GEOSCIENTISTS AND STAKEHOLDERS CONSULTATION: THE CITY OF MANILA EXPERIENCE

This paper presents the experience the Section 1 group of the Metro Manila Case Study derived from two consultative meetings with various stakeholders of the City of Manila. The results show that there is now an immediate need to conduct massive information campaigns vis-à- vis scientific studies being done at present. The experience also taught us that hard-core scientific results can be presented and understood by laymen using simple guides such as properly labeled hazard maps with clear explanations. The outputs from these maps can help the users plan for their own specific purposes or even a big city like Manila with a half million population plan its course of action during an earthquake. The experience shows that bridging the understanding between geoscientists and city stakeholders is possible and doable as long as geoscientists develop the proper and keen understanding of the stakeholders' perspectives and point of view.