Bittersweet Images of Disaster Adaptation: A Photo Essay from the Philippines

Disasters, Livelihood Changes and Vital Knowledge for Humanitarians

By Mark Toldo, Program on Resilient Communities at HHI

Even before the institutionalization of disaster risk reduction and management in the Philippines began in 2010, vulnerable communities have been experiencing the adverse impacts of disasters and climate change. With limited resources, people in these communities have learned to adapt over the years — proof of the self-reliance of most Filipinos dealing with disasters. This observed self-reliance is consistent with the results of a 2017 nationwide survey conducted by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative Program on Resilient Communities (HHI PRC).

Community adaptive measures can be clearly seen, especially in houses, roads, schools, farmlands, and fisheries — noted as the most vulnerable infrastructures and facilities in the same survey.

Homes

“This land used to be a farm where we grew vegetables and fruits, like tomatoes and watermelons. But now, it’s gone,” recalled 58-year-old “Osang” who was born and raised in Coloong, a coastal community in the country’s capital Metro Manila.

During a discussion with HHI PRC in 2019, Osang and her fellow residents expressed frustration with how their once dry residential and agricultural land has been inundated by five-foot-deep water. With a mixture of joy and sadness in their eyes, they reminisced about their childhood days in the 1970s and 1980s when this site used to be their playground. Accustomed to rain-induced flood creeping in and out of their homes in those years, something shocking happened in the ’90s. The floods failed to subside. It was then that they knew their lives would no longer be the same.

Coloong is located near the Manila Bay and surrounded by three rivers. The problems with the rising sea levels and land subsidence were compounded by land reclamations in nearby areas, which resulted in constant flooding.

Left with no other choice, the residents stayed in Coloong and thought of ways to survive. With their stilt houses made of light materials, adaptation has been quite easy for them. Every 5–10 years, the water level would significantly rise, prompting them to elevate their houses by adjusting the stilts, then disassembling and reassembling their houses.

In fact, homes are the asset most commonly impacted by climate-related disasters, including flooding and typhoons. If given access to disaster preparedness funds, many Filipinos would choose to strengthen their homes according to the 2017 survey. This finding was corroborated in discussions with coastal communities over the past year.

In Pugad, Bulacan Province, for instance, strengthening the house is now a priority for the residents. This realization came after their lives have been repeatedly endangered due to the many typhoons that ravaged the community in recent years.

“Whenever huge waves strike, houses are damaged. Just like in 2014 when Typhoon Glenda hit, 88 houses here were partially damaged while 22 were completely destroyed,” said a local leader in Pugad.

As a result of their painful experiences over the years, some families in Pugad have started developing their house into a concrete two-story infrastructure to serve not only as a safe haven for their kin, but also as an evacuation site for other residents when a disaster hits.

Pugad is an island village situated north of Metro Manila, with a total of 2,128 people or 700 families living there. Due to its remote location, Pugad often had limited access to immediate aid and response in times of a disaster. Nevertheless, the residents have developed a strong sense of solidarity in preparing, responding, and adapting to natural hazards.

Roads & Schools

Despite the efforts of Pugad residents to reinforce their homes, in this community surrounded by an estuary, elevating houses did not adequately protect them. So, the local leaders covered the island in concrete. They built a seawall that would prevent soil erosion and reduce the impacts of strong waves.

While the concrete has been successful in hampering erosion in Pugad, it has also deprived the residents of planting vegetables and trees that may be helpful in their fight against disaster and poverty.

Similarly, in Coloong, the narrow concrete streets connecting the households have been elevated at least three times already. Although raising the streets isn’t the best solution, it is the only practical solution that the residents knew and could afford with the help of their local government.

In the beautiful Gigantes Islands in Iloilo Province, the residents and local leaders are no longer alone in the battle against climate change. They are now strongly supported by local educators and students.

In the Philippines, schools are commonly utilized as evacuation centers during emergencies. In Gigantes, a public primary school used to be one during powerful storms. Until a few years ago, school grounds flooded not only during typhoons, but even just at high tides. This dire circumstance paved the way for the schools in the island chain to champion climate mitigation and adaptation measures.

To adapt to conditions caused by climate change and natural disasters, another school campus was built on a slope away from the coast and the temperamental waters. With the joint efforts of the teachers and students, several environmental conservation projects have also been implemented such as organic gardening, recycling, and proper waste segregation, among others.

Fishing

As the water below their houses showed no signs of receding, Coloong residents have shifted from farming to fishing.

However, unlike farming, they could not make ends meet with fishing due to limited fish populations and garbage problem. Unfortunately, unlike Gigantes, Coloong couldn’t solve their persistent problems with waste disposal yet. As a result of these challenges, the residents had to find alternative livelihoods such as construction and factory work in other cities.

Not all communities can or choose to make such drastic livelihood shifts. The residents of Maslog in Eastern Samar Province remain dependent on the sea. Despite the diminishing catch, most continue to fish, while others earn a living by rehabilitating the mangroves along the coast.

“When the mangroves were damaged both by typhoons and humans, it had a huge impact on our lives. Before, we caught more crabs, but now, it’s hard to,” said a resident who actively participates in the mangrove rehabilitation project funded by a nongovernmental organization.

More than the financial gains, the residents of Maslog are grateful for the gift of safety and peace that nature brings. This is why most of them are committed to conserve the environment for as long as they live.

“If not due to the nearby mountain and mangroves, all of us could have died when Typhoon Yolanda [Haiyan] struck,” a fisherman recalled of one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded, which claimed at least 6,000 lives in the Philippines in 2013.

Vital for Humanitarians

These photos depict Filipinos’ ability to adapt to changes in their environment, these images encourage and inspire, but also underscore the dramatic impact climate change is having on Filipino lives.

Future generations face even more daunting challenges as fish populations dwindle, sea levels continue to rise, and changing weather patterns undermine livelihoods. In the face of these challenges, fewer Filipinos are confident they could adapt to the changes caused by further disasters, according to the HHI PRC survey.

While these images reflect Filipino optimism, self-reliance, and resilience, they also project a bittersweet reality that must be seen and understood by governments and humanitarians who hope to support vulnerable communities.

______

For more photos from Mark Toldo and work by the Program on Resilient Communities at HHI, follow @Harvard_PRC on Twitter and @harvardprc on Instagram