Wanted : a more inclusive disaster response

(notes on my visit to Iligan City, 24-26 December 2011)

Iligan City was my base for my Ph.D. fieldwork and I stayed there from April to October this year. My stay in Iligan City was nothing but good, and thus when I watched news of destruction wrought by tropical storm Sendong (Washi) to lives and properties, I just felt I had to be back and do my share. I was in Iligan from 24-26 December, and I brought with me PhP4,000.00 pesos worth of medicines and assorted relief items donated by friends (clothes, kitchenware, canned goods), and a pledge of PhP5,000.00 from friends of friends which was used to buy three 50-kilo sacks of rice (not the NFA variety, mind you).

By this time, the flashflood survivors have been living in evacuation centers, makeshift huts or with relatives for about a week since Sendong dumped 142 millimeters of rainfall in 12 hours over the weekend, triggering a flashflood and badly hitting 21 of Iligan’s 44 barangays (villages), affecting almost a fifth of its population (as reported by Bobby Lagsa for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, 27 December 2011).  As of 27 December, 448 dead and 361 missing have been reported or documented in Iligan City (data from Iligan City Social Welfare and Development Office).  I would dare say that these figures are an underestimation.

There are a lot of generous souls, and Iligan is grateful for the help that has been pouring in, from the national government, local government units, international organizations and local non-government organizations.  The Ranaw Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Center (RDRRC, Inc.) is one of Iligan City-based NGOs with meticulous and updated documentation of donations received and types of support extended to the flashflood survivors. It has received cash donations, food items (rice, corn, canned goods, noodles, and root crops), and non-food items such as hygiene kits (e.g. soap, toothbrush, face towel), water containers, kitchenwares, clothes, beddings, and other items sorted, repacked and distributed by 100 volunteers and counting (the youngest was at 8 who helped out in sorting clothes!). But what has been overwhelming is the support given by individuals from all over the country, and from Filipinos abroad.

Generosity abounds even from flashflood survivors themselves.  A friend’s daughter, a 4th year high school student at MSU-IIT Integrated Development School (IDS), was able to collect some clothes to give to a classmate whose family lost almost everything to the flashflood. Her classmates’ reply is a model of selflessness in the midst of loss and distress: “Thank you. But it is better to give it to the families from Bayug as they are most vulnerable and affected.”  The spirit of volunteerism soared high with relief workers and volunteers going to donation drop off points helping out even on Christmas eve and on Christmas Day. The office of Birth-Dev was not spared by Sendong, yet there they were doing what they do best – conducting defriefing sessions with survivors in JAL Elementary School on Christmas Eve!

There is a certain amount of relief felt by the Iliganons that the disaster happened in the month of December, during the Christmas season, the season of giving.  Had this happened in May or June, or weeks before enrolment, they fear that people might not be as giving, as they would be too preoccupied with figuring out where to source funds for their children’s school fees to even share their meager resources to the disaster victims.

As of 27 December, there is an estimated 4,227 families with 19,227 dependents housed in more than 16 evacuation centers in Iligan City, out of a total 17,922 families affected with 78,238 dependents (data from Iligan City Social Welfare and Development Office).  In an attempt to coordinate efforts and maximize resources, the “One for Iligan” network, a commendable initiative, implemented the “Adopt an Evacuation Center” scheme, with NGOs/POs/Civic Organizations paired with one or two evacuation center/s. As of 24 December, 16 evacuation centers have been paired, with nine more centers identified that need to be adopted.

I wonder though if there is a parallel coordinated scheme to respond to the needs of families who choose not to stay in evacuation centers and instead stay “on-site”.  It is worth noting that as early as four days into disaster emergency response, Ching Borres of RDRRAC issued the following appeal on her Facebook page and Twitter account: “We appeal to @DSWDserve that those survivors outside evacuation centers should be given fair treatment #Iligan #sendong @RDRRAC” (20 December 2011). (Note: RDRRAC is doing a documentation of flashflood victims who are not in evacuation centers to ensure that they also receive support from institutions.)

And I wonder when we will learn from our lessons. I led a team on a psychosocial assessment mission in Dingalan (Aurora Province) in 2005, and this was a common complaint of families. “Kung wala ka sa evacation center, wala kang relief.”  This bred resentment among families who chose not to stay in evacuation centers even if their houses were washed away in the flashflood.  They felt that they too are entitled to relief assistance.   In time, there were some families who chose to remain in evacuation centers even if they could safely return to their original communities and build temporary shelters – because assistance was coursed through the evacuation centers.

Some groups in Iligan City have intentionally focused their disaster response work to families “on-site”. The Iligan Medical Center College (IMCC) has been extending assistance to families affected who are staying on-site in Lambagohon, Bayug Island, Hinaplanon, and Santiago, and plans to extend relief distribution to affected families in harder-to-reach areas in the coming days.  Instead of bringing the goods in vans, with the victims lining up to receive their share, they have at least five motorcycle riders approaching each family staying in tents or makeshift huts.  I find this more personal and more dignifying, compared to the common practice of letting the victims queue up even under the rain, with the relief volunteers on motorbikes able to strike a conversation with the affected families to check on their situation and monitor what they need while distributing relief assistance.  Noticing that most affected families staying on site are still unable to cook, IMCC includes cooked meals in their relief packs for the time being.    

Given that evacuation centers are still the main distribution points for assistance, this raises the question as to how inclusive the main approach to relief work is.  We know from past disaster response work, and now in Iligan City, that most families choose not to stay in evacuation centers for several reasons: to safeguard their properties, centers are congested and hygiene and sanitation are compromised. In a way, not staying in evacuation centers is a protection mechanism adopted by the victims/survivors – protection against diseases, and protecting what remains of their properties. This is unfortunate given that evacuation centers should be operated and regarded by the affected families and communities as a safe place, a protection mechanism in the aftermath of a disaster. 

(Source: facebook.com)