Chosen community: Barangay Caniogan, Malolos City, Bulacan
Each community faces its own particular set of issues. A community's viewpoint on a specific issue is as diverse as its members. However, the situation is far from being completely settled. It just grows worse with time and there are no necessary changes.
As a current resident of Barangay Caniogan in the City of Malolos, Bulacan Province. I must admit that, in comparison to other cities which I’ve lived in, Caniogan seems to be one the most peaceful place to live in. However, as I previously said, no community is flawless, and every community will always encounter problems at some point.
If waste is not properly managed, collected, and disposed of, it poses a serious threat to health and the environment. Perceptions about waste disposal have been dominated by the idea of waste as an undesired thing with no worth or value. Due to this reason, with help of Google Forms, I conducted a survey and polled more than 10 respondents from residents of Brgy. Caniogan dated March 26 to 27, 2022, to look into the resident's issues/problems they want to be addressed in the community.
Eye-opening findings
The online survey with a total of 10 respondents from Barangay Caniogan age 19 and older found:
Respondents have most issues regarding waste management and disposal.
Half think that irresponsible waste disposal and clogged canals are the top reason for flooding.
A quarter of them has a concern about animal nuisance, litter, noises, and road damages that cause discomfort and disturbance to the members of the community.
Table 1. shows the demographic profile of the respondents in Barangay Caniogan. With a total of 10 respondents, the age ranges from 19-to 56 years old. 8 of them are female while the remaining 2 are male. Most of them are students and the rest are working.
TABLE 2.
FIGURE 1.
Table 2 together with Figure 1. shows the overall community issues that the residents want to be addressed in their community. The topic of garbage disposal and management received the most (60%) mentions among respondents, whereas the others received only one to three (10-30%) mentions.
With over more than ten (10) respondents to the survey. Answers revealed that the majority of residents (60 %) common problem is proper waste management and disposal, while 30% of respondents are concerned about flooding, 10% are concerned about noise pollution, and 10% are concerned about rough, damaged roads and double parking.
It revealed crucial points about the linkages between the community concerns that the respondents were concerned about after analyzing the survey results.
Waste is the topmost concern of the citizens of Barangay Caniogan. If waste in communities is not properly kept, collected, and disposed of, it poses a significant threat to human and environmental health.
Irresponsible waste disposal makes drainages clogged and leads to severe flooding. In a variety of ways, poor waste management in communities increases flood threats. Improper garbage disposal along roadways may cause the drainage system to become physically blocked, affecting the flow of rainwater into the canal system.
Severe flooding results in very rough and broken roads. Flooding can cause a serious threat to roadways, as it can cause huge traffic congestion and destruction to road structures while having long-term effects.
Some of the Respondent's answer from the survey states that;
"Yung mga basura dito sa kanal, dapat linisin at alisin para hindi laging binabahan tuwing umuulan"
"Kung saan saan na pagtatapon ng basura"
"Araw ng pagkuha ng mga basura, mga anunsyo sa barangay na di sa lahat ay nakakarating"
"Irresponsible waste disposal. Inactive elected SKs"
In a post last 2020, via Facebook. A resident from the community posted photos of the barangay during a typhoon in 2020. It shows the situation of Barangay Caniogan and the streets during a calamity. This issue has remained unsolved even up to this day. Residents from the said community still suffer from the same recurring issue.
Photo by: Marietta Pascual
The survey results demonstrated a strong correlation between some of the respondents' responses and the community's past issues.
In fact, a previous resident of the barangay who used to own a house on the roadside of the street said that during the year the 1960s, the area was already prone to flooding because the ground level was not yet elevated at the time.
However, even though the said street had somehow been elevated, another former resident who lived in the same house at the roadside in the year 1991, said that the street has remained unchanged during their time. The said barangay was still prone to flooding, with floods rising from the knees up to the chest.
In addition, as we moved to Barangay Caniogan in the year 2011, until now as a current resident of the community. Flooding is still an issue, as I can attest to. Officials have yet to resolve the aforementioned problem. Some people still do not follow proper waste management and disposal, resulting in substantial floods that cause other community concerns, such as traffic congestion, damaged roads, and even health problems, in addition to the flooding itself.
This issue, even though it has been raised several times with Barangay officials, is still not given adequate and proper action. With the undying issue of Barangay Caniogan, who will stand up to Break the Mold?
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