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This paper describes the pattern of utilization and cost of curative care using data on 2841 individuals from 615 households in 27 oil-spill affected barangays in Guimaras seven weeks after the incident. The household turned out to be the main provider of basic curative care. The medical mission and barangay health stations were the popular sources of care outside home. Individuals seeking care outside home spent more time on the road and waiting compared to actual time spent with health care provider. It is necessary to capacitate government facilities as they were highly used by individuals seeking care outside home. The transportation facilities in the area must also be improved to lower time cost of the people. Further study should look at health care utilization and cost months after oil spill. While the information provided in the present study are highly valuable, further analysis can be done not only to describe but also to explain choices of people regarding health care service utilization.

This is a cross-sectional study design that compared the self-reported health symptoms among the affected residents living along the coastal barangays affected by M/T Solar 1 oil spill in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras before and after the oil spill. It compared the symptoms between clean up and non-clean up workers of the exposed study population, and described the health status of clean up workers. There were 3,174 individuals interviewed: 2,841 belong to the exposed and 333 to the unexposed group. Of these, 124 oil spill cleanup workers in the exposed group and 37 in the unexposed were selected. The respiratory function, kidney and liver organ functions, hemoglobin and hematocrit levels of these selected clean up workers were analyzed.

Self-reported symptoms among the exposed residents were significantly increased after the oil spill incident after adjusting for the effects of age, sex, alcohol intake and smoking. The odds of developing fever/flu (POR= 6.38, P=0.000), skin blisters (POR= 5.43, P=0.000), stomach ache (POR= 4.9, P=0.000), chest pains (POR=4.88, P=0.000) and watery eyes (POR 4.09, P=0.000) were significantly higher after the oil spill than before the oil spill in the exposed population. Clean up workers were four times more likely to develop sore throat compared with the non-clean up workers in the exposed population (P=0.0000).Clean up workers showed significantly low peak expiratory flow (P=0.000), elevated SGPT (3%), SGOT (2%), Creatinine (20%), Blood Urea Nitrogen (24%), low hemoglobin (14%) and low hematocrit (20%) levels. About three fourth of clean up workers were hired without completing the required medical requirements.

The study recommends long-term monitoring of the health effects of oil spill on the exposed population, particularly clean up workers,.stricter screening procedures and selection of clean up workers, provisions of correct protective equipment, adequate training, and proper monitoring on the use of personal protective equipment in the field.

The study describes the nutritional status of seven hundred ten (710) preschool- and schoolage children found in 615 households surveyed in Guimaras province using the following anthropometric indicators: Mid-upper Arm Circumference (MUAC), Weight for Age (WFA), and Weight for Height (WFH). The effect of the oil spill on the nutritional status of preschoolers is examined by comparing the proportion of children who were normal, below normal or underweight and overweight/obese using Weight for Age data “before” and “after” the oil spill. Preliminary screening of the nutritional status of the children using the Mid-upper Arm Circumference showed that 74.4% of them have values below normal indicating that they are at risk of developing malnutrition. Twenty seven percent (27.0 %) of the preschoolers were underweight and 4.3 % were overweight. Among the school-age children, 12.3% were thin and 2.8% were obese. Comparison of the proportion of undernourished preschool-age children “before” and “after” the oil spill revealed a statistically significant Odds Ratio (OR) of 2.59 (C.I. 1.62, 4.16), which indicated that the likelihood of developing malnutrition is 2.5 times higher after the oil spill than it was before the incident. The effect of confounding factors like food and caloric intake, presence of infections, health status and physical activity were not analyzed. In view of the depressed nutrition situation of the oil spill affected barangays, the author recommends the immediate implementation of nutrition interventions targeting the households with malnourished children.

Livelihoods in the rural areas are seasonal and unstable making poor families vulnerable to adverse shocks such as disasters, market fluctuations or anything that jeopardizes their income sources. This is aggravated by inadequate financial wealth/savings to shield them during times of crisis. Despite the lack of steady income, numerous studies show that the poor survive by engaging in many different livelihoods to maintain their standard of living and consumption.

The Solar I oil spill disrupted a number of livelihoods in Guimaras. This study is a baseline analysis that describes the livelihood and wealth/ asset structure of people in the area to determine their vulnerability to the shock brought about by the oil spill. The paper also looked into the strategies of affected families to cope with the disaster. Results show that families engage in multiple activities not only fishing but also farming, off farming, business and wage employment. Some households have alternative sources of income and receive remittances from family members, while others are solely dependent on fishing and fishing activities. Based on the socio-economic profile, access to and ownership of assets, most families were vulnerable and were adversely affected by the oil spill. They responded to the disaster by intensifying non fishery resource based activities and migrating temporarily to seek employment.

The study recommends that non-fishing livelihoods should be developed to reduce vulnerability of the community to disasters affecting fishing income. It also recommends that further research on the dynamics and gender dimensions of livelihoods.

This paper describes the response and rehabilitation activities during the August 11, 2006 oil spill in Guimaras. It outlines the implications of oil spill to the existing disaster management system, which provided for the strengthening of the Philippine disaster control capability and the establishment of the national program on community preparedness.

This paper argues that the current disaster management system in the country is constrained by operational factors that affect the overall management of both natural and human induced disasters. It presents evidences of actual response and rehabilitation activities carried out during the oil spill derived from agency reports and supplemented by findings during focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The paper outlines important insights that can be useful in improving the overall system for disaster management in the country.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on various industries around the world, especially tourism. The Marine Mammal Tourism (MMT) industry is one of the sectors that has been affected by travel restrictions and health and safety protocols, and the consequences of these on the industry are unknown. This study examines the effect the pandemic has had on the marine mammal tourism industry in Walvis Bay, Namibia. The results of the key informant interviews (KII) and the focus group discussions (FGD) show that COVID-19 affects the industry in the following thematic areas: 1) tour operation; 2) income; 3) employment; 4) community involvement; 5) protocols and code of conduct; and 6) ecology. These thematic areas are discussed in the context of the goals of sustainable tourism. This paper also presents some policy recommendations for the sustainable development of the MMT industry of Walvis Bay.

The food cart enterprise is a rapidly growing business enterprise in Bacolod City, and is noted for its potential in making contributions to local economic development. The majority of these enterprises are franchisees given the observed minimal risk associated with this particular type of business organization. With the popularity of food franchising, it would be interesting to know how food cart entrepreneurs manage their enterprises. The paper presents the results of a study that examined the management of food cart franchisee in select areas of Bacolod City, Philippines. The majority of food cart franchises are single proprietorships that regularly engage in planning and controlling but infrequently carry out organizing, staffing, and leading. Planning entails the creation of a strategic plan for the enterprise and day-to-day decision-making based on feedback from employees and customers. Human resource hiring, advertising, and selection processes are used in the staffing function. Organizing is governed by a manual for the organization and operations of the business. Controlling is exercised through the use of employee performance reviews and financial recording and reporting. The study suggests that food cart franchisees adopt a strategic planning approach, offer a clearly defined structure and better staff supervision, and address operational issues and concerns

Losing a spouse is a stressful life event that results in grief and initiates coping through an active search for meaning. This study used semi-structured interviews to collect personal stories of spousal loss and meaning-making coping among 12 bereaved adults whose spouses died within the past six to 48 months. Using Braun & Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis, I analyzed the meanings assigned by the bereaved spouses to their experienced loss. Two major themes emerged: 1) navigating the loss of a spouse and 2) finding the silver lining. Findings showed that many of the bereaved spouses experienced grappling and questioning the loss, then oscillated through prior and situational meanings before coming to an understanding of the loss. They successfully integrated the meaning of loss with their pre-existing worldviews (i.e., loss as a social process, availability of signs and premonitions, inevitability of death, death as God’s will) and externally attributed the loss to find favorable meanings. These meanings derived from the experienced loss mediated the adverse bereavement outcomes. The role of meaning-making coping and practical implications for psychological support to bereaved spouses are also discussed.

This study analyzes the experiences of women in barangay politics from two (2) coastal municipalities-Guimbal and Tigbauan-in the Province of Iloilo, Philippines. Sixty-nine (69) women barangay officials from ten (10) barangays in the aforementioned municipalities were surveyed and ten (10) focus group discussions, which were participated by both men and women barangay officials, were held. The results of the study reveal that aside from structural barriers, there are normative frameworks that limit women’s participation in barangay politics. Highlighted are the dominance of patriarchy, persistence of discriminatory social norms, gender stereotypes, beliefs, and attitudes, pervasiveness of the anomalous public and private divide, and intersections of gender, class, and ethnicity that compound the unequal power relations of men and women. Women barangay officials’ pathways to local political participation are mainly through their family connections and current or previous community engagements. However, their political participation is affected by their multiple gender roles within and outside the home. Their greater social and family responsibilities, which are the source of their political influence, are ironically also the reason for their lack of time for political participation. Their increasing number in barangay politics alone is not enough to achieve gender-sensitive political structures and processes since they need to be further gender-sensitized to enable them to use their power and influence to pursue pro-women policies and programs. Continuous capacity-building of women is imperative to contest structural and social limitations to women’s meaningful and transformative political participation.

Social mobilization has been found to be an important strategy for generating community participation in community development undertakings. This paper presents the results of a study that examined mobilization strategies of NGO-assisted grassroots enterprises in the provinces of Iloilo and Guimaras. Using a descriptive design, primary data was obtained through interviews with the entrepreneurs and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results show that mobilization strategies include information access, community dialogues, collective action, community partnerships, enterprise capability building, and client relations. Community development was realized in terms of socioeconomic benefits and political participation that entrepreneurs experienced with the assistance provided by the assisting NGO. In response to issues and concerns raised by the entrepreneurs, the study recommends using a governance approach in social mobilization to strategize organizational and business growth of the grassroots enterprises and enhance efforts towards community development.