This Philippine island is continually flooding as sea level rise as a result of climate change. There's a long-term plan to relocate the residents, but is their own plan more sustainable?
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00:00It's so hard to walk, we're just socializing.
00:07It's just a little bit here, just a little bit here.
00:14It's high tide there every night, there's a lot of water there.
00:26Today, it's clear because the road has been raised.
00:31That's why there's no water here.
00:36We can't go down.
00:56When they say People's Plan, they think that even if there are a lot of risks here in our area,
01:04what are the ways that they think can help their community, especially in terms of housing.
01:13For example, our communities in Estero, they know that the water in Estero is rising,
01:21but for them to leave the city is not an effective solution,
01:28and we have proven that because if they will just bring it to a faraway place
01:33where the government is giving relocations, where there are no livelihoods,
01:41and if there are strong tides, they think that's not effective.
01:48That's why what happened to one of our partner organizations,
01:51Nagkaka Isang Mamayanan Legarda, they had an on-site housing in Estero,
01:57and this on-site housing came from People's Plan,
02:01and they designed their house so that the first floor is ready if the river near it will flood or rise.
02:10What we are asking from the government is for the entire barangay to have a secure perimeter concrete wall
02:26so that we can be safe no matter what calamity comes.
02:30At least there are controls that will prevent strong winds and strong tides
02:38so that our barangay will be safe.
02:48Because of limited resources, many of the efforts that they do in the islet are constrained in terms of palliative approaches.
02:58Just to address the immediate concern.
03:10Since the feasible solution is for the community to be relocated in an area in Hagonoy,
03:16they have no land area that they could relocate the people because Hagonoy itself also experiences flooding.
03:25It needs to be addressed at the national level.
03:27It needs to be addressed by other local governments that can accommodate these people to be transferred.