ILOILO City – Mayor Raisa Treñas touted Iloilo City’s recent storm response as one of the fastest and most extensive in its history, but also raised concerns over persistent weaknesses in barangay-level disaster preparedness and communication, which she said undermined the city’s overall resilience.
Speaking in the aftermath of successive weather disturbances — tropical cyclones “Crising”, “Dante”, and “Emong”, and the enhanced southwest monsoon – that displaced over 50,000 residents, Treñas acknowledged the success of coordinated preemptive evacuations and relief operations. However, she pointed to issues in grassroots coordination, particularly in how some barangays failed to respond effectively.
“Isa ko nakita, more training sa barangay levels, kay amo na ang daw indi tagid ma-control,” Treñas said. “We have 180 barangays and kadako sang aton siyudad. So more on trainings sa disaster sa barangay level. Also sa aton communications. Dako gid ang bulig sang media sa information dissemination.”
She revealed that even before the storms hit, the city held an online meeting with all barangays — but not everyone showed up or followed through.
“Ang iban wala ya gali nag-attend, so dako gid nga impact nga ginbuligan kita sang media para mas naging aware gid ang aton pumuluyo,” she said.
Asked whether the barangays failed to act, Treñas clarified that the core issue was not the intent but capacity, especially in handling documentation during concurrent emergencies.
“Na-overwhelm gid ang mga barangay sa sunod-sunod nga pagbaha,” she explained, noting that some officials, especially in Jaro, were already sick and exhausted.
“Overworked na ang barangay. If wala natabo si Bagyong ‘Crising’, mas better ang response. Pero kay sunod-sunod gid. Ang tawo may ara lang gid asta diin ang makaya,” she added.
To improve future response, Treñas proposed a system where barangay leaders can designate primary and secondary responders instead of concentrating responsibilities on the barangay captain alone.
“Amo to natabo — si Kap lang tanan. Tapos pag Bagyong ‘Dante’ kag ‘Emong’, nag-bog down na si Kap, indi na kahulag tanan,” she said.
Despite the challenges, the mayor emphasized her commitment to long-term capacity building, stressing that a more resilient city must begin at the grassroots./PN
