The advent of the year 2020-2023 was shocked by the successive disastrous events and phenomena within the national level and in the global scenario. This is through the detrimental Taal Volcano eruption, the recent plague brought by NCOV and the feared El Niño phenomenon. These events that are hazardous to public safety and welfare have made school leaders, teachers and authorities realized the high need to further educate and train students and youth about the skills and competencies related to disaster readiness, management, response and resiliency. Many educators have recognized that it is high time to improve and intensify the implementation of its school-based DRRM programs, measures and practices. This is primarily for the purpose of ensuring that every student in school is disaster ready, alert in times of emergencies and highly responsive during unexpected and critical, high risk events and situations.
These are some of the salient reasons on why every school promotes the recognition of the so-called “Batang Kalasag”. This is the term associated with learners who have the highest levels of acquired trainings and competencies in terms of emergency response, disaster preparedness and management. However, it can be viewed that even the ordinary students can be considered and hailed as Batang Kalasag for as long as they possess the skills, attitudes and values that define disaster ready, alert and resilient learners. Learners who take DRRM-oriented education and trainings in school by heart can be deemed as reflective of the characteristics of Batang Kalasag.
In these critical times when disasters and emergencies come in different forms and instances, educators need to consider and maximize efforts, practices and endeavour to help the students develop and hone the skills and virtues relevant to disaster management. These practices include integration of DRRM concepts and skills in values-oriented and socially-oriented instruction, maximizing the conduct of school-based DRRM trainings and drills for students and development and production of alternative learners’ materials centred on information dissemination and education of students about disaster management.