Social memory is a shared recollection of the past stored in the consciousness of a community who had the opportunity to experience this together. And often those most affected by particular events, favorable or not, are those who have the most vivid recollection of what and how things had happened.
I was supposed to write about the beautiful memories of past Christmas celebrations but I think what is beautiful could only be felt more significantly by those who went through an agonizing time.
As they said, those who had overcome trials in life found the beauty of living, and value more whatever is left for them. Thus, disaster victims should have learned their lessons and make decisions that would reduce their vulnerabilities in future calamities. But is this always the case?
It was on the 13th day of December 2011 when one of the most devastating typhoons hit the southern part of the Philippines. As you may have noticed, typhoons move south towards the end of the year while they strike first the north in the earlier part of the calendar year.
There is a pattern in natural processes which science tries to predict, like in the case of typhoons, when or how these will happen. But not yet with earthquakes except with the probability that these would happen which keep people prepared and alert.
As Christmas is getting closer, earthquakes continue to shake parts of Mindanao.
Back in December 2011, social memory recalled that while the majority of the Christians in the country excitedly prepared for Christmas, thousands suffered the destructive impacts of Typhoon Sendong, which had its landfall in Mindanao, particularly in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City. From there, the typhoon moved toward Negros Oriental and seriously affected coastal and riverside communities like the Ocoy River.
With that flood disaster in 2011, the majority of the badly affected households we had surveyed recalled from memory that they just repaired or rebuilt their houses. They lived normal lives every after flood events during the succeeding years while anticipating another typhoon to come but hoping for a less destructive one.
But when asked if they would agree for relocation by the government, a good number of these households conditionally agreed to move to resettlement areas while others refused after ravaged by floods.
When summed up, they constituted a majority of those interviewed as compared to those who immediately agreed for relocation.
So why did the affected residents opt to remain in a place of sad memories?
Based on the reasons of those who conditionally agreed to relocate, they wanted to make sure they would be socially and economically secured in the new place.
Specifically, they wished this place to be safer, closer to their livelihood sources and school of their children, and that this must be given to them for free and so on. If not, then, they would opt to remain.
To better understand the context of this disaster response and decision to remain along Ocoy River, they were further asked about their sense of place or how they relate and value where they live for a number of years.
A sense of place is quantified as the average of the composite scores of respondents of their place attachment or bonding with in, place dependence or relying on it, and place identity or being one with it.
So amidst the impending threats of flood every heavy rains and typhoons, they claimed to be already well-adjusted with their networks of relatives and friends as they related beautiful stories about their respective communities. They perceived these to be difficult to achieve in resettlement sites. And this explains why place attachment is highest among the components of sense of place of the residents of the Ocoy River as shown in our survey.
This survey was part of a multidisciplinary research project funded by the Oscar M. Lopez Center, and conducted by Silliman University researchers led by Dr. Jorge Emmanuel.
The project on disaster and resiliency of communities along Ocoy River included portions of Dumaguete City, Sibulan and Valencia. It wrapped up in October this year.
was Recommendations were given to mitigate and prevent future disasters because of floods and to enhance the disaster preparedness of residents who opted to remain in safe distance from the river.
Indeed, there are lessons to learn from disastrous events by those affected but in a hard way and under difficult circumstances.
And we always say that it is during and after disaster that the flexibility and adaptability of Filipinos as well as our resiliency are demonstrated in order to start again and be prepared for the next event which may be during uncertain times.
Nonetheless, this cannot prevent us to celebrate Christmas!
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Author’s email: [email protected]
