Climate Resilience Initiative in Metro Manila: Participatory Community Risk Assessment and Power in Community Interventions

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

In 2019, the World Risk Index ranked the Philippines as the ninth riskiest country for climate-related risks and disasters. In a sense, the country has greatly improved its position in 2019, in comparison to its second rank in 2014 and third rank from 2015 to 2018. In part, this could be attributed to a plethora of community-based or “bottom up” approaches to reduce climate and disaster risks by several civil society organizations and/or community-based organizations (CBOs). This chapter documents a climate change adaptation initiative in Metro Manila’s urban poor communities that used a participatory community risk assessment (PCRA) of their communities in regard to climate disasters. This chapter argues that women’s groups in poor communities are able to pro-actively change the dynamics of power relations in accessing basic urban services. The women, in partnership, with a clinical sociology action research team from a local university, used the PCRA process (i.e., constructing risk profiles through social vulnerability analysis) to negotiate with local officials to access more resources and services. Grass-roots initiatives like conducting a PCRA with the community can be a powerful tool for community-based organizations (CBOs). The chapter ends with an update of the community’s women leaders’ mobilization of social networks during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or lockdown in March-April 2020 to contain the Covid-19 pandemic in the metropolis.KeywordsClimate changeManila, PhilippinesClinical sociologyCommunity risk assessmentPowerWomen’s community-based organizations Community-based organizations (CBOs)