WITH THE onslaught of Ondoy last year, the numerous reports of fire incidences, and the threat of an earthquake, among many other disasters, the Sanggunian and the Loyola Schools (LS) Administration are set on preparing the community should these calamities occur in the Ateneo.
This can be seen in the efforts of the Disaster Response Emergency Action Management (DREAM) Team—implementing earthquake and fire drills in campus, and refining Sanggu’s monitoring system.
“After what happened last year with Ondoy, we are trying to make sure that we are ready with the necessary protocol to take care of our students and the communities near us, in case any disasters occur,” Sanggu Secretary-General Maan Delos Santos.
“Last year we realized how we weren’t ready with the protocols and we’re trying to work on that,” she added.
Delos Santos said that over the summer break, Sanggu has already been meeting with the administration to develop the system for disaster preparedness.
The DREAM Team
The team is composed of representatives from various Ateneo units, led by the Office of the President. The main decision makers include LS Vice President (VP) John Paul Vergara, VP for Administration and Planning Edna Franco, and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs Rene San Andres.
The Sanggu handles volunteer management, with preparing a volunteer pool to feed all committees as their main mandate.
According to Delos Santos, the DREAM team has existed for a while now and has helped not only students but Ateneo linkages, as well. “Last year, the team spearheaded the Ondoy operations…it also led Task Force Noah some time back, with ARSAns taking on delivery and packing of goods, and various other initiatives to provide aid for those affected by natural disasters like typhoons,” she said.
Looking after 8,000
Last August 8 and 12, disaster monitoring drills were executed by the Sanggu. The first session centered on Sanggu and its members while the latter already included all of the Ateneans.
Delos Santos said that she texted the top 44 officers of Sanggu, the Ateneo Residence Halls Association President, and the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo President, among others.
“It was up to them how to disseminate it. They then [compiled] the results and [replied] to me in the span of two hours, giving me an update on where they were in campus,” Delos Santos explained
She added that the drills were not DREAM Team initiatives but instead were used to develop the monitoring system of the Sanggu.
“In a disaster environment, we want to be able to know who among our students are affected, and in what way they were affected, so that we may respond accordingly,” said Sanggu President Rob Roque during the Central Board meeting on September 9 when the results of the monitoring drills were discussed.
Delos Santos backed this up saying, “Last year, final exams were cancelled [because of] Ondoy…an environmental scanning done by your Sanggu officers showed that more than 60%… [of] students were affected.”
Information is Power
Earthquake and Fire drills were also held by the LS, particularly the Office of Administrative Service last August 18 and 25.
Instructional posters and materials were also posted in every classroom to facilitate information dissemination.
“The posters and instructions were really helpful during the drills because through them, we knew what to do, like where [was] the nearest evacuation site,” said freshman Aira Kathreen Cabanayan said. “Without them, I think we [would have been] clueless.”
