This book provides an account of how local government units in the Philippines engage marginalized and geographically isolated communities in taking part in pre-disaster communication efforts. The book focuses on communities classified by the government as Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) on the culturally rich island of Mindanao, Philippines. The focus is centered on GIDA communities because they are assumed to receive less information and help in relation to their circumstances. This book accounts for the disaster preparedness communicative conditions of people living in GIDAS and identifies synergies and tensions in the engagement process. As such, specific branches of enquiry focus on how information-seeking and sharing experiences of GIDA communities inform the current practice of community engagement. In taking this research approach, this book deliberately gives voice to these marginalized and often silenced communities. In general, the study examines other possibilities (or variables) in the pre-disaster risk communication process that truly engage geographically isolated and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM).
Considering the existing methodologies used to engage local communities in DRRM, this book looks at ways in which bottom-up and top-down approaches could be melded together for a transformational level of engagement in these communities. The novelty of addressing issues concerning geographically isolated communities in a developing country is a research track worthy of being investigated by academics. The book is of interest to students and in development communication and disaster risk communication as well as community engagement practitioners specializing in DRRM. The framework proposed in this book for engaging isolated communities is helpful to practitioners in designing, planning, and implementing pre-disaster communication and community engagement programs.
Author(s): Dennis John Sumaylo
Series: Communication, Culture and Change in Asia
Edition: volume 11
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: xvii; 220
City: Singapore
Tags: Development Communication, Media and Communication, Media Sociology, Social Sciences, general, Development Studies
Preface
Contents
Abbreviations
References
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Introduction
1.1 Background
1.1.1 The ASEAN Context
1.1.2 The Philippine Context
1.1.3 Mindanao: Land of Promise No More
1.2 The Brief
1.2.1 GIDA’s Narrative
1.3 Scope and Relevance
1.4 Definition of Terms
1.4.1 Disasters
1.4.2 There is Nothing Natural About Disasters
1.4.3 What Are the Four Phases of Disaster Management?
1.4.4 Pre-disaster Communication for Knowledge and Capacity Building
1.4.5 Social Inequalities Exacerbate Access Issues
1.4.6 Differentiating Community Engagement, Development and Participatory Communication, and Codesign/Cocreation Approaches
1.5 Book Overview
1.6 Summary
References
2 When Information is Critical and Access Becomes Difficult
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Access to Pre-disaster Information is a Privilege
2.2.1 Decentralisation and Localisation of Disaster Communication
2.3 Community Engagement as Information Access Point
2.3.1 Community: A Question of Who or What
2.3.2 Vulnerability Relates More to Risk Than to Disaster Risk Communication
2.3.3 What is Community Resilience?
2.3.4 The Rise of Community Engagement as a Pre-disaster Communication Strategy
2.4 Summary
References
3 Frameworks of Engagement and Precursors
3.1 Introduction
3.2 It Takes More Than a Communication Tool to Engage Communities
3.2.1 Frameworks of Engagement
3.2.2 The 4Rs of Community Engagement
3.2.3 Social Power
3.2.4 Experience as Teacher
3.2.5 Relationships and Community Development
3.3 Research Gap
3.4 The Relevance of These Frameworks to Understanding GIDA Communities
3.4.1 Understanding the Political Structure of the Philippines
3.4.2 DRRM in the Philippines
3.5 Summary
References
4 Getting the GIDA Story
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Research Design
4.3 Gathering Stories
4.3.1 GIDA and the Field Sites
4.3.2 GIDA Community and Government Informants’ Profile
4.4 Data Collection Methods
4.4.1 Talking to Locals
4.4.2 A Document is not Static
4.4.3 Field Observations
4.5 Interpreting GIDA Communities’ Stories
4.6 Summary
References
5 Communication in Isolation
5.1 Introduction
5.2 One-Way Informative Communication: Transactional Engagement
5.2.1 Print and Other Visual Materials
5.2.2 Road Signage
5.2.3 Television/Video
5.3 Two-Way Asymmetric Communication: Transitional Engagement
5.3.1 Radio
5.3.2 Social Networking Sites
5.3.3 Text Messaging/Blast and 911 Hotline
5.4 Face-to-Face Communication: Opportunities and Pitfalls of Transformative Engagement
5.4.1 Interpersonal Communication and Its Issues
5.4.2 Overreliance on Drills and Training and Trust Issues
5.4.3 Denial of GIDA Communities’ Access to Information
5.4.4 Localisation of Disaster Risk Information: Mere Compliance
5.5 Political Complications and Leadership Instability
5.6 Summary
References
6 Power, Relationships, and Experiences: Bridging Pre-disaster Communication and Community Engagement
6.1 Introduction
6.2 The Multiple Notions of Community in DRRM
6.3 Transposing the Individual’s Knowledge to a Collective DRRM Narrative
6.3.1 The Concept of Individuality in DRRM
6.3.2 The Practical Notion of Individual in DRRM
6.4 Power, Relationships, and Experiences
6.4.1 The Individual’s Social Power
6.4.2 The Individual’s (Social) Relationships
6.4.3 The Individual’s Lived and Simulated Experiences
6.5 Summary
References
7 PRE Transformative Engagement (PRETE) Framework
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Individuals in Small Groups or Sectors
7.2.1 The Individual as the Core of the PRETE Framework
7.2.2 A Targeted Approach Is Ideal in Pre-disaster Communication
7.2.3 Targeting Individuals and the Need to Shift Attention
7.2.4 Strengthening Social Linkages and Using an Individual’s Experiences
7.3 Lived and Simulated Experiences Are Core
7.4 Trust Is Essential in Pre-disaster Communication
7.5 The Impact of Social Network in Community Engagement
7.6 The PRETE Framework
7.6.1 Bridging the Gap Between Transitional and Transformative Engagement Using the PRETE Framework
7.6.2 The PRE Transformative Engagement (PRETE) Framework
7.6.3 The Actors and Other Elements in the Framework
7.7 Summary
References
8 Engaging Isolated Communities: What’s Next?
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Summary of Findings
8.2.1 Disaster Preparedness Utilises Multimodal Communicative Conditions
8.2.2 Transitional Level of Community Engagement
8.2.3 Spatial Isolation—The Biggest Barrier: Identifying Opportunities in Dealing with GIDA Communities
8.3 Implications for Theory and Practice
8.3.1 Theoretical Implications
8.3.2 Practical Implications
8.4 Future Research
8.5 Summary
References
Glossary
