No way to go but…? a study on the effect of displacement to the socio-economic mobility of urban poor relocatees from Rodriguez (Montalban), Rizal

Abstract

There has been a recent trend of urbanization of poverty not only in the Philippines but in every developing country as well. This is driven by migration of the rural poor towards the urban areas in hopes of finding jobs and economic stability there. However, this phenomenon only led to the increase of informal settlements and urban poverty. Most of the informal settlements are located in key economic areas which – more often than not – are privately-owned or government-owned. This trend compelled the government to implement poverty reduction mechanisms such as relocation programs. Such programs also served to pave way for other government programs aimed at development such as infrastructure. However, these displaced population had experienced constraints and challenges after relocation, especially in terms of employment and livelihood. It is common knowledge that economic security and financial stability is needed by an individual to help them prosper both economically and socially. Thus, how they do economically will inevitably affect their social status in either upward or downward movement along these classes or strata. There are only a few socio-economic mobility studies that are centered in the Philippines, most of which are centered on rural communities. Different factors are said to have an effect to the both income and social mobility of an individual or a family, one of which is his/her location or migration to another place. Forced displacement can be one of the main factors that affect socio-economic mobility. This study will look into the effect of internal displacement of the relocatees from Montalban, Rizal who used to live in Metro Manila. It will look into three variables that affect one‘s mobility: employment and livelihood, income, and expenses. They had experienced numerous challenges in settling to a new environment, not to mention their struggle to find a stable and secure employment and livelihood. This is related to the fact that most relocation sites are located far from economic centers and the available jobs are not adequate. Connected to the fact that they experience different wage gaps which affect the salary and compensation they earn. And while, their income decreases, their daily expenses remain the same.