info@dlszobel.edu.ph (+632) 8771-DLSZ

FAQ on DLSZ's Disaster Preparedness Seminar and Workshop (with Supplemental Information)

Q1: Why is there a need for disaster preparedness?

A study, which was conducted jointly with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), analyzed possible earthquake scenarios in Metro Manila, including an intensity 7.2 earthquake generated by the West Valley Fault. Studies show that the West Valley Fault has moved 4 times and generated strong earthquakes within the last 1400 years. The approximate return period of these earthquakes is less than 500 years and no event along the West Valley Fault is known after 17th century, which may mean that the active phases of the Valley Faults is approaching.

In that intensity 7.2 earthquake scenario, around 13% of residential buildings, 10% of public and mid-rise buildings, and 2% of very high-rise buildings can be heavily affected or damaged by the earthquake. This does not include the effect on the network of roads and bridges and the infrastructure that will impact the mobility of people (e.g., the ability of parents to fetch children) and the ability to communicate (i.e., if cell sites are also damaged) in the aftermath of an earthquake.

While earthquakes remain to be unpredictable, and we continue to pray that a major earthquake does not hit Metro Manila in our lifetime, the administration of De La Salle Santiago Zobel School, Inc. (DLSZ) believes that these studies merit serious attention from, and preparations involving, the entire school community. In fact, DLSZ has formulated a disaster preparedness and management plan (the Plan) and is currently fine tuning and setting up the entire community for the implementation of the Plan. The disaster preparedness seminar and workshop (the Seminar) is part of the Plan. The DLSZ administration formulated the Plan and is organizing the Seminar in close consultation and with the support of officers of the DLSZ (De La Salle Santiago Zobel School) Parents Association, Inc. (PA).

Q2: Of course, we care about the safety of our children. In fact, I have read about earthquakes and disaster preparedness in the internet and other sources. What can the speakers tell me that I do not know or cannot read about in the comforts of my home?

Although the Internet should not be relied upon as a sole source of information, there are probably a good number of websites that contain information on earthquakes and provide background information. However, one important focus of the Seminar will be the details of the Plan, such as how the students will be organized, what provisions and resources (e.g., logistics, equipment, supplies) the school will have, how students will be released or reunited with their parents and families, where students will be held if parents and families are unable to reach DLSZ, etc. These details are not available on the Internet.

Q3: Why make it mandatory?

The DLSZ administration believes that the Plan cannot be effectively implemented unless parents and guardians of DLSZ students are thoroughly oriented regarding the details of the Plan. While copies of the Plan can be circulated, common experience indicates that parents and guardians are not likely to read big documents carefully and their thorough understanding of the details of the Plan cannot be left to chance.

In the context of a major earthquake, the Plan covers the activities that will take place following an earthquake, including (i) evacuating students and taking them to a relatively safe location on campus, (ii) reuniting siblings, (iii) giving victims access to first aid and medical treatment, whether onsite or at facilities to which victims may be taken, as necessary, (iv) releasing students to parents and guardians, or to other parties (e.g., relative or co-parents residing in Ayala Alabang Village) with the authority of parents and guardians, where damages to the road network keep parents and guardians from reaching DLSZ, (v) accounting for, and providing for the needs of, students who will remain on campus, and (vi) communicating among the community when cellular sites are affected and mobile phones cease to work—all of which require planning.

In the Plan, every member of the community would have a role to play in case a major earthquake strikes. Lack of information on the part of any member of the community will hinder the success of the Plan. For example, a misinformed parent who would not know where to meet their children after a disaster strikes may require or demand help at a time when school officials and volunteers with limited time and resources have to focus on critical matters. Thus, with the support of the PA, the school administration has deemed it best to require parents and guardians to attend the Seminar.

Q4: I already attended other disaster preparedness seminars in the office and also in our village. What makes the DLSZ disaster preparedness seminar any different?

You may have attended similar seminars in your office or your village and have instructed your children on what to do in case a disaster strikes but the topics to be discussed are concerns unique to DLSZ parents and guardians.

Aside from covering disaster preparedness skills, the Seminar will also cover the following details of the Plan:

(1) Evacuation;

(2) Family reunification and release procedures;

(3) West Valley Fault map reading – see which roads will be cut-off preventing you from reaching your home or DLSZ;

(4) Contingent events (e.g., alternative course of action if Ayala Alabang Village (AAV) would not be accessible after a major earthquake.

Q5: Who are these consultants?

DLSZ has engaged the services of:

(1) Foresight Life Resilience Corporation, a company that provides various services, including disaster reduction management, security, search and rescue training, business continuity planning and other related services (Foresight). Consultants at Foresight are disaster management experts, including a former navy official, and a business continuity planner who have real on the ground experience in planning for contingencies, who have real experience in rescue and relief operations in past major earthquakes and disasters in the country.

(2) As project manager, Mr. Eduardo C. Manarpiis, a freelance security consultant, who is a former army lieutenant, a former security head of a multinational logistics company, and a former prefect of discipline and security head of a major school in Greenhills.

Foresight was engaged to (i) review drafts of DLSZ’s initial disaster plan that was drafted inhouse, (ii) propose revisions to the plan in accordance with industry standards and best practices, and (iii) prepare the school community, including the administration, the PA, students, parents, guardians and external organizations, the preparation of which includes workshops for faculty, staff, parents and guardians. The project manager is involved in fine-tuning the Plan and is overseeing and coordinating the implementation of preparatory measures detailed in the Plan, including the procurement and deployment of supplies and equipment, organizing and training school personnel and volunteers for various roles, and ensuring continuity in the school’s implementation and compliance with the Plan from year to year.

PA officers and volunteers were involved in the process of selecting and engaging these consultants, as the school solicited input from parents. In fact, because of the growing concerns of parents and guardians about the sufficiency of the school’s disaster preparedness measures, the PA fully supported the school’s initiatives and encouraged the engagement of external consultants.

Q6: Why not avail of the services of volunteers?

Many volunteers, including parents and staff, are behind the school’s disaster management program; however, the DLSZ administration, with the support of the PA, has made the determination that disaster preparedness requires the help of professionals who have the relevant expertise and experience and who will focus on the various aspects of disaster preparedness.

Q7: Why does the school have to charge for disaster preparedness? We’ve paid tuition fees and developmental fees. Those fees should cover disaster preparedness.

A primary and secondary school is not likely to have sufficient in-house expertise in, and readily available resources for, disaster preparedness. Thus, DLSZ has engaged the services of experienced professionals in formulating the Plan, in fine tuning and implementing the details of the Plan, and in training and organizing members of the community in accordance with the Plan. DLSZ has also procured and is in the process of procuring supplies and equipment in accordance with the Plan.

While the school charges significant amounts in tuition and development fees, those fees are allocated to various operational and capital requirements of the school, such as salaries, equipment, utilities, services, maintenance of physical resources, etc. Since disaster preparedness for a major earthquake is beyond the school’s regular operations and budget, the school needs financial resources to defray the costs necessary to formulate and implement the Plan. The school has made budgetary adjustments to accommodate some of the costs entailed by these initiatives; however, there are currently no sufficient resources to cover all costs associated with disaster preparedness.

Q8: Why charge P1,100? It’s too much for us.

The P1,100 fee will cover the fees charged by Foresight at cost, i.e., DLSZ and the PA are not marking-up the fees of Foresight. While the school has absorbed certain costs relating to disaster preparedness, the school is unable to absorb the fees payable to Foresight, and possibly other costs, because the amount was not budgeted and must be sourced externally.

In consultation with the PA, the DLSZ administration believes that the amount of P1,100 is reasonable considering the amount of time that Foresight has devoted to reviewing and proposing revisions to the Plan, and preparing for and conducting the Seminar—and considering that the Plan and the Seminar, ultimately, seek to protect the lives and safety of our students.

Q9: Why require four (4) household members to attend? What if our household has only 3 members? Do we get a refund for sending one (1) less household member?

The P1,100 fee was priced based on the number of families that will be required to attend. Each family needs to be represented by parents and guardians and students at least 13 years of age. The maximum number of attendees was set at the maximum number of 4 per family because it will be difficult to manage the seminars if each family will be given a free hand to send a limitless number of attendees to the Seminar.

Q10: Why do the seminars have to be scheduled according to our kids’ year level?

The seminars are scheduled according to grade/year level for the following reasons:

(1) In each session, the speakers will present evacuation plans and other details that are specific to the likely location of each class. The school would be better prepared if parents and guardians understood the evacuation and other related plans in greater detail.

(2) Parents and guardians of students in a particular year level will need to work closely together in case of emergencies. Thus, having them attend seminars together will give them an opportunity to get to know each other better.

Q11: If I cannot attend the scheduled seminar for my child’s year level, what options would I have?

After all the currently scheduled Seminars are conducted, the school will determine how many have not attended and will schedule additional Seminars on an as needed basis. There is no certainty as to when additional seminars will be conducted. Thus, parents and guardians are urged to exert best effort to attend the Seminars scheduled. If not, the inability of parents and guardians needs to be relayed to the school to give the school an early opportunity to reschedule the parents’ and guardians’ Seminar.

Q12: If I have more than one child at DLSZ, which session should I attend?

If you have a choice, you should attend the seminar for your oldest child because the oldest child is likely to be the one who will track down his siblings. Thus, given your eldest child’s role if a major earthquake strikes will be important and that child may need more support from parents and guardians, as the case may be.

Q14: Why are other schools not charging parents?

Each school approaches issues and problems differently. Several schools have engaged Foresight to assist with disaster preparedness matters and charged the parents P1,500. We are aware of a school that partially absorbed the cost of the seminars but only a few parents were required to attend and that school is presumably taking on the responsibility of orienting the parents of the school’s disaster management plan. DLSZ has taken a position that it cannot be responsible for the parents and guardians thoroughly understanding the details of, and being prepared to perform their roles under, the Plan; thus, DLSZ believes that all households must be represented.

Q15: Thank you for the information. Some parents are skeptical because all these have not been explained.

The process for putting in place the school’s disaster preparedness and management program is not simple, as explained above, and takes time to explain.

At the last general assembly of parents and guardians, the PA gave an overview of what the school is doing. Foresight’s senior consultant also spoke at that event. The Seminar was designed and scheduled to give the school an opportunity to orient parents regarding the Plan. Until parents and guardians are able to attend the Seminar, there will be unanswered questions.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS SEMINAR AND WORKSHOP

Q16: There seems to be some resistance from some of my co-parents against the seminars being conducted by Foresight Life Resilience Corp. Can you describe how these seminars fit within DLSZ’s disaster risk reduction and management program and initiatives?
DLSZ has taken concrete steps toward managing risks that may arise in case of a major earthquake. While earthquakes cannot be predicted, potential damages can be reasonably projected. If a major earthquake strikes Metro Manila, there are well-grounded fears that buildings, roads and bridges will collapse, water pipes will break, communication lines (including cellular sites) will be cut, and fire may breakout, among other effects.
If an earthquake strikes during school hours, it is possible that parents, guardians and fetchers may not be able to travel to the DLSZ campus immediately to reunite with their children. For example, if a parent is working or attending a meeting in the Makati Business District, the parent’s ability to come to Alabang or call DLSZ may be hindered by a massive traffic jam caused by a collapsed bridge or by road ruptures.
DLSZ’s disaster risk reduction management program and initiatives are outlined as follows:

  • While the buildings of DLSZ were built in accordance with applicable building standards, an engineering firm will be engaged to assess the structural soundness of the buildings.
  • Communications equipment has been and will be purchased so that communication lines within the campus and its immediate vicinity will continue to be available even if regular communication lines are shut following an earthquake.
  • DLSZ has formulated a plan (the Plan) for evacuating students from the buildings, accounting for students, holding students in a safer area, caring for the students and providing for immediate needs (food, water and first aid), reunifying students with siblings, parents, guardians and relatives, and the release of students to other parties designated by the parents and guardians. Foresight was engaged to review and comment on the Plan. Furthermore, a consultant was engaged to serve as project manager and to assist in finalizing the Plan based on input from the school, the parents and Foresight, and in implementing the Plan.
  • As part of the Plan, the school will upgrade its storage facilities and stack up on various supplies (e.g., water, food, flashlights, etc.) which will be stored in strategic locations within the campus and replaced periodically. These supplies are projected to last 24 hours from the moment a major earthquake strikes.
  • The seminars are designed to orient parents and guardians regarding relevant aspects of the Plan. Seminars will also be conducted for faculty and staff. As part of its corporate social responsibility program, Foresight will conduct seminars for parents and guardians for BRAFENHS students pro bono (free of charge).
  • In addition, DLSZ will coordinate with relevant entities and organizations, such as Barangay Ayala Alabang, Ayala Alabang Village Association, Inc., Philippine Red Cross, etc.

Parents’ and guardians’ attendance at the seminars are of critical importance because the safety of the children in the aftermath of a major earthquake is in part hinged upon who will look after their safety within the next 72 hours after an earthquake strikes. The seminar focuses on, among other things, the process developed by DLSZ (subject to the consent and authorization of parents and guardians) for releasing students to parents, guardians, fetchers, relatives and friends, the Hosting Plan and other preparatory measures, such as procuring and maintaining food, water, medicine and supplies, security issues that may arise in case lawlessness arises, etc. If parents and guardians will not be oriented, there will be a need to assist them during an actual emergency, which will take a significant amount of limited resources away from other urgent relief efforts.
Q17: What is the Hosting Plan? Is it mandatory that every student participate in the Hosting Plan?
As briefly explained above, in case of a major earthquake, it is, according to studies, possible that roads and bridges will collapse and communication lines (including cellular sites) will be cut—in which case, parents, guardians and fetchers may be unable to reach DLSZ to immediately fetch the students. In that situation, children who will not be fetched immediately and will be left waiting in school will be exposed to a myriad of risks, including the possibility that the school’s resources may be depleted in no time.
Under a hosting plan, parents and guardians will be given the option to authorize the school to release children who meet certain criteria to relatives and friends who live in Ayala Alabang Village (Hosting Plan). By participating in the Hosting Plan, the students may be cared for by such relatives and friends until parents and guardians are able to reach Ayala Alabang to fetch the children.
The Hosting Plan is not mandatory. DLSZ understands that authorizing the release of students to others entails an enormous amount of trust on the part of parents or guardians. Since trust cannot be imposed, the school made an early determination that the Hosting Plan mandatory. In fact, the school will only release students to host families with express authorization and a declaration of understanding of the concomitant risks from parents and guardians. However, since a major earthquake poses a real risk that parents and guardians may not be able to reach Ayala Alabang within a reasonable amount of time, parents and guardians are strongly encouraged to identify relatives and friends who live in Ayala Alabang Village whom they can trust and to whom the release of their children they would authorize.
Details of the Hosting Plan will be provided soon.
Q18:   I understand that these seminars are intended for our children’s safety. However, it is difficult for some parents and guardians to attend the scheduled seminars given various commitments, especially those of parents and guardians who have full-time jobs. What will happen if we are not available to attend any of the scheduled seminars? 
The seminars were initially designed to be conducted on a per year level basis. However, given the clamor for flexibility, the scheduled seminars will now be open for sign up to parents, guardians and other household members regardless of the year level of the students. DLSZ hopes that the flexibility will now enable everyone to attend the seminars.
Nevertheless, if a substantial amount of parents and guardians would not be able to attend the scheduled seminars, DLSZ and Foresight will exert best effort to schedule additional seminars.
However, if a parent or guardian simply refuses to or is simply unable to attend the seminar, the parent or guardian must communicate such refusal to DLSZ, and will be required by DLSZ to sign, a document (the Waiver) that consists of (i) an express declaration of intention not to attend the seminars, (ii) a manifestation that the effects and consequences of non-attendance are fully understood, and (iii) a waiver that will release the DLSZ from any and all claims or liabilities that the parent or guardian may have as a result of or in relation to the effect of the parent’s or guardian’s non-attendance at the seminar, including their failure to instruct the students regarding details of the Plan.
Q19: The seminar fees are too expensive for some parents. Did the school not consider the financial limitations of some parents?
A parent should not miss the seminar solely due to financial difficulties. Parents and guardians who have financial difficulties are requested to write the school and request a reconsideration of the fees with a detailed explanation for the request. The request will be evaluated on a case by case basis. If the school finds the explanation to be meritorious, the school will have the option to offer financial assistance or waive the fees. The officers and directors of the DLSZ (De La Salle Santiago Zobel School) Parents Association, Inc. (PA) have also agreed to help find financial resources to assist families with financial difficulties in covering the cost of the seminar.
Q20: Since DLSZ is charging a lot for tuition and development fees, the seminar fees should just be absorbed by DLSZ. Is this is another money making scheme?
DLSZ is not profiting from the seminars or the Plan. In fact, DLSZ is defraying the cost of many aspects of the Plan, such as the fees paid to the project manager, the cost of the communication equipment and other supplies, the storage facilities for the supplies, the professional fees of the engineering firm. It is estimated that the total costs will range between 8 Million to 10 Million Pesos, Philippine currency. The fees for the seminars will be approximately 1/5 of the total cost.
The decision to engage Foresight was made by the DLSZ administration after considering the need for specialized expertise and the timeline within which DLSZ needed to adopt and implement a disaster risk reduction and management plan. Upon evaluating Foresight’s proposal, the administration made the determination that Foresight meets the school’s needs and requirements.
DLSZ will not pay Foresight any amount because Foresight’s pricing model is structured around seminar fees, even as Foresight’s services include reviewing the Plan, recommending solutions (e.g. the Hosting Plan) and providing oversight to DLSZ’s implementation of the Plan without additional costs.
While Foresight has agreed to lower the seminar fees from P1,500 to P1,100 upon DLSZ’s and the PA’s request, some parents have directly asked DLSZ to cover the seminar fess; however, it is regretfully beyond DLSZ’s resources to pay for the seminar fees in addition to all other costs associated with the Plan. Notwithstanding the amount of tuition and developmental fees that DLSZ charges, the total fees are budgeted for various expenditures of the school and DLSZ did not allocate funds for significant costs, such as professional or consultant fees, cost of equipment and supplies, and the like.
Q21: What is the school’s policy regarding parents or guardians who refuse or do not attend Foresight’s seminar, and refuse to sign the Waiver?
The seminar fees will be charged to parents or guardians who do not attend and refuse to sign the Waiver. Subject to the financial assistance that DLSZ or the PA may extend on a case by case basis, parents and guardians—who do not expressly declare an intention not to attend the seminar following prescribed formalities—will be deemed or implied to have agreed to attend the seminars and will be legally obligated to pay the seminar fees.
As a general policy, DLSZ does not intend to impose academic consequence upon students whose parents and guardians refuse to participate in DLSZ’s disaster risk reduction and management plan and initiatives. However, in case of delinquency in paying the fees, DLSZ cannot simply release parents and guardians from the financial obligation; DLSZ will evaluate cases of delinquency on a case by case basis based on any explanation provided and the relevant laws, rules and regulations, of the Department of Education, including provisions on withholding transfer credentials for non-payment of financial obligations.
 Q22: Since it is the school’s responsibility to ensure the student’s safety in case of disasters or emergencies, the school will be liable for whatever happens to students regardless of the parents’ and guardians’ attendance at these seminars.
DLSZ is cognizant of (i) the provision under the Family Code of the Philippines that the school, its administrators and teachers exercise special parental authority and responsibility over the minor child while under their supervision, instruction or custody, and (ii) the scope and limitations of such authority and responsibility in the context of a fortuitous event where the school has exercised proper diligence under the particular circumstances.
Thus, from a risk management perspective, DLSZ is evaluating its liability insurance coverage, has engaged the services of professionals in various fields (e.g., disaster management, engineering, legal, etc.), and has formulated and is implementing the Plan.
However, because the Plan involves human lives, DLSZ would like to go beyond the technicalities of financial liability and policy formulation. The faculty and staff of DLSZ would like to exert best effort to make the implementation of the Plan as successful as possible, and to enjoin the parents and guardians to support the school’s efforts.
Q23: Thank you for the supplemental information. Some parents continue to be skeptical because all these have not been explained.
As previously stated, DLSZ understands that the process for putting in place the school’s disaster risk reduction and management program is not simple, and takes time to explain.  At the last general assembly of parents and guardians, the PA gave an overview of what the school is doing to prepare for calamities.  Foresight’s senior consultant also spoke at that event.  The school has also circulated an FAQ document that sought to answer typical questions emanating from parents and guardians. This supplemental FAQ is another attempt to provide clarificatory explanations. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please email adcomm@dlszobel.edu.ph or call the Advancement and Communications Office at 7713579 loc. 748. You may also contact your PA level rep who will be glad to answer questions.

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