Home Along the Bay: Linking Climate Change to Housing Construction Practices of Selected Slum Dwellers Along Laguna de Bay in Sucat, Muntinlupa City

Abstract

Filipinos exhibit a remarkable ability to find solutions when confronted with challenges. In many slum areas in the Philippines, dwellers have demonstrated resourcefulness in the construction of their houses when facing environmental challenges. However, these practices are unsustainable and often involve the use of substandard materials. Employing a qualitative case study design, this study links climate change to housing construction practices of six slum dwellers along Laguna de Bay in Sucat, Muntinlupa City. Through observations and interviews, the study examines their housing construction experiences and challenges, coping mechanisms, materials used, and preferred housing construction– analyzed using thematic analysis. Living in close proximity to the bay, findings reveal that dwellers face frequent flooding, strong winds, indoor heat, and rain seepage/leakage. To cope, dwellers elevate their dwellings, practice layering or “pagtatagpi-tagpi” of materials, utilize locally available resources, and procure affordable and easy-to-use materials. Materials used by the dwellers are evaluated for durability, maintenance, procurement, execution, thermal conductivity, shelf-life and cost which reveals the logic behind the use of such materials and its impact on climate change. Dwellers aspire for concrete houses and prefer an up-and-down house as a solution to their challenges. The researcher refrains from placing the blame to dwellers and recognizes the larger systemic factors at play in the issue of climate change. Recommendations include involving dwellers themselves in the housing development process, providing decent and sustainable housing initiatives, and cross-checking of existing housing policies to better address the current climate crisis. Future researchers could expand the scope of the study by exploring other slum areas from different regions with unique environmental conditions.