Dr Sulpecia Ponce1, Dr Irene Estrada1, Dr Marilou Nanaman1
1Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, Philippines
Biography:
Prof Sulpecia L. Ponce is a faculty member of the Department of Sociology, MSU-IIT. She obtained her PhD in Sociology. She has been involved in a lot of research since 1987 about peace and conflict, ethnicity, social impact assessment of wind power project in Mindoro and hydropower projects, disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), among others. She was formerly the Coordinator of Sustainable Development Studies Program of MSU-IT and an Acting Director of the Centre for Multidisciplinary Studies of the Institute. She teaches not only courses in Sociology but also in Sustainable Development Studies program.
Abstract:
It has been more than a decade already after Tropical Storm Sendong (International name Washi) devastated most of the areas in Northern Mindanao, Philippines. Among the cities mostly affected were Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City which registered thousands of lives lost, injured and displaced as a result of the tragedy. This study assessed the impact of resettlement to the economic, social and environmental conditions of the Sendong survivors in these cities employing 590 research participants. The findings indicate that the current situation of the resettled families is not generally in good economic shape given job unavailability and income falling below the minimum poverty threshold. They have been able to socially adapt to the new environment despite the breakup of their social ties before Sendong. However, some relocation sites did not protect the resettled families against environmental risks like flooding or possible landslides. Inquiry into whether they have obtained full recovery after the disaster remains a challenge when compared to their pre-disaster conditions.