A day when few things go as planned

Moving slowly

We had a slow Sunday morning at the house, even though I awoke at dawn. Trevor was feeling a little under the weather, so I made us some oatmeal and we spent the morning reviewing research and catching up on our blogs posts from under the canopy of our mosquito net.

Legends prepared for the mapping exercise.

In preparation for today’s thematic mapping exercise, I drew a simple basemap of the residential area of Candahug. Candahug has several components located within its boundaries: the residential neighborhood where most of the houses are located, the government center which is home to several governmental agencies including the Korean Military’s aid post, and MacArthur’s Landing – a park and monument marking the day in 1944 when the US troops returned which led to the liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese military occupation. During our first round of mapping last week the maps included the entire barangay and these components, but we learned from the residents that zooming into the residential area and its immediate surroundings would be most productive since that’s the area that of greatest importance to them. In addition to the basemaps, I prepared the beginning of four legends for thematic maps: land use, infrastructure, social/cultural, and hazards. Based on the feedback we received from the barangay council yesterday, our goal with this exercise was to have the community, specifically the kids, generate the information on each of these thematic maps. This exercise would test part of the process of community-based mapping that we may outline in our final report.

A few bumps in the road

We set off for Candahug. But first – a stop at the grocery store where, with Dennis’s guidance, we purchased some snacks that could be enjoyed during the mapping activities. We also made a quick stop at the Kusog office to use the Internet, but the connection was slow, so we didn’t complete as much as we had hoped. We gathered ourselves and got to the Candahug barangay hall to find that we had mixed up the time. Our meeting was apparently scheduled for 3:00pm, not 1:00pm. So….we dropped off the snacks and supplies at barangay hall and went back to the office! 

A resident draws a large summary map of Candahug.

A tire problem caused us to be late for our 3:00pm meeting. When we arrived at 3:45, most of the kids were gone, but we noticed they had already pulled out the legends and basemaps and created one summary of Candahug. Both feeling a little flustered, we collected ourselves and started talking with Kapitana about yesterday’s meeting with the council members, and our ideas around the thematic maps. She told us that she didn’t think it was possible to map out the land use (rice fields, coconut trees) without first mapping out the entire barangay—and everything in it. She insisted that they needed each component to reference the other (i.e. the rice field is behind the school). She suggested that we just make one big map with all the information in it, and as she spoke, one the residents was already working on a large map on the table to prepare for this. Trevor and I reiterated that creating thematic maps could serve a larger purpose; if each barangay created their own land use map the municipality could stitch all of them together to create a municipal map created by residents. However, it seemed like a composite map would be the easiest next step for them. So we didn’t press the issue. This exercise did raise some questions for us including, how should consultants or an NGO approach a community-mapping exercise to generate the most success?

We spent some time talking with Kapitana about the status of their Barangay Development Plan and their relationship with the Municipality. The conversation returned to the idea of thematic mapping and we tried to explain how this process, as well as a composite map, might be used to identify different solutions to community problems or needs. We tried to link this idea of community mapping to an interest that was specifically discussed during yesterday's meeting with the barangay council — a community fish pond. Trevor asked, if the cooperative decided they wanted to establish a community fish pond, how would they determine where is should be located? The answers given were varied, but each indicated that the community would need to reach out to other groups, land owners, the fishery agency, and a local technical school to assist in the installation and training. This led us to believe that they still don't have a solid understanding of how being rooted in the maps can be a useful tool for the community to generate the own solutions, instead of looking to outside resources to provide those solutions. It's clear that Trevor and I still have some work to do on how to best communicate this information.

The summary map of Candahug

During our first meeting with Candahug, Kapitana told us the map of their neighborhood that used to hang in the barangay hall was destroyed in the storm. As they finished up this hand-drawn summary map, Kapitana thanked us for our help because they now have their own version of the map that was destroyed. Even though our mapping exercise didn’t go exactly as planned, it seemed like we were able to generate some conversation about land use and local hazards, and how these relate to the needs of the community.

This day gave us further insight into the larger issues that the residents face on a daily basis. They are afraid of the uncertainty of what's to come. Where will they find jobs? Will the community be relocated? If so, where will they go, and how will they connect to their current/or new livelihood? We have some ideas for how this project might give the community a tool to address their challenges, and it's evident that many of their challenges are beyond our scope and ability at this time. Furthermore, we are sensitive to the fact that ultimately, this is a community still reeling from Yolanda.

Tacloban on foot

Jeepney and pedicab

After packing up and saying goodbye to the folks in Candahug, Trevor and I decided to walk around downtown Tacloban for a while. Though we’ve driven through the city, this was the first time we really had a chance to experience it on foot. We walked up and down the main drag, weaving in and out of pedicabs and motorbikes. The flow of traffic is much different here than in the states. Jeepneys and moticabs are the two forms of public transportation that have the capacity to transport a 10-15 people (perhaps more if riders dare to climb on top of the jeepney, which we’ve seen). Pedicabs and trikes are another form of transportation people use and but the road isn’t dominated by one vehicle; there is a pretty even mix of 4-wheel, 3-wheel and 2-wheel vehicles on the road. There main intersections have traffic lights, but most intersections are left to the drivers to negotiate the right of way. The dotted center line is used more as a guideline rather than a strict lane boundary; slower traffic stays to the right (for both lanes) and traffic passes in the middle by straddling the center line. Horns are used often to communicate intentions to pass, to warn others to stay where they are, or to ask others to move. It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but I have to say, I think the system works pretty well.

We spent the evening reflecting on our week, today’s activities, and our experience as white Americans visiting a developing country stricken with poverty and disaster. Trevor spent some time in Vietnam and Cambodia during his undergrad work. He noted that people in the Philippines seem much more laid back and with a pace that is more relaxed in comparison. As thunder rumbled in the distance we sat quietly after dinner, tired from our discombobulated day, and mindful of this relaxed, and somewhat unfamiliar, pace.