NDRRMC explores indigenous knowledge on disaster risk reduction

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) is studying the synchronization of traditional knowledge and science in disaster risk reduction management.

“There are a lot of indigenous knowledge that can’t be explained by science kaya ang gagawin natin we are trying to synchronize so that we will understand more. You can’t argue wih the number of successes our indigenous people have survived,” NDRRMC Executive Director Alexander Pama said on Tuesday at the International Day for Disaster Reduction and Asean Day for Disaster Management.

This year’s theme centered on the value of harmonizing indigenous traditional knowledge and scientific method.

“Today we discussed with indigenous peoples, civil society organizations and the academe and hopefully we can come up with a consolidated project so we could come up with some sort of compendium for this,” Pama said.

“Kunwari sa preparedness ise-share ng IPs like in certain areas yung galaw ng hayop at mga tanim. These are the things na alam ng IP. So those are urban legends … it will remain that way but if we synchronize this to science mas magiging malinaw. We can tell our people specific scientific tools … We’re trying to put indigenous knowledge into science and science into indigenous knowledge,” he added.

Pablo Santos, an aeta from Floridablanca, Pampanga, welcomed the initiative as long as it would preserve their identity as IPs.

“Mahalaga mapanatili ang identity namin dahil doon naka-angkla ang ancestral domain claim,” he said. Frances Mangosing/RC