’laan tradition, some of them
have also converted to Christianity and other religions. In terms of other disaster related
activities, the MLGU and the PLGU extends a helping hand to the community when needed.
The PLGU provides food and non-food reliefs such as pails, trapal, and clothes, while the
MDRRMO supports the community specifically on trainings and drills. In addition, the
Dynaslope Project conducts seminars and series of training on landslides and will install
subsurface sensors in the identified slope.
Local and international non-government organizations (NGOs) such as CRS, World Vision,
Global Impact, Green Card provided relief after the Cotabato 2019 earthquake. Some of
these NGOs had immediate disaster relief operations and short-term engagement in the
barangay during the aftermath of the event.
Generally, most of the organizations have strong relationships and contributions to DRR. For
the community, the relationship between the stakeholders in the barangay can be further
strengthened through coordination and involvement of as many people as possible in
various activities.
The barangay captain’s residence serves as the control base for disasters. This is the
identified command center in times of emergency in the barangay. The BLGU also has
existing plans for evacuation and relocation in the barangay. Currently, there are no early
warning systems in place. A number of DRR-related seminars and training in the barangay
were conducted after the Cotabato earthquake in 2019. Aside from these barangay-level
activities, donations, financial support, and activities coming from local and international
NGOs were also present.
Economic vulnerabilities and capacities pertain to the status of livelihoods and financial
resources of the community. Specifically, this section will describe the general land
productivity, sources of income, local and national economic systems, and poverty
incidence.
The community relies on agriculture as their primary source of livelihood. The main crops
produced in the barangay are banana, abaca, rubber, root crops, coconut, vegetables, and
rice. They also raise livestocks and poultry such as horses, cows, goats, chickens, and
carabaos. Most of these animals are donated by different organizations, primarily to boost
their livelihood. Agricultural product processing which includes basket and bilao-making
serves as alternative income-generating activities of community members. However, the
people cannot sell these products due to COVID-19-related quarantine restrictions and
lockdowns.
There have been a number of livelihood training and programs conducted in the barangay.
Sewing training was one of the trainings held for the community members. Financial
assistance is also given to qualified residents. Around 600 families are members of the
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the DSWD. Other financial assistance is
given to around 130 senior citizens. During the pandemic, there are also an estimated 100
individuals which became part of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating
Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), a short livelihood program of the government
that employed those affected individuals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, there are recognized problems in the livelihood of the community members. The
most prominent challenge to the agriculture sector is the prevalence of pest infestation in
different crops. Bugs and rodents are the most common pests which primarily affect rice,
and coconut trees. Other poor harvesting practices such as securing the banana blossom
late, results in a bad harvest. In addition, most of these agricultural sites are located in the
slope areas. According to the community, a landslide event would greatly affect their
livelihoods and their lives.
Other businesses exist in the barangay as sources of additional income for some residents.
There are sari-sari stores, Piso wifi vending machines, videoke, and billiard hubs. However,
these businesses produce unstable income according to the community. The piso wifi
machines, for example, are being loaned from individuals/groups outside the barangay
which gives the resident-owners smaller revenue. These services, however, are deemed
important by the community. They recognized stores as a source of food in case of an
emergency, while the Piso wifi is their primary source of internet connection.
It was identified that at least 91 households with at least 429 individuals in Brgy. Bacong,
Tulunan, Cotabato are at-risk of deep-seated landslides (Table 3). Among these HHRs, 56
are identified to have low vulnerability, 30 have moderate vulnerability, and five households
have high vulnerability. In terms of capacities, 48 are identified with low capacity, 32 have
moderate capacity, and 11 households have high capacity. Integrating the capacity and
vulnerability of each household resulted in eight households with low classification, 62 with
moderate classification, and 21 with high classification (Table 15).
Overall household-level VC suggests the level of those with high VC would more likely
struggle to recover from hazard disaster events compared to households with moderate and
low VC. The integrated vulnerability and capacity classification will be used in determining
the overall landslide risk classification of each household.
Analysis of VC Profile
Effects of landslide
● Injuries
● Death
● Trauma
● Panic
● Loss of habitat or displacement
● Displacement of animals
● Loss of income
● Loss of livelihoods
● Damage of infrastructures
● Disruption of transportation
● Destruction of topography and aesthetics (appearance) of their barangay
Unsafe Conditions
As Wisner et. al., (2003) stated, “unsafe conditions are the specific forms in which the
vulnerability of a population is expressed in time and space in conjunction with a hazard”.
Unsafe conditions are conditions of individuals, groups and communities that may aggravate
the effects of hazards in the community.
2. Livelihoods are also situated in the hazard area. Agricultural crops such
as coconut, banana, and rubber are situated within the hazard area. The
barangay is naturally mountainous which leaves residents with little to no
choice but to have their productive plants in the slopes. Other productive
assets such as sari-sari stores and piso wifi are also exposed.
7. There are no safe areas for relocation within the community. Other areas
are also exposed to hazards like flooding, or to other possibly unstable
slopes.
Underlying causes
Structures and systems that push communities to unsafe conditions, thus making them more
vulnerable to disasters, are the underlying causes. Underlying causes can be further
categorized into dynamic pressures and root causes (Wisner et al., 2003). The community
identified the following as underlying causes of their unsafe conditions:
1. The barangay has a limited budget for developing other possible exit/entry routes.
For big projects, they are still dependent on the budget from the national government.
3. Limited alternative livelihoods. Livelihoods are not diverse enough. Most economic
activities are tied to agriculture.
5. The community is also tied to agricultural activities within the barangay. They do
not want to leave their agricultural lands behind since this would result in them losing
their livelihoods.
6. Livelihoods are vulnerable not just to landslide hazards but also to agricultural
pests. They do not have the means to buy enough pesticides.
7. Other agricultural problems like poor soil and seedling quality cause lower crop
yields and add to the economic vulnerability they face.
Risk reduction measures are strategies that may be composed of capacities used to
avoid or cope with specific risks that are experienced (Cordero et al., 2019). Capacities may
be in the form of simple day-to-day activities of individuals or households to operations aided
by technologies.
Landslide risk
Integration of hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and capacity classifications yield the landslide
risk classification. The landslide risk classification indicates the degree of potential loss of
life, injury, or damage to an EaR in the occurrence of a landslide. The daytime and nighttime
classifications show how risk varies depending on the number of people present in a
structure or space. Also note that the landslide risk classification is relative to the EaR
present in the site. Landslide risk classification for one site may not be directly
relatedcompared to another site, unless the same indicators and weights were used in rating
the risk components.
Currently, only household-level vulnerabilities and capacities (VC) are incorporated in the
risk classification. Further studies still have to be done to incorporate VC of non-human EaR.
Among the households-at-risk, 83 have high landslide risk classification, and eight have
moderate risk (Table 14, Fig. 11, and Appendix D). All households have the same daytime
and nighttime landslide risk classification. High landslide risk classification indicates that
these households will feel the greatest impact or consequence of deep-seated landslide
occurrence compared to the other households.
Table 14. Household-level risk classification in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan, Cotabato based on hazard,
exposure, vulnerability, and capacity assessments.
Label in Deep-
seated Head of Household/ Risk
Description
Landslide Risk Property Owner Classification*
Map
Risk perception
How communities and individuals react to hazards and risks can be influenced by how they
perceive their risks. The individual or the community’s risk perceptions may be influenced by
psychological, social, cultural, and institutional factors. These factors may refer to the
feelings associated with previously experienced hazards, personal disaster experience,
confidence in different risk reduction measures, involvement in cleaning up after a disaster,
trust in authorities and experts, cultural beliefs, social norms, world views, and such.
Brgy. Bacong is one of the expansion sites for the deployment of EWS-L in 2021. Before the
Project proceeded with its usual implementation and operationalization of CBEWS-L, a
baselining activity was done to examine and identify the perceived risks of the community.
The data on the community’s perception is essential in understanding the dynamic nature of
landslide risk. This can be further used as a basis for approaches on how to build landslide
risk knowledge and awareness of the communities in Dynaslope Project sites.
Risk factors
The stakeholder groups have identified various natural hazard events in the barangay.
Flooding, drought, earthquake, and landslide came across their minds when possible threats
in the physical environment are talked about. The health risks posed by the coronavirus
disease or COVID-19 still makes the community worried even though no local transmission
was recorded. In addition, biohazard like pest infestation is also an issue most especially for
an agriculture-dependent barangay. The long history of armed conflict and encounters in the
area were also considered as socio-political risks to the community.
The community believe that almost all the sitios in the barangay are prone to natural hazards
because they are surrounded by mountain slopes and channels. They also recognize that
other nearby slopes may collapse, or may cause landslides anytime because the site is
situated on mountainous terrain. To date, there are no catastrophic landslide events
mentioned, but the community experienced rock falls a few years ago caused by intense
rainfall. The 2019 Cotabato earthquake sequence is still in recent memory of the community.
They perceive that a big earthquake event the same as that could be a possible trigger of a
landslide.
The plentiful history, culture, and experiences of Brgy. Bacong influences the overall
community’s risk perception. Different groups have different perceptions on the most
probable risk in the barangay. These are considered by looking at different personal and
context factors such as gender, age, socio-economic and cultural circumstances, location or
place of residence, etc.
In terms of gender, most of the women feel they are more at risk to COVID-19 because it
affects their daily lives, from livelihood to health. Some expressed their worry of being
separated from their family and isolated because of the health risk. Despite seeing COVID-
19 as one of their highest risks, there also seems to be a high reluctance to take vaccines.
They are afraid of the side effects since they also have comorbidities. Additionally, some
narrated that they had a hard time supervising their children’s education due to distance
learning imposed by this pandemic. They think that natural hazards like earthquakes and
landslides may cause heavier burdens on women since their livelihoods were affected.
In terms of age, the youth perceive the possible effects of landslides but seem to be more
confident that they can survive from the hazard. As observed, this conviction came from their
experiences of several rockfalls and shallow landslides not long ago. Proximity to the
The community’s narratives about their experiences of casualties brought by flash flood and
armed encounters also surfaced in group discussions. With regards to beliefs and world
views, some residents cope through leaning on God. They said, “nagsalig mi na
giprotektahan mi sa ginoo”. It means they believe that there is a God that will protect them
from harm. Culturally, the community also has a strong attachment to their ancestral lands.
Some narrated that they do not want to relocate even though there is a landslide risk. A
community member said, “dito kami pinanganak, dito rin kami mamatay”.
The community also identified the effects of their perceived risks in the barangay. Most of
them are related to the economic challenges they will face when the event happens. These
are loss of livelihoods caused by possible damage in agricultural lands, and low harvest
because of pests infestation. Destruction of houses, productive assets, and infrastructure is
also a major problem faced by the community in connection to these probable risks.
Informational factors
Brgy. Bacong is an IP community. All the areas covered by the risks present in the barangay
are also part of their ancestral lands. As respect to their deities, there is a need to conduct a
B’laan ritual to appease the spirits before proceeding with activities in the site. Despite these
pre-conditions, the community is still receptive to the idea of an early warning system to be
established in their barangay. The community members have some level of trust in
PHIVOLCS-Dynaslope because they can see how they will benefit from the technology, as
well as how it will capacitate the people of Bacong.
Recommendations
In order to reduce and manage landslide risk, the stakeholders should explore initiatives or
strategies that can reduce the landslide hazard, exposure, and vulnerabilities and improve
the capacities of the community. Some of the initiatives that should be considered are
prevention, mitigation or reduction of impact, and preparedness. Activities that could also
help exposed individuals anticipate, respond to, and recover from the effects of the
landslides should be part of landslide risk reduction plans.
Landslide monitoring,
analysis, and early Observe, monitor, and document changes and developments on ground
warning conditions in the landslide site and nearby slopes. Changes that must be
observed include:
Response capability
Local government units and stakeholders should be prepared for
possible landslide or ground movement during and immediately after
heavy or prolonged rainfall, immediately after an earthquake, and if
changes and developments on ground conditions are observed. This can
be done through:
Corpuz, E. S. (1992). Petrology and geochemistry of the central Mindanao volcanic arc,
southern Philippines. PhD Thesis, University of Canterbury.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.26021/8846
Lewis, R. (1988). Mt Apo and other national parks in the Philippines. Oryx, 22(2), 100-
109. doi:10.1017/S0030605300027575
Wisner, B., Blaikie, P., Cannon, T., & Davis, I. (2003). At Risk : natural hazards , people’s
vulnerability and disasters. Framework, 134. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203428764
February 18, 2020 Reconnaissance Look for potential deployment site of the EWS-
survey L; map landslide features and identify
exposure; generate orthophoto and digital
terrain model (DTM) of the site through
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) survey
July 12-13, 2021 Community entry Conduct series of meetings with stakeholders
and stakeholders’ to (1) introduce the Dynaslope Project and its
orientation services, (2) discuss and address concerns
related to EWS-L, and (3) establish rapport
with and solicit consent from partner
communities and LGUs
September 20, 2021 Risk perception Gather risk perception baseline data and
assessment preparatory data for community landslide risk
assessment
September 21-22, Landslide hazard Update data on history and activity and
2021 survey landslide features; generate orthophoto and
DTM of the site through UAV survey
Data
Instrument Name Description Details Status
Frequency
Age Health
HH Household
HH head
number Size
60
0-5 6-12 13-17 18-59 PLW PWD Sickly
above
H1 Jayson Laman 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
H2 Ariel Edian 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
H3 Lita Ocom 5 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 0
H4 Rogelio Gante 7 2 3 0 2 0 0 0 0
H5 Ronnie Malinoy 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0
H6 Rolando Gante 7 2 3 0 2 0 1 0 1
H7 Leopoldo Pandacan 7 0 1 3 3 0 0 0 0
H8 Jerry Atao 6 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 0
H9 Armando Aguadilla 4 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0
H10 Vegel Laman 4 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 2
H11 Ronnie Ogit 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0
H12 Antonio Peles 6 2 0 1 3 0 0 1 1
H13 Benjie Peles 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
H14 Fernando Bayaan 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
H15 Ar-ar Panday 4 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
H16 Morales Laman 7 0 1 1 5 0 0 0 0
H17 Conrado Laman 8 0 1 0 7 0 0 0 0
H18 Gulili Panday 2 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 1
H19 Lino Bulahing 4 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
H20 Roger Panday 4 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0
H21 Dannyboy Aguadillo 5 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0
H22 Delia Bulahing 2 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
H23 Alfredo Panday 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 1
H24 Junerey Panday 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0
Table B2. Income type, housing type, and housing tenure of the households at risk in Brgy. Bacong,
Tulunan, Cotabato. Income type is classified based on household income bracket. Housing type is
classified as light, semi-concrete, or concrete. Housing tenure is classified as owned or rented. Raw
data presented here are data from the initially identified HHRs.
Table B3. Access to utilities of the households at risk in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan, Cotabato. Access to
utilities is categorized as follows: access to water, electricity, and toilet facility. Toilet facilities are
categorized as sanitary and unsanitary. Raw data presented here are data from the initially identified
HHRs.
Table B4. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) capacity of households at risk in Brgy. Bacong, Tulunan,
Cotabato. Identified DRR capacity are: at least 1 member has DRR-related training and the household
has an emergency kit. Raw data presented here are data from the initially identified HHRs.
Figure 13. Member of youth organization located elements at-risk in the barangay during the
community exposure mapping session
Figure 15. One of the participants presented their risk management capacity matrix output