Live through this : environmental refugees in the Philippines

Abstract

This thesis will argue that the people known as environmental refugees are generated by situations caused by a complex interplay of many factors: political, economic, social, ecological and natural. This thesis was examined within the context of a case study conducted in Ormoc City, Leyte, the Philippines in 1992-1993. On November 5, 1991 a Tropical Storm, codenamed Uring, hit Ormoc City at a speed of 75 km/hr. Because of the torrential rain and flashflooding associated with TS Uring, over 6000 people died within a few hours and thousands of others were injured or displaced. The purpose of the case study was twofold; first, to identify and explore the complex, intertwined causes of this environmental disaster; and second, to create a baseline profile of the displaced population - the environmental refugees.

Chapter One discusses theoretical frameworks. Ecological Economics and Political Ecology are both discussed in detail, however Political Ecology is found to be most relevant to the present discussion. Chapter Two provides a literature review which examines scholarly writing that discusses different forms of involuntary migration. The categories of Convention Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons are discussed briefly to provide a contrast to the main focus of the chapter - environmental refugees. Chapter Three provides a background to situate the discussion and analysis of the following chapters. This chapter describes the recent political, socio-economic and environmental history of both the Philippines in general and Leyte in particular especially as it pertains to the environmental disaster at Ormoc. Chapter Four is the heart of the paper and presents its thesis in the context of the disaster at Ormoc. Chapter Five addresses the second aim of the research, which was to develop a baseline profile of the environmental refugee population.