International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE) Volume 8, Issue 12, December 2021, PP 8-22 ISSN 2349-0373 (Print) & ISSN 2349-0381 (Online) https://doi.org/10.20431/2349-0381.0812002 www.arcjournals.org International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE) Page | 8 The Extent of Public Participation in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management of Cotabato City, Mindanao, Philippines Mohamadan A. Abdulkasan, Dominic Jude Arguillas, Faye Yeeda A. Espinosa, Dr. Joel S. Pardillo Professional Schools, University of Mindanao, Davao City, Philippines 1. INTRODUCTION Cotabato City is home to diverse socio-cultural and religious backgrounds, a metropolis situated along the coast of the Moro Gulf, bordered by Rio Grande de Mindanao and Tamontaka River, next to the towns of Maguindanao province. Its geographical location and unique landscape make it distinctively exposed to an array of natural hazards. The precedent of the 8.1 magnitude quake that happened in 1976 known as the Moro Gulf Earthquake engendered a tsunami that left the city and the adjacent provinces shattered. The Department of Science and Technology affirmed that the offshore catastrophe generated by the Cotabato trench was the greatest tsunamigenic earthquake to have materialized in the history of Mindanao that stemmed to massive destruction of properties and loss of lives. The natural tragedy was accounted for 85% of deaths and 65% of injuries and roughly 95% of missing [1]. Today, the city is reeling from the effects of heavy precipitation set off by the southwest monsoon and often instigated by the tails of typhoons in most calendar months. In most suburbs, flood is frequent; the geographical position and characteristics of the city as the catching basin of central Mindanao corroborate the repeated occurrence of floods. In 2020, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) reported that 17 of thirty-seven city’s villages were affected by the heavy downpour brought by the tail end of Typhoon Quinta, with some plunged to waist-deep floods [2]. With climate change, sea-level rise inclines to be an add-on to this inbred challenge, affecting more than 90% of the city’s landmass and other nearby towns of Maguindanao as estimated by Climate Central, Inc. [3]. About 70% of its land area is calculated below sea level, and Pedro Colina Hill and Timako Hill are the only existing high areas in the city with an elevation of 90 and 150 feet, respectively [4]. Levermann et al. (2013) elaborated that as the world grows warmer by a degree, the sea level is predicted to rise at about 2.3 meters in turn [5]. Abstract: This study was conducted to determine the extent of participation among citizens of Cotabato City, Philippines in terms of disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) based on the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation’s five participation goals: inform, consult, involve, collaborate, and empower. The study utilized a non-probabilistic snowball sampling method and gathered a total of 50 responses from survey questionnaires administered via Google Forms platform. Majority of the respondents have lived in Cotabato City for more than 20 years, are 25-34 years of age, female, college graduates, and government employees, but not working under offices with influences on disaster risk reduction and management. Results from the survey statistically imply that existing measures are calling for the dynamic participation of the local community members on disaster management needed to shape community risk-mappings to provide a publicly validated, recognized, and credible baseline data for disaster response – a foundation in the formulation of effective DRR-CCA strategies and action plans. Determining the extent of participation of the citizen in each of the 5 participation goals helps researchers in disaster management, government institutions, and public officials identify the gaps and lapses in including the public to create better policies which are inclusive, equitable, and sustainable. Keywords: Cotabato City, disaster response, extent of public participation, IAP2 spectrum *Corresponding Author: Mohamadan A. Abdulkasan, Professional Schools, University of Mindanao, Davao City, Philippines