Of stories that matter

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-101
Author(s):  
Juhn Chris Espia ◽  
Alma Maria Salvador
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Risk ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Central Position ◽  
San Jose ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proactive Approach ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Risk Discourse

Purpose The recent shift in the Philippine Government’s emphasis from response to a more proactive approach came with the recognition that different stakeholders play important roles in the governance of disaster risk. The purpose of this paper is to look beyond the question as to whether all stakeholders are involved in disaster risk management planning and examines the extent by which the narratives of risk of actors at the margins shape how risk is framed in municipal DRM planning in Antique, Philippines. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on a field study carried out in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique Province, Philippines. Data were gathered through key informant interviews and focus group discussions as well as a review of archival records and documents. Findings The narratives of CSOs and communities, which revolve around livelihoods and community life are conspicuously absent from the plans whereas that of government actors occupy a central position in the risk discourse. The study highlights the power-saturated process of defining and addressing risk to disasters, where knowledge is intimately linked to power as some voices shape plans and policies, whereas, others are excluded because their knowledge is socially constructed as less reliable and therefore irrelevant. Originality/value There is a dearth of studies that examine disaster risk as social constructions in the context of planning in the Philippines and in other disaster-prone countries.

From displacement to resettlement: how current policies shape eviction narratives among urban poor in the Philippines

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-63
Author(s):  
Zaldy C. Collado ◽  
Noella May-i G. Orozco
Keyword(s):  
Urban Poor ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
San Jose ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Philippine Government ◽  
Involuntary Displacement ◽  
Cost Of Transportation

Purpose This study aims to examine the experiences of urban poor relocatees in their resettlement communities, specifically those who were relocated from the Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela and Quezon City areas to the province of Bulacan, Philippines. This study hopes to convey the importance of revisiting the law on socialized housing in the Philippines. Design/methodology/approach This study gathered qualitative data through 2 focus group discussions among 28 participants who came from 3 resettlement sites in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan Province, Philippines. The resettlement areas are owned and managed by the National Housing Authority of the Philippine Government. Findings Results show that resettlement experiences are stories of survival under impoverished conditions. Lack of housing facilities or poorly built units characterize their relocation experience aside from having no immediate access to basic utilities such as electricity and water, despite a law that supposedly secures these rights to relocatees. The expensive cost of transportation and the lack of livelihood also heavily strain the lives of the relocated population. Originality/value This study illustrates that involuntary displacement predicts poor living conditions upon resettlement. This study is an inquiry not only of existing conditions of socialized housing in resettlement areas but also past realities of these housing communities at the onset of the displacees’ relocation.

Modelling climate change risks for food security in the Philippines

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien L. Carandang ◽  
Glenn S. Banaguas ◽  
Mary Jane C. Flores ◽  
Jose Santos R. Carandang VI
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Community Food Security ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Urban Food Security ◽  
Secure Environment ◽  
Security Planning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to look into the impacts brought about by climate change to the food security in Saguday, Quirino in the Philippines. Design/methodology/approach – A framework for developing community food security was utilized which identified the need to mitigate and address inherent externalities in a community such as flooding due to climate change as necessary preconditions to attaining a food secure environment. The study highlighted Saguday’s risk to externalities using risk assessment and modelling. Findings – Data from literature reviews and agency reports were validated by key informant interviews of local and national officials and focus group discussions with different stakeholder groups. Originality/value – A modification of the Urban Food Security Planning Process developed by Taylor and Carandang (2010, 2011) was utilized to address the local government unit’s need to mitigate and manage the inherent geographical risks that Saguday has in relation to its agricultural and food productivity.

Lessons from tropical storms Urduja and Vinta disasters in the Philippines

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahar Lagmay ◽  
Bernard Alan Racoma
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Content Type ◽  
National Disaster ◽  
Management Council

PurposeTropical storms Urduja and Vinta battered the Philippines in December 2017. Despite advances in disaster risk reduction efforts of the country, the twin December storms caused numerous deaths in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. Analysis of these events shows that alerts raised during the Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) for both storms were largely ineffective because they were too broad and general calling for forced evacuations in too many provinces. Repeated multiple and general warnings that usually do not end up in floods or landslides, desensitize people and result in the cry-wolf effect where communities do not respond with urgency when needed. It was unlike the previous execution of PDRA from 2014 to early 2017 by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), which averted mass loss of lives in many severely impacted areas because of hazard-specific, area-focused and time-bound warnings. PDRA must reinstate specific calls, where mayors of communities are informed by phone hours in advance of imminent danger to prompt and ensure immediate action. Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction information using probabilistic (multi-scenario) hazard maps is also necessary for an effective early warning system to elicit appropriate response from the community. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachMethods of early warning through the PDRA of the National Disaster Mitigation and Management Council (NDRRMC) of the Philippines during tropical storm Urduja and Typhoon Vinta were assessed in this study and compared to the previous PDRA system from 2014 to early 2017.FindingsIt was found out that the numerous casualties were due to inadequate warning issued during the approach of the tropical cyclones. During an impending hazard, warnings must be accurate, reliable, understandable and timely. Despite the availability of maps that identified safe zones for different communities, warnings raised during the PDRA for both tropical cyclones were deemed too general calling for evacuations of whole provinces. As such, not all communities were evacuated in a timely manner because of failure in the key elements of an effective early warning system.Originality/valueTo avoid future disasters from happening, it is recommended that the PDRA reinstate its hazards-specific, area-focused and time-bound warnings. Similarly, to increase the resilience of communities, more work on mainstreaming of Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk and Vulnerability Reduction systems for communities must be done as well. Learning from the lessons of these previous disasters will enable communities, their leaders and every stakeholder, not to repeat the same mistakes in the future.

Zero Casualty: The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Strategy of Albay Province, Philippines

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gremil Alessandro Naz ◽  
Arvin G. Malonzo ◽  
Benito L. Salvador Jr.
Keyword(s):  
International Organizations ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Risk Response ◽  
Geologic Hazards

Albay province in the Philippines is beset by multiple climatic and geologic hazards, but it has largely managed to stick to its zero-casualty goals during disasters. In fact, many international organizations have hailed the provincial government’s highly effective disaster risk response and management (DRRM). Through interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis, the researchers sought to know the reasons for Albay’s success. Six strategies were discovered: (1) making DRRM a goal, (2) ordaining policies on DRRM, (3) building institutions related to DRRM, (4) providing an adequate budget for DRRM, (5) implementing DRRM programs and projects, and (6) forging partnerships with other DRRM stakeholders. Recommendations on how other provinces can replicate the Albay system are provided.

Zero Casualty: The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Strategy of Albay Province, Philippines

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gremil Alessandro Naz ◽  
Arvin G. Malonzo ◽  
Benito L. Salvador Jr.
Keyword(s):  
International Organizations ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Risk Response ◽  
Geologic Hazards

Albay province in the Philippines is beset by multiple climatic and geologic hazards, but it has largely managed to stick to its zero-casualty goals during disasters. In fact, many international organizations have hailed the provincial government’s highly effective disaster risk response and management (DRRM). Through interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis, the researchers sought to know the reasons for Albay’s success. Six strategies were discovered: (1) making DRRM a goal, (2) ordaining policies on DRRM, (3) building institutions related to DRRM, (4) providing an adequate budget for DRRM, (5) implementing DRRM programs and projects, and (6) forging partnerships with other DRRM stakeholders. Recommendations on how other provinces can replicate the Albay system are provided.

Cross-country use of participatory research methods in practice to enhance inclusive decision-making

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sneha Krishnan ◽  
Robert Soden ◽  
Bhen Aguihon ◽  
Rongkun Liu ◽  
Pradip Khatiwada
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Disaster Risk Management ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
The Usa

PurposeRethinking participation in disaster research and practice could be facilitated when practitioners are provided with opportunities to pause and reflect deeply on their work outside of the context of their own individual projects and organizational networks. The article draws from an extended collaboration between researchers from multiple countries and disciplines in a working group, which aimed at exploring ethics, participation and power in disaster management.Design/methodology/approachUnder responsible engineering science and technology for disaster risk management, the authors undertook weekly meetings over four months to discuss various facets of adopting participatory methods in their individual projects in Nepal, India, the Philippines and the USA. The article develops a critical reflection of practice using an auto-ethnographical and poly-vocal approach.FindingsThe voluntary, digital, sustained, unstructured, recurring and inter-disciplinary characteristics of the authors' working group created an opportunity for researchers and practitioners from different fields and different national, cultural and linguistic backgrounds to come together and collectively issues related to participation, ethics and power.Research limitations/implicationsIn the paper, the authors do not offer a systematic evaluation of what was a fairly unique process. The paper offers no evaluation of the working group or others like it that focus on questions of replicability, scale and sustainability.Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, the current work is a unique paper that focuses on situating multi-disciplinary practice within disaster risk management (DRM) and enhancing networks, capacities and expertise for professional education for engineers, physical and social scientists who are involved in research and practice. The polyvocal character of the presentation will help readers access the particular experiences of the participants, which reflect the deeply personal character of the subject matter.

“I don’t want trouble”

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 380-392
Author(s):  
Liezel Longboan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disaster Studies ◽  
Critical Feedback ◽  
Feedback Channels

Purpose Studies which look at disaster affected people’s use of communications technologies often fail to take into account people’s communication rights in their analyses, particularly their right to freedom of expression. The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to this issue by exploring the link between freedom of expression, community participation and disaster risk reduction in the use of digital feedback channels offered by aid and government agencies in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. Design/methodology/approach Ethnographic fieldwork was undertaken in the Philippines between 2014 and 2015 in Tacloban City and Sabay Island, both in the Visayas, which have been affected by Typhoon Haiyan. A total of 101 in-depth interviews were conducted with affected people, local and national officials, community leaders, civil society groups, telecommunications companies and humanitarian agencies. Findings The interviews reveal that majority of disaster-affected Filipinos chose not to engage with formal feedback platforms offered by government and aid agencies out of fear of giving critical feedback to those in authority. They were concerned about the possibility of losing their entitlement to aid, of being reprimanded by government officers, and of the threat to their lives and of their loved ones if they expressed criticism to the government’s recovery efforts. Nonetheless, 15 per cent used backchannels while 10 per cent availed of the formal means to express their views about the recovery. Research limitations/implications The paper sought to draw links between people’s lack of engagement with the formal feedback mechanisms offered by government and aid agencies in the wake of Haiyan and the restrictive sociopolitical environment in the Philippines. Further research could be undertaken to examine how freedom of expression plays a role in disaster prevention and mitigation. Research into this area could potentially provide concrete steps to help prevent the occurrence of disasters and mitigate their impacts. Originality/value Freedom of expression and its place in disaster risk reduction is rarely explored in disaster studies. The paper addresses this oversight by examining the lack of engagement by communities affected by Haiyan with digital feedback channels provided by aid agencies and government. The findings suggest that despite the provisions for community participation in DRR under the Philippine Disaster Law, people are prevented to express criticism and dissent which puts into question the spirit and purpose of the law.

Stakeholders’ approaches to disaster risk reduction in built environment

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 356-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mohammad H. Mojtahedi ◽  
Bee Lan Oo
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Intuitive Reasoning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Proactive Approach

Purpose – In disaster risk reduction (DRR), it is important to realise stakeholders’ approaches against disasters in the built environment. The purpose of this paper is to explore why stakeholders take proactive and/or reactive approaches in DRR. Design/methodology/approach – Using a review of existent literature, this work scrutinises disaster theories and their applications in the built environment to develop a theoretical framework for perceiving stakeholders’ proactive and/or reactive approaches in DRR. Findings – Stakeholders’ organisational attributes – power, legitimacy and urgency – and decision-making paradigms – value maximisation and intuitive reasoning – are fundamental factors affecting stakeholders’ approaches against disasters. Power and legitimacy of stakeholders result in a proactive approach if stakeholders consider value maximisation paradigm in their decision-making process. Powerful and legitimate stakeholders may take reactive approaches because of intuitive reasoning paradigm. Stakeholders may shift from a reactive to proactive approach and vice versa based on the combination of urgency attribute and decision-making paradigms. Research limitations/implications – It is essential to consider the classification of respective stakeholders in applying the idea of this paper. Furthermore, this paper does not attempt to validate the proposed theoretical framework empirically, but it combines stakeholder and decision-making theories by which this could be undertaken. Originality/value – Little attention has been paid to systematic theorising in managing stakeholders’ approaches against disasters. Furthermore, many researchers have focused on similar underlying theories and heuristics in the context of DRR. Thus, this paper introduces a theoretical framework to examine stakeholders’ proactive and/or reactive approaches in the built environment, by synthesising stakeholder and decision-making theories.

scholarly journals Implementing quality assurance system for open and distance learning in three Asian open universities: Philippines, Indonesia and Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-320
Author(s):  
Aminudin Zuhairi ◽  
Maria Rowena Del Rosario Raymundo ◽  
Kamran Mir
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Open University ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Societal Needs ◽  
Open And Distance Learning

PurposeQuality assurance (QA) in open and distance learning (ODL) has always become universal concerns of stakeholders. The quality of ODL has been confronted with challenges in terms of the diversity of inputs, processes, the complex supply chain management of ODL and recent paradigm shift into online learning. Assuring the quality of ODL are daunting tasks at individual, institution and system levels. Completed before the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, this study aims to better understand the implementation of QA system in three Asian open universities (OUs), namely University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), Universitas Terbuka (UT), Indonesia and Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative method was employed involving analysis of documents of the three Asian OUs and focus group discussions and interviews with management and staff. Data collected were then analyzed to draw conclusions and possible recommendations.FindingsFindings of this study presented good practices, challenges and rooms for improvement of the QA system in the three Asian OUs. Focusing on students and stakeholders in their QA effort, this study has revealed that quality begins with inner self and is multidimensional. QA is principally viewed as continuous improvement, as mechanism and assessment and as effort at exceeding expectations of students and stakeholders. The recent challenge for QA is to embrace a delicate process of ODL transformation into online digital system. The recent COVID-19 outbreak has further implications and challenged QA implementation in ODL in higher education into the next level of complexity.Practical implicationsThis study revealed the diversities in how OUs met the societal needs of their respective stakeholders and addressed the challenges ahead for QA in ODL.Originality/valueThese findings were expected to enhance the understanding of the theory and practice of QA in ODL and to contribute to quality improvement of ODL programs.

Food delivery apps (FDAs) in Asia: an exploratory study across India and the Philippines

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shweta Pandey ◽  
Deepak Chawla ◽  
Sandeep Puri
Keyword(s):  
Food Packaging ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Food Delivery ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
App Development ◽  
Qualitative Research Methodology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Country Specific

PurposeThis study explores and compares the reasons for or against including situational triggers on the adoption of food delivery apps (FDAs) across lesser-researched Asian countries like India and the Philippines.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilises a qualitative research methodology using focus group discussions and interviews across each country.FindingsRespondents from India highlighted the importance of convenience, aggressive discounts, app service quality, fulfilment and multiple payment options as the key reasons for adopting the FDAs. However, these factors require redressal in the Philippines context. Also, the study findings highlight some country-specific requirements: in the Philippines, food packaging, cheaper options provided by the local convenience stores and lack of variety of food options; in India, the impact of parental beliefs and segregated vegetarian food delivery.Practical implicationsThe study makes practical suggestions for consumer behaviour researchers, developers and marketers of FDAs who are confronted with challenges in app development for a multi-cultural audience and to ensure growth and the adoption of the FDAs across the two countries.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to compare diverse national markets to uncover differences and similarities in the factors impacting the adoption of FDAs. The results highlight the impact of varying levels of evolution of FDAs and social, technological and cultural contextual differences on the adoption of the FDAs across India and the Philippines.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document