The lack of consultative mechanism and coordination with concern interagency for post-disaster resettlement inspired homeless disaster-affected families in barangay Ayala to assert the proper provision of relocation site and for additional construction materials before they should be asked to start anew their lives outside the cubicles of barangay’s gymnasium.
The families suffered multiple disasters from typhoon Paeng while they were managing a controlled life under the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and of destructive flooding brought about by Shear Line’s continued rainfall by the end of December 2022.
“We’ve been staying here in this gym since January 11, 2023,” said Aisa Mae Alamhali, 32 years old with four children and about to deliver her youngest child next month. She’s one of the members of the self-help group (SHG) composed of 25 families who received a micro cash grant amounting to P60,000 which they used to purchase basic food items and construction materials.
Clarilyn Francisco, a single mom of a visually impaired three-year old child, is one of the remaining six homeless families from the Gym Self-Help Group at barangay Ayala, Zamboanga city, who experienced multiple disasters from Typhoon Paeng while living regulated under the Covid-19 pandemic’s restrictive policy. Barely recovering from the devastation, another destructive flooding caused by Shear Line made it impossible for them to return to the community where they originally settled. She is among those who hoped for relocation site and for assistance to construct a house where they can safely resettle. (VMG)
The assistance was delivered efficiently and for them, it addressed the basic needs of the families. They explained that the survivor and community-led response (sclr) approach helped them realized the relevance of group decision-making and to respect the diverse needs of members and to help those mostly in need. But the tragedy also made them sad. It was difficult for the community to clean the mess from destructive flooding.
The anti-flood riprap wall collapsed during the onslaught of typhoon Paeng and the flood destroyed their homes. It was an experience to learn that “we need to be ready for any disaster all the time.”
Of the 25 families, there were 18 families who have either repaired their partially damaged homes, others found a space to rent for temporal living space, while others had to settle with their relatives after the recent confrontational manner of notifying them for eviction from the evacuation camp. The last six homeless families had to face squarely the insults from local social welfare authorities for their continued stay in the evacuation camp.
“Most of us here are at a survival level. That means income derived from work is barely enough to sustain for food and fundamental necessities. We cannot gather enough income yet to construct a new home and we are not provided with a relocation site. We cannot return to our previous community. The riprap hasn’t been repaired and it’s likely that any typhoon or heavy rain that may transpire will still inundate that village,” said Alamhali.
While appreciating the emergency relief availed from ECOWEB Inc., Merlyn Patiluna, with two adult children, continued to sleep in that shed while waiting for a relocation site. She is among the remaining six homeless families needing dire support from local authorities and humanitarian agencies. (VMG).
Estilba recalled that after the first flooding, they returned to their village to pick up from the remains of flooding. However, the succeeding flood, destroyed totally their residences. “There is no home to return to,” Estilba said.
Alamhali is joined with Angelina Gadom with five children; Norhan Nasiron with six children; Clarilyn Francisco, a single mom of a child with disability; Samson Estilba with three children; Eugenia Enggo, 53 years old with two children, one of which is with disability; and Merlyn Patiluna, who had become an ambulant vendor of goods and soft drinks to generate income but has to sleep still in an open space outside the gym.
All of them professed that their homes were totally damaged. All of them expressed that the income they generate can only sustain for their survival. All of them lack the means and access to earn as much needed for the construction of new homes, even if these will be made of light materials.
Gadom had been selling kangkong in households or in the streets to be able to serve food for the children, especially for those who are attending their elementary classes.
“We still don’t know where we will be relocated. We asked for relocation site. We have heard that other victims of calamities were already provided with relocation sites but we’re not. So, we have to fight back, respond to insults, and demand for what is right,” lamented Gadom.
“Sino ba ang hindi gustong umalis dito? Mahirap kaya dito. Walang ilaw. Basta ang mahalaga lang sana mabigyan kami ng bahay at relocation site. Tapos puntahan lang kami ng taga social welfare dito para insultuhin, “andito pa pala kayo? (Who doesn’t want to leave this evacuation camp? It’s difficult to live here. No light. If we will be provided with relocation site and a place to stay, that’s all we needed. Yet a social welfare officer will come here and insult us that we’re still staying here?”),” narrated Alamhali
“Those of who opted to receive construction materials are still needing additional materials to realize our home, if we will be provided with a relocation site. Kulang man ‘yong materials pa (The construction materials aren’t adequate),” said Patiluna.
They further related that a social welfare officer told them that our eviction is our problem because they said they’re done helping us,” said Nasiron.
Members of the Gym Self-Help Group (SHG) attended the Learning Review, an assessment of a post-emergency assistance through survivor and community-led approach, on April 14, 2023 at Gymnasium of barangay Ayala, Zamboanga city where they are temporarily staying as disaster-affected families. In blue shirt is Angelina Gadom who is taking care of her five children and one grandchild with visual impairment. (VMG).
When asked if they are aware of a collaboration meeting with barangay officials, social and welfare officers, and local government officers for their relocation, they replied none and they reverberated again the insults they received from those who visited them in the evacuation camp, except for the barangay captain, who empathized with their context and had to retort back too on unreasonable eviction without relocation site.
The standard in expediting the recovery and reconstruction to restore their normal lives requires the fundamental of coordination of designated agencies and sectors and participatory mechanism to facilitate dignified resettlement.
This lack of enabling and communicative environment among stakeholders of governance for disaster management ricocheted institutional ineffectiveness for urban resiliency and to facilitate a discourse that respects the dignity of these disaster-affected and most vulnerable constituents.
Authorities managing disasters should have understood that displaced families suffer social stress, insecurity, and psychological trauma that will have a severe impact on their health, especially to children whose health is seriously declining with unsafe water sources.
Gaps in the policy enforcement affect resettlement outcomes and weak relations of agencies for disaster management drive misunderstandings in the prioritization to resettle communities. Should be recalled that prevention from hazards is one thing; protecting and securing lives is another.
Urban disaster-resiliency requires collaborative efforts from offices mandated to secure and protect displaced peoples within the context of building up better and risk-informed delivery of services for coherence and complementarity. Beyond the destructions evident in public infrastructures in hazard-prone areas are lives and innocent children at stake regularly exposed to varied risks in the omission of duties and negligence of authorities.
The SHGs are in need of dire responsive social protection mechanisms and their requests can be responded to with collaborative public and private sector programs from shared investments for resiliency to ensure positive impacts for affected or targeted vulnerable families. That entails a commitment for a comprehensive delivery of humanitarian response which commenced from emergency relief assistance– which ECOWEB have complemented through survivor-and-community-led response (sclr), to rehabilitation and reconstruction phase where homeless families can resettle peacefully and with dignity as integral aspects of recovery strategies. (Violeta M. Gloria)
