Author : Buot, Merites Merida

Summary : While government is keen in prioritizing programs that will reduce vulnerability
of communities to natural disasters, equally significant is the need to examine the psychosocial
concept of community wellbeing (CWB), especially in the aftermath of natural
disasters and how this can help affected communities move forward to rehabilitation and
stability. The main objective of this study was to investigate the CWB in localities frequently
affected by natural disasters. Specifically, it elucidated the people's meanings
and indicators of CWB, developed a community wellbeing index (CWBi), determined the
CWBi of communities affected by volcanic eruption (Albay), earthquake (Bohol) and
typhoon (Leyte), and identified factors that communities should have in order to achieve
CWB in the aftermath of a natural disaster. The study made use of focus group discussion
(FGD), survey using standardized questionnaires and key informant interview (KII).

Thematic analysis revealed that the meaning of CWB varies with different sectors
but more focused on same theme of individual and community security and stability resulting
to peace of mind and the readiness to face life in the aftermath of natural disaster.
A CWBi therefore was developed as reference of the local government units (LGU) to
use in determining which among the dimensions of CWB need enhancement so that
communities will have satisfactory CWB. The analytical hierarchical process (ARP) was
applied to deductively chosen indicators, in order to create dimension indices such as
built, financial, political, sociocultural and natural capitals, thereby establishing the
CWBi as follows:

CWBi = ( B

where B is the built capital; F, the financial capital; Po, political capital; SC, sociocultural capital and N, the natural capital; Wd1 to Wd5 are weights of the five dimensions.

The CWBi for selected localities exposed in the frequent Mayon Volcano eruption
in Albay, the recent terrible earthquake in Bohol and the fatal typhoon Yolanda in
Leyte were 0.602, 0.576 and 0.606 respectively. The sociocultural capital was strongly
influencing the overall CWBi for all the localities, implying that household attributes,
sense of community and networks, level of trust and emotional connection, were very
important indicators identified that enhanced and will enhance CWB in the aftermath of
natural disasters in many localities. In fact, KIIs with experts revealed that sociocultural capital played and will play a significant role in enhancing CWB in the aftermath of a
disaster. Incidentally, the natural capital contributed the least to the CWBi in all the localities
studied as revealed by the dimension values, 0.011, 0.014 and 0.021 for Albay,
Bohol and Leyte, respectively. The indicator of the natural capital was forest cover which
had been alarmingly declining and deteriorating as indicated by the Forest Cover Map of
the Philippines. If the natural capital were at its best, the rest of the dimension values
could have increased as well, as ecosystem services could have improved among others,
the quality of the evacuation center (physical capital), housing ownership and quality
(economic capital) and provision of basic resources such as water (political capital). The
economic and political capitals had the lowest dimension values as well, implying a reexamination
of the policies by the concerned LGUs.

There is a need to enhance the CWB values for every indicator selected in this
study to increase the CWBi. Community education will be a great help. The current data
implied that CWB is a function of trust, governance, functional literacy and healthy natural
environment.