Abstract
Small island communities located in the open sea are exposed to different kinds of hydro-meteorological and climatological hazards such as typhoons, monsoon winds, micro-climate anomalies, and dry spells. Isolation from basic services, insecurity over land tenure, economic deprivation, and cultural inferiority exacerbate this exposure. This chapter discusses the public service initiative of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) carried out in partnership with the local communities of Gigantes Islands to mainstream disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into local plans and practices by way of community development. Three objectives linked the programmatic and multi-year effort: (1) to expand community and local government knowledge about small island community vulnerabilities and risks; (2) to establish functional links between the islands and the mainland government services; and (3) to enhance local capacities to gain recognition and voice and mainstream small island community concerns into local planning and policy. Local governments and small island communities around the Philippine archipelago may adopt the “Small Island Community Resilience Framework” developed by the UPV team and the good practices and recommendations discussed in this chapter.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
In November 2013, Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the strongest typhoon to make landfall in the Philippines, hit Gigantes with almost PhP200 million worth of damages. The islands were within the typhoon’s 50-km radius. Yolanda severely devastated natural and built assets and disrupted lives, livelihoods, and community flow. The humanitarian emergency created by the Category 5 storm triggered widespread and extended distress that forced people to forgo Christmas celebrations that year.
- 2.
Not their real names.
- 3.
Using a mid-range emissions scenario, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) projects temperature a rise by 0.9–1.1°C in 2020 and 1.8–2.2 °C in 2050 (CCC 2011).
- 4.
Carles has a total of 33 barangays. Fifteen of these barangays, including the Poblacion (town center), are on the mainland (i.e., the bigger island of Panay) and the rest are situated across different island groups including Gigantes, Binuluangan, Calagnaan and Sicogon islands.
- 5.
This episode of halakay made the national news but it did not get as much media mileage as the Iloilo-Guimaras boat tragedy that claimed 31 lives. See https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1151183/final-death-toll-of-3-boat-mishaps-at-iloilo-strait-31#ixzz6OS77OXcW.
- 6.
Approved in 2010, RA 10121, the new policy on DRRM in the Philippines, was unheard of in the islands. UPV was credited as the first organization responsible for promoting risk reduction and climate change adaptation programs in Gigantes.
- 7.
When Typhoon Frank hit Gigantes in 2008, local officials recounted that they hardly received emergency assistance. Relief goods that reached them more than one month after the typhoon were selectively distributed since not enough was provided. Post- Yolanda, UPV sought Christian Aid’s (CA) support to facilitate the rapid response and early recovery program for the four barangays that conform with international standards. The program complemented the humanitarian support provided by other international humanitarian organizations that responded to the emergency.
- 8.
Three sequential and complementary programs set the small island community resilience agenda into operation: (1) RISE (Bangon) Gigantes Project: Rehabilitation for Island Sustainability and Empowerment supported by Christian Aid (CA); (2) Child-Centered Disaster Risk Reduction Program for Western Visayas supported by UNICEF; and, (3) Building Resilient and Sustainable Small Island Communities supported by the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE). Work in Gigantes Islands also provided inputs to the CA-backed advocacy project entitled Scaling Up Resilience in Governance (SURGE): Inclusive Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (ICBDRR) that elevated the small island community resilience concerns to the level of national policy.
- 9.
As locally financed and managed resort establishments and food shops mushroomed, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) constructed a circumferential road network in Gigantes Norte, and the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) installed higher capacity generators to energize the four barangays fully. Moreover, the Iloilo provincial government, through the Carles LGU, set aside funds to establish a Birthing Clinic in Gabi, and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) conducted livelihood training and provided a scallop shell crusher technology to convert the ubiquitous middens into usable materials. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) organized the small scale fisherfolks to support marine resource conservation efforts, and the Department of Tourism (DOT) conducted a series of training to hone the skills of tour guides for accreditation.
References
Balzan M, Potschin-Young M, Haines-Young R (2018) Island ecosystem services: insights from a literature review on case-study island ecosystem services and future prospects. Int J Biodivers Sci Ecosyst Serv Manag 14(1):71–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/21513732.2018.1439103
Barut NC, Santos MD, Garces LR (2004) Overview of Philippine marine fisheries. In: In turbulent seas: the status of Philippine marine fisheries by DA-BFAR department of agriculture-bureau of fisheries and aquatic resources. Coastal Resource Management Project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Cebu
Batistiana MB, Murphy D (1996) Rural community organizing in the Philippines. Community Organization Training and Research Advocacy Institute, Quezon City
Brizmohun R (2019) Impact of climate change on food security of small islands: the case of Mauritius. Nat Resour Forum 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-8947.12172
Brown R, Alcala A (2000) Geckos, cave frogs and small land-bridge islands in the Visayan Sea, pp 19–22. Haring Ibon.
Carles MPDO (2015) Carles comprehensive land use plan, 2015–2025. Municipality of Carles, Iloilo
Carles MDRRMO (2020) Sitrep #3: municipal-wide declaration of state of calamity due and in response to the devastating effects of Typhoon Ursula (International Name Phanfone), per Sangguniang Bayan Resolution No. 063–2019 dated 26 December 2019. Municipality of Carles, Iloilo
Carolino A, de la Cruz L (2013) Rethinking livelihoods in coastal communities. In: Siason I (ed) Coastal resource management: perspectives from the social sciences. UP Visayas, Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Agricultural Research, Miagao, Iloilo
CCC (2011) National climate change action plan, 2011–2028. Philippines Climate Change Commission, Manila
CCS, MaCEC, SAC-Northern Quezon (2011) A voyage to disaster resilience in small islands: a guide for local leaders. Christian Aid Philippines Country Office, Quezon City
Christens BD, Speer PW (2015) Community organizing: practice, research and policy implications. Soc Issues Policy Rev 9(1):193–222
Church JA, Clark PU, Cazenave A, Gregory JM, Jevrejeva S, Levermann A, Merrifield MA, Milne GA, Nerem RS, Nunn PD, Payne AJ, Pfeffer WT, Stammer D, Unnikrishnan AS (2013) Sea level change. In: Stocker TF, Qin D, Plattner G-K, Tignor M, Allen SK, Boschung J, Nauels A, Xia Y, Bex V, Midgley PM (eds) Climate change 2013: The physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA
Cruz RV, Aliño P, Cabrera O, David CP, David L, Lansigan F, Lasco R, Licuanan W, Lorenzo FM, Mamauag S, Peñaflor E, Perez R, Pulhin J, Rollon R, Samson M, Siringan F, Tibig L, Uy N, Villanoy C (2017) 2017 Philippine climate change assessment: impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptation. The Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation, Inc. and Climate Change Commission, Pasig City
Denzin N, Lincoln Y (eds) (2018) The SAGE handbook on qualitative research, 5th edn. Sage Publications Inc., Los Angeles
Duvat V, Magnan A, Wise R, Hay J, Fazey I, Hinkel J, Stojanovic T, Yamano H, Ballu V (2017) Trajectories of exposure and vulnerability of small islands to climate change. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Clim Chang. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.478
Falkland A, Custodio E (1991) Hydrology and water resources of small islands: a practical guide. UNESCO, Paris
Ferrer AJ, Flores MA, Galaura EG, Hopanda J (2018a) Analyzing the recreational use value of Gigantes Islands, Carles, Iloilo. University of the Philippines Visayas Foundation Inc., Miagao, Iloilo
Ferrer AJ, Garces L, Perez M, Pomeroy R (2018b) Inter-local bay alliances in Northern Mindanao, Philippines: experiences and lessons learned in establishment and organisational sustainability. Mar Policy 81–88
Ferrer AJ (2016) Institutions and policies in fisheries management. In: Olewiler N, Francisco H, Ferrer AJ (eds) Marine and coastal ecosystem valuation, institutions, and policy in Southeast Asia. Springer Science + Business Media Singapore, Singapore
Franta B, Roa-Quiaoit HA, Lo D, Narisma G (2016) Climate disasters in the Philippines: a case study of immediate causes and root drivers from Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao and Tropical Storm Sendong/Washi. Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Garcia ML (2005) Progress in the implementation of the Philippines national marine policy: issues and options. United Nations Nippon Foundation Fellows, United Nations. http://www.un.org/depts/los/nippon/unnff_programme_home/fellows_pages/fellows_papers/garcia_0506_philippines.pdf
GFDRR (2018) Disrupt. Communicate. Influence. In: Proceedings from the 2018 understanding risk forum. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, The World Bank, Washington, DC
Hess A (1990) Overview: sustainable development and environmental management of small islands. In: D’Ayala W, Hein P (eds) Sustainable development and environmental management of small islands. UNESCO, Paris
ICODE and FPE (2015) An island way of life: resource assessment and plan development for Gigantes Islands, Carles, Iloilo. Iloilo CODE NGOs, Iloilo
Jamero ML, Onuki M, Esteban M, Billones-Sensano XK, Tan N, Nellas A, Takagi TH, Thao ND, Valenzuela VP (2017) Small island communities in the Philippines prefer local measures to relocation in response to sea level rise. Nat Clim Change 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1038/NCLIMATE3344
Jamero ML, Onuki M, Esteban M, Chadwick C, Tan N, Valenzuela VP, Chriton R, Avelino JE (2019) In-situ adaptation against climate change can enable relocation of impoverished islands. Mar Policy 108:1–8
Kelman I, Lewis J, Gaillard JC, Mercer J (2011) Participatory action research for dealing with disasters in small islands. Isl Stud J 59–86
Kelman I (2015) Disaster risk governance for Pacific Island communities. Asia-Pac J 1–20
Kumar L, Eliot I, Nunn P, Stul T, McLean R (2018) An indicative index of physical susceptibility of small islands to coastal erosion induced by climate change: an application to the Pacific islands. Geomat, Nat Hazards Risk 9(1):691–702. https://doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2018.1455749
Lenderking HL, Robinson S, Carlson G (2020) Climate change and food security in Caribbean small island developing states: challenges and strategies. Int J Sust Dev World. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2020.1804477
Lewis J (2009) An island characteristic: derivative vulnerabilities to indigenous and exogenous hazards. Shima Int J Res Isl Cult 68–82
Manalili A (1990) Community organizing for people’s empowerment. Kapatiran-Kaunlaran Foundation Inc., Manila
Municipality of Carles (2017) Resolution no. 68–2017. Resolution declaring the Municipality of Carles, Iloilo under the State of Calamity in response to an outbreak of red tide, Carles, Iloilo.
Municipality of Carles (2020) Operation Timbang plus 2020. Municipal Health Office, Carles, Iloilo
Pelling M, Uitto J (2001) Small island developing states: natural disaster vulnerability and global change. Environ Hazards 3(2):49–62. https://doi.org/10.3763/ehaz.2001.0306
Pomeroy R, Carlos M (1997) Community-based coastal resource management in the Philippines: a review and evaluation of programs and projects, 1984–1994. Mar Policy 445–464
Schutz A, Sandy MG (2011) Collective action for social change: an introduction to community organizing. Palgrave MacMillan, New York
Storlazzi CD, Gingerich SB, van Dongeren A, Cheriton OM, Swarzenski PW, Quataert E, Voss CI, Field DW, Annamalai H, Piniak GA, McCall R (2018) Most atolls will be uninhabitable by the mid-21st century because of sea-level rise exacerbating wave-driven flooding. Sci Adv 4:eaap9741. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aap9741
UNGA (2016) Report of the open-ended intergovernmental expert working group on indicators and terminology relating to disaster risk reduction. United Nations General Assembly, Seventy-first Session, 1 December 2016
UNISDR and UNDP (2012) Disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in the Pacific: an institutional and policy analysis, p 76. UNISDR, UNDP, Suva, Fiji
UP CIDS (2016) National marine policy review and strategic direction: review and update of the 1994 national marine policy and the formulation of the national marine strategy. UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies, Quezon City
UPVFI (2014) Risk reduction and capability building program for the Gigantes Group of Islands: terminal report. Community Development Society of the Philippines, Quezon City
UPVFI (2017) RISE (Bangon) Gigantes project: rehabilitation for island sustainability and empowerment: terminal report. University of the Philippines Visayas Foundation Inc., Miagao, Iloilo
UPVFI (2019) Building resilient and sustainable small island communities 2: terminal report. University of the Philippines in the Visayas Foundation Inc., Miagao, Iloilo
UPVFI (2016) Child-centered disaster risk reduction (CCDRR) program for Western Visayas: terminal report. Center for West Visayan Studies, Iloilo City, UP Visayas
Wong PP, Morone E, Lana P, Fortes M (2005) Island systems. In: Hassan R, Scholes R, Ash N (eds) Ecosystems and human well-being: current state and trends, vol 1. Island Press, Washington DC
Yap T (2019) Hanna’ leaves tourists stranded, cuts food supply in Northern Iloilo islands. Manila Bulletin. https://mb.com.ph/2019/08/10/hanna-leaves-tourists-stranded-cuts-food-supply-in-northern-iloilo-islands/
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ebay, J.S., Tajo-Firmase, J., Calsado, D.J.D., Magluyan, L.M., Ramirez, M.M. (2024). Small Island Community Resilience: Building the Capacities of Isolated Communities to Address Climate Risks and Disasters. In: Berse, K.B., Pulhin, J.M., La Viña, A.G.M. (eds) Climate Emergency in the Philippines. Disaster Risk Reduction. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7804-5_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7804-5_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-99-7803-8
Online ISBN: 978-981-99-7804-5
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)