November 10, 2024
Writer: Tobey Fhar Isaac Calayo
Researcher: Tobey Fhar Isaac Calayo
Creatives: Jia Moral
Moderator: Richardson Mojica
The Philippines, as situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. The World Risk Report for 2022, 2023, and 2024 ranked the country first with the highest world risk index (WRI). Immediate physical impacts and devastations are quickly reported after, and sometimes during, the occurrence of hazards – however, the toll on the mental health of the community and its people often remains unaddressed and invisible.
The first #UsapTayo for November 2024 comes after Typhoon #KristinePH which dealt massive damages to Bicol and Super Typhoon #LeonPH, which devastated the Batanes and the extreme northern Luzon. Understanding and addressing the mental health challenges of calamity survivors is essential for building a more resilient and compassionate society that can support its people in times of crisis.
Localization of Disaster and Mental Health Response after a Calamity
The Philippines is in the Pacific Ring of Fire or the Circum-Pacific Belt, a tectonic belt of active or dormant volcanoes and earthquakes. The country is also prone to aggressive climate and weather systems as it stays in the typhoon alley; both established the Philippines’ susceptibility towards natural hazards (Geological, Meteorological, and Hydrological).
In the Philippines, after the onset of the Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, the institutionalization of the Barangay Disaster Risk, Reduction, and Management Office (BDRRMO) has been ascertained, through the guidance of the technical guide notes from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (NDRRMO), these technical guide notes highlighted the responsibilities of the BDRRMO across all thematic areas, in the area of response, ensuring the proper functioning and accessibility in barangay health centers and evacuation centers of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), among others. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan also highlighted the importance of MHPSS as a contributing factor in responses during calamities and disasters.
A focused policy would be crucial to effectively address the current gaps and roadblocks hindering the implementation of the desired program. Evidence indicates that RA10121, backed up by the NDRRMC Plans and the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction Sendai Framework, has yet to be productively implemented across all regions in the Philippines.
The establishment of the NDRRMC and its subsequent local, municipal, and city-based risk management offices, while meritorious at best, have yet to be fully maximized at its primary institutions. In 2020, from October 14 to December 20, the Philippines was ravaged by seven tropical cyclone systems, with a death toll of over a hundred and damages of up to 40 billion PHP.
Recovery from a global pandemic, debilitating environmental structures, and lack of proper psychosocially safe and occupationally safe systems at workplaces, it is now more than ever that a focused policy to guide and obligate the follow-through of barangay mandates for MHPSS is needed – as mental illnesses and issues have been known to be a problem during the 2020 COVID Pandemic, especially among the youth and young adults.
Psychosocial Impacts following a Calamity
Dr. Vujanovic and Dr. Gallagher of the University of Houston highlighted immediate psychosocial impacts following a calamity, they stated that people who have endured and withstood disasters experience psychological devastation on top of serious injuries, or even near death experiences. The time after a disaster or calamity may lead to disorientation, displacement, and shock following irremediable loss of property, this will eventually lead to a ‘strong urge’ to restore ‘normal order’ for weeks upon months.
‘Survivor’s guilt’ was also highlighted as a prominent feeling for those who survived or have not been severely impacted; this, with strong feelings of fear, guilt, and sadness leads to strong negative spikes from the baseline of an individual’s mental health.
Trying to rebuild life after a calamity in the face of loss, grief, and guilt will become challenging, without avenues for or delayed proper economical and social support from state services can prolong the sense of hopelessness and helplessness after a calamity.
In the Philippines, volunteers, civic groups, and other NGOs have taken a large role in helping build communities back after a calamity in the past few years. The calls for donations and on-ground volunteer help have become prominent and centralized throughout the years, seemingly cascading the help from the expected state services to unaffected communities and advocates.
Cultural, Socioeconomic, Contextualization, and Diversification of Disaster and Hazards
A research by Nikunj Makwana (2019) breaks-down and conceptualizes disaster, it highlights that disaster is not a stand-alone issue. They have shared that:
- A disaster disrupts the social fabric and creates a significant obstacle to society’s normal operations. Its effects extend beyond physical damage, impacting psychological and psychosocial aspects as well.
- Certain factors, like the victims’ readiness for positive psychological adjustment and the community’s adaptability to the environment, can help mitigate the impact of disasters.
- There is no single, universal definition of a disaster; its interpretation changes based on the specific context.
- Coping mechanisms play a crucial role in reducing the negative effects of disasters on mental health.
This posits the varying definition of disaster, and as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has said time and time again: “There is no such thing as natural disasters.” This gives true meaning and accountability in state services and their roles in anticipating and preparing for a natural hazard – a disastrous government after all, creates disasters.
The aftermath of a disaster will leave a vulnerable population in significantly more distress, children and the elderly who are given special pediatric and geriatric needs consecutively will be prone to less care and harder day-to-day functioning on top of already expected mental health impacts on individuals. Children who are still developing may develop various behavioral, psychological and emotional issues and instabilities which may lead to PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder).
A paper by Kammerbauer and Wamsley (2017) talked about the exacerbation of pre-existing social inequalities and marginalization during a disaster, such as socio-economic classes receiving less focused care and poor services following a disaster because of uninsured states. The authors, Kammerbauer and Wamsler, use the example of Deggendorf, Germany, following the 2013 European floods to illustrate these dynamics.
Government aid application processes were challenging for elderly and migrant groups due to bureaucratic complexities, lack of familiarity with the process, and language barriers. These groups struggled more to navigate recovery options and to secure the necessary funding for reconstruction.
In the Philippines, when communities are displaced and forced into evacuation centers, women are commonly in a place of vulnerability that may be taken over unjustly. This makes women and those who are pregnant unable to find support and safe spaces even when care and resources are ‘available’ to the community and people.
A report by the International Organization for Migration following Typhoon Rai (Odette) revealed that 95% of evacuation centers in the Philippines lacked women-friendly safe spaces, increasing the risk of gender-based violence and leading to potential adverse health outcomes for mothers and children.
This shows that disaster and calamity recovery is indeed not a stand-alone issue as it can build on pre-existing societal problems and possibly exacerbate them, leaving already-vulnerable marginalized and underrepresented groups and individuals more vulnerable.
Session Questions:
- (Self) What societal misconceptions about trauma and mental health may hinder the recovery process for calamity survivors?
- (Society) In what ways can communities come together to support the mental health needs of disaster survivors?
- (System) How effective are the current mental health services and policies in the Philippines in addressing the needs of calamity survivors, and what improvements are necessary?
References:
Department of Education (2013). K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum Senior High School – Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction. https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content /uploads/2019/ 01/SHS-Core_Earth-Science-CG.pdf
Labaria, E. C., Acosta, A., & Gotangco, C. K. (2020). Minding mental health in disaster risk reduction and management: Enhancing resistance through disaster prevention, mitigation, and preparedness. In Ma. Regina M. Hechanova & L. C. Waelde (Eds.), Resistance, Resilience, and Recovery from Disasters: Perspectives from Southeast Asia (Vol. 21, pp. 53–71). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2040-726220200000021004
NDRRMC. (2011). National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP) 2011-2028. http://www.ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/41/ND RRM _Plan_2011-2028.pdf NDRRMC. (2013).
RA 10121: An Act Strengthening The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction And Management System, Providing For The National Disaster Risk Reduction And Management Framework And Institutionalizing The National Disaster Risk Reduction And Management Plan, Appropriating Funds Therefor And Other Purposes. (2010, May 27). https://www.lawphil.net /statutes/repacts/ra2010/ra_1 0121_2010.html
Situational Report re Effects of Typhoon YOLANDA (HAIYAN). (2013, November). http://ndrrmc.gov.ph/21-disaster-events/1329-situational-report-re-effects-of-typhoon -Yolanda-Haiyan
Technical Guide Notes Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan and Committee. NDRRMC. (n.d.). https://alertandready.ph/qatportal/sites/default/files/B.%20Technical%20Guide%20Notes_English.pdf
International Organization for Migration. (2023). In deadly typhoon’s wake, women-led mobile facility meets sexual and reproductive health needs in evacuation centers. ReliefWeb. Retrieved from https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/deadly-typhoon-s-wake-women-led-mobile-facility-meets-sexual-and-reproductive
