Typhoon Ketsana displaced close to a million persons in September 2009 – affecting in a particular way the poor slums of Manila.
This couple, displaced by the typhoon, belongs to the Aeta indigenous ethnic group, one of the 100 tribal groups who are the original inhabitants of the Philippines.
The Aeta fled low-lying farmland to the mountains following the Spanish conquest and encroachment by colonizers. Then in 1991 mount Pinatubo explosion expelled them back again to the plains, where only flood-prone areas were left available for settlement.
This shows how there is often nothing “natural” in the way disasters affect populations – often affecting in a disproportionate way the most vulnerable.
Slum dwellers in the Philippines are resilient and highly organized. I remember making the mistake of lecturing them on community organization during a consultative meeting. They retorted “thanks, but we belong already to Slum Dwellers International”.
