Figure 1. Summary of problems as pointed out by Bagbaguin Youth
In a mini-survey interview I conducted on March 27 among the youth of Barangay Bagbaguin in Santa Maria, Bulacan, the most common problem they pointed out is the poor management of solid waste in the community.
Four-out-of-eight respondents answered through Google forms that they wanted the problem to be addressed as it affects the welfare of the residents of the barangay. Jasper Dacutanan and Cogie Gonzales pointed out that it affects the health and well-being of the residents and that everybody would agree to have a clean environment they can dwell in.
Also, in Bagbaguin, the area was prone to flash floods, especially during the rainy season and Coleen Angela Lapig said that if the problem would be left unaddressed, it may further worsen such occurrences.
With waste, the interviewees commonly proposed solutions like conducting seminars to raise awareness among households on how they could work to mitigate it.
On the other hand, one respondent wanted action against incompetent Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials. According to her, barangay officials were always on vacation breaks while SK officers would not engage in fruitful and useful projects other than initiating Basketball Leagues. She stated that it would be better if officials are called out for their ineptitude and that the SK should allot its resources to supporting poor students in pursuing their studies.
Other respondents like Zaira Dacutan wanted the crime rates in the Barangay to be tackled and she wanted more CCTVs to be installed; Zairyl Dacutan mentioned noise pollution; Ken Carida wanted action for frequent traffic jams; Roland Padillo III said stray dogs should also be dealt with aside from the waste problem.
With the result of the survey interview, I can infer that the youth of Babaguin care a lot about conserving the environment and keeping the community clean. Also, with the area being near Santa Maria riverbanks that are prone to flooding, mismanagement of the problem would mean disaster for the
residents.
Figure 2. Summary of data and respondent's profile and their concerns
However, it may also be just the tip of the iceberg as the accusation of inaction by elected officers, as one respondent said in the interview. This could mean that there could be a systematic failure and that there exists a problem much larger than unattended waste piling in the streets of Babaguin.
In conclusion, the general problems raised involve the welfare of the environment, but more pressing issues like incompetence and peace and order exist and must be addressed.
You can access the full data here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jVOM6QAaNsubW1MJgPmNnxAsWuctfW_9BSM63gyOyWs/edit?usp=sharing
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