Fe L. Porciuncula and Pura Depositario
Central Luzon State University, Muñoz, Nueva Ecija 3120
University of the Philippines Los Baños, College 4031 Laguna
http://doi.org/10.57043/transnastphl.2000.5406
Abstract
This study focused on the resettlement in Bagoong Buhay in Nueva Ecija, settled by displaced families from Pampanga and Zambales as a result of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in June 1991. It analyzed the complexities and attendant characteristics of the resettlement process, its outcomes and viability, the factors affecting such outcomes/viability, and the implications that may be useful in future resettlement planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
The resettlement of Mt. Pinatubo victims, as in the case of Bagoong Buhay, proved to be an important and powerful mechanism through which the displaced were assisted to rebuild their lives anew. Results of the study revealed that resettlement was a complex, stressful, and often difficult process. The settlers had to adapt to a new and unfamiliar environment and, at the same time, create productive enterprises and new social organizations to cope with the new situation.
The implications of the study point out that resettlement must not be approached simply as the movement of the displaced to new land but must be holistically approached as a development opportunity to mobilize the resources of the state, different government organizations (GOs), non-government organizations (NGOs), and the settlers themselves, who are the main actors in the pursuit of development.