Community Preparedness and Resilience, 8 Years After: The Case of the Tenant Coconut Farmers in Leyte

Date of Award

12-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Political Science, major in Global Politics (Thesis Track)

First Advisor

Diana J. Mendoza, PhD

Abstract

On the 8th of November 2013, super typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines and caused more than 6,000 deaths while displacing millions of individuals. With wind speeds of 300 kilometers per hour and storm surges of 4 meters, Yolanda destroyed more than 33 million coconut trees in Eastern Visayas causing tenant coconut farmers a long-term problem that adversely affected their major source of livelihood. The Yolanda Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan (CRRP) was created in 2014 with its medium-term programs and interventions which aimed at enhancing the resilience of communities and integrating principles on disaster preparedness. Using a mixed methodology, the study examines the local situation of the tenant coconut farmers in Buraen, Leyte, eight years after super typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines and seven years after the CRRP was created. Findings of the study show that pre- and post-typhoon Yolanda issues concerning the tenant coconut farmers still persist in spite of the interventions made by both the national and local governments. Among the factors examined, disaster experience, risk perception, networks and social capital emerged as important predictors of tenant farmer communities' disaster preparedness and resilience; while the lack of community participation and engagement as well as lack of institutional support emerged as barriers for the tenant coconut farmers. With the upcoming 2022 elections, assessing the local situation of the tenant coconut farmers in Leyte and revisiting the Yolanda CRRP becomes an imperative. While there are remaining challenges, there may also be new opportunities to build disaster-prepared and resilient tenant coconut farmer communities.

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