Make me yours

When I feel lost, sad, or confused, I always tend to remember and sing this song. It has a powerful message that helps me to get better everytime.

This song is entitled "Make Me Yours" which was written and sung by the Popstar Royalty, Sarah Geronimo. This song is actually a prayer to God; a Christian song. It is a wish of a girl to have a conversation to the One above even if she's not deserving of His undying love.

The chorus goes like this:

Speak to me, though I am unworthy

It's Your voice I long to hear

Take away my doubts and fears

Stay with me though I am unworthy

'Cause it's You that I want

And it's You that I need

Make me Yours, only Yours

And never let me go

It starts with a very soft melody accompanied by the piano and her soulful voice. It goes by the key of Ebm. It has plenty of chord progressions. It starts with the intro which is Dm Bbmaj7 Csus4. The first verse's chord progression however is Dm Bbmaj7 F C Gm7. And again, the chorus and the rest of the verses and the bridge have different chord progressions from one to another. As the song progresses, it goes on a very soft (pianissimo) dynamic and has a slow (adagio) and sustains it evoking the mood of the song; the expression of our love to God.

Patungo sa Kaligtasan ng Bawat Mamamayan

My NSTP class, a course for freshman year in college, led me into interviewing one of the barangay officials nearby the university to understand deeper what and how the Disaster Risk Reduction is managed throughout the community.

Barangay 471, Zone 46, is located in the 4th district of Manila, hence being one of the one hundred and ninety two barangays situated around Sampaloc. Its population varies and is approximately at 1,872 residents. It is a semi-commercial area wherein settlers gain income through food stalls, establishments, transportation like tricycles, and sari-sari stores.

This barangay I went to had a risk reduction management plan with its vision: uplifting the standard of living, peace and order, and cleanliness of the community. The barangay official mentioned there is a solid cooperation between the disaster risk reduction team in the area. He said that barangay tanods are always visible within the area to assist whenever there is a problem and also, he said that there are prepared equipment in case of disaster emergencies. They keep track of the vulnerability of natural resources since their GDP decreased due to the big typhoons the past 3 years.

For them, everyone is to be valued and kept safely in order to attain their vision as a barangay which instills disaster risk reduction. So as I mentioned earlier, tanods are always roving around the covered area to ensure everybody’s safety. For their plan, they start with ensuring that everyone is aware that a disaster might happen (typhoon, floods, earthquake, or fire). Megaphones, two-way radios, fire extinguishers, de-clogging materials, floor level indicator, and first aid kits are always available for them to equip the community in certain situations. They also have this three-part period for calamities namely the pre-impact, impact and post-impact. The pre-impact period is when they get ready – all residents are warned about the type of danger to expect, re-assessment is done for the capability of the barangay to withhold an expected calamity (temporary shelters, supplies for food, rescue materials, transportation needs, medicines, etc.). The impact period is when the specialized service teams are on duty to analyze the reports sent out and received, determine the needed materials and equipment, and control the operations. And the post-impact period is when they are required to submit a report by the service team leader upon the termination of disaster operations and shall then be consolidated by the Task Force. The reports are to have proper documentation for future reference.

My insights upon hearing these answers? Very astonishing. Who knew a community can be prepared like that? I mean, yes, we don’t actually know when a disaster might happen. But, like this barangay, we must stand on guard, always be prepared for every situation. I was amazed how they have procurement plans like giving supplies of food to the victims and how they ready evacuation places and temporary shelters for their residents. I realized how they value people – ensuring the safety of everyone amidst the calamity. And I think that is the sole reason of disaster risk reduction management; to be able to ensure the safety and protect the lives of other people, and yourself at all times.