Citation

Espia JC, Fernandez P. Disasters 2014; 39(1): 51-68.

Affiliation

Instructor in Political Science, Division of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, Philippines.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/disa.12086

PMID

25231286

Abstract

This paper examines local government and non-governmental organisation (NGO) engagement in disaster response in the wake of the M/T Solar 1 oil spill in Guimaras, Western Visayas, Philippines, on 11 August 2006. It assesses the response activities of these two entities as well as the institutional factors that affected their interaction on the ground. Local government and NGO engagement was shaped by multi-layered, overlapping, and oftentimes contending government-designed response frameworks. Within these frameworks, government actors played the role of primary implementer and provider of relief, allowing them to determine who could be involved and the extent of their involvement. The absence of formal roles for NGOs in these frameworks not only undermines their ability to work in a setting where such institutional set-ups are operational but also it reaffirms their 'outsider' status. This study of the Guimaras oil spill illustrates the complexity and the institutional difficulties inherent in disaster response and coordination in the Philippines.

Language: en