Assessment of Adaptation to the Impacts of Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) in Eastern Mindanao, Philippines

Abstract

The paper identified adaptation gaps in the post-Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) recovery and reconstruction based on two assessment approaches: (1) roundtable discussion participated in by representatives of people’s organizations, international and national non-government organizations, civil society organizations, and national and local governments; and (2) survey and conjoint analysis of communities’ preferences on adaptation assistance and risk reduction measures in three villages of New Bataan, Compostela Valley Province. The first assessment recommended a set of actions for adaptation and risk reduction, while the second provided the adaptation preferences of the affected communities. The results revealed that, on the one hand, some adaptation preferences of the communities do not support the action points from the roundtable discussion. On the other hand, some action points do not reflect the adaptation concerns of the communities. These results suggest the critical need to increase the representation of disaster-affected communities in future discussions and to build the disaster risk reduction (DRR) awareness of all vulnerable communities in the region. With regard to risk governance, results from both the roundtable discussion and survey are consistent. Both assessments recommend participatory governance in the implementation of recovery and reconstruction programs, with the governments providing overall guidance to the stakeholders.