Differentiated adjustment to the 1991 Mt Pinatubo resettlement program among lowland ethnic groups of the Philippines

The Australian Journal of Emergency Management, vol. 23 no. 2, May 2008

The author presents the results of a study on the adjustment of two ethnic groups to the post-disaster resettlement program after the 1991 Mt Pinatubo volcano eruption in the Philippines.

This study focuses on the adjustment of two lowland ethnic groups of the Philippines, i.e. the Kapampangans and the Ilokanos, to the resettlement program set up in the aftermath of the 1991 Mt Pinatubo eruption and lingering lahars. Victims from both ethnic groups challenged the layout of the resettlement site and the design of the houses. However, the Kapampangans maintained strong links with their native village while the Ilokanos proved to be loosely tied to their territory. The different adjustments to the resettlement program is traced to different ethnic histories and cultures. The topdown and technocratic nature of the resettlement process failed to consider these ethnic factors.