Lumulutang na katatagan: community-based disaster risk reduction and management and the discourse of disaster resilience

Abstract

How does the understanding of resilience in the grassroots level affect thepeople’s perception and response towards Community-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CBDRRM)? Drawing from Torgerson’s work on Public and Policy Discourse, this study posits that these grassroots-level discourses shape the responses of communities towards preparation and rehabilitation in times of disaster in the context of CBDRRM. With three primary goals upon inquiry, the study aims (1) to explore how individuals from the grassroots level, specifically residents of urban poor communities, conceptualize resilience, (2) to determine wether or not there is indeed an existence of the conceptualized resilience within these communities and lastly, (3) to determine how the presence (or absence) of conceptual resilience affect the response of citizens towards Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CBDRRM). Using photo elicitation and discourse analysis as methods, this study will surface and analyze grassroots-level discourses of disaster resilience of residents of Barangay A1 which is a flood-prone community in Malibay, Pasay City. The aim of this research is to explore the role played by discourses in state-led disaster policies. Upon conclusion of the research, it was observed that applying the definition of what resilience is, the community indeed exhibits the quality but applying discourse analysis to the discussions gathered, there is the absence of the specified language or use of such term. Drawing from the existing discourse and concluding that the community has a semblance of resilience, the community regarded CBDRRM with mixed responses ranging from actually re-electing to shifting support to other officials.