[ABSTRACT]

POST-DISASTER HEALING INTERVENTIONS

THE CASE OF TUBIGON MOTHERS
CRIS SARMIENTO

Keywords: Bohol, disaster, earthquake, reconstruction phase, psychosocial intervention

The author is an undergraduate of the Communication Research program in the

University of the Philippines. She has done collaborative academic researches about
disasters, particularly on emotional appeal in flood campaigns and risk perceptions of
flood victims. In 2011, she won the third place in Envision: A Disaster Preparedness
Campaign, an interuniversity Integrated Marketing Communication case study
competition. She currently works as a Research Associate to a Silicon Valley investor and
is one of the contributors of the Philippine Startup Report 2013.

ABSTRACT
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the 7.2 magnitude
earthquake that hit the island of Bohol and neighboring islands in Visayas in October 15, 2013
has affected over 3.2 million people in the region. In addition to the direct impact of the
earthquake, the Agency has recorded approximately 3,100 aftershocks within 3 weeks following
the disaster, which delayed rescue and restoration efforts. It was claimed to be the deadliest
earthquake that the Philippines in more than two decades.
Located in northwest of Bohol, Tubigon was one of the provinces tremendously hit by the
recent calamity. As of the writing, several families in the province are still displaced and settled
in makeshift tents. Aside from the physical damage caused by the earthquake, emotional harm
was likewise noticeable in the behavior of townspeople1.
The research focuses on the emotional harm experienced by mothers in Tubigon, Bohol.
Specifically, the study aims to describe and articulate the experiences of mothers in Tubigon in

1 The author flew to Bohol to do volunteer work 3 days after the earthquake (aftershocks still in
occurrence), and was able to personally witness the aftermath of the calamity.
connection with the earthquake, in order to identify appropriate healing interventions2 (in the
Reconstruction Phase3 ) for mothers who suffer catastrophes like the recent disaster in Bohol.
The study uses an integrated conceptual framework focusing on the concepts of Personal
Vulnerability and Social Support, which are seen as critical factors in structuring and planning
the kind of Healing Interventions for mothers traumatized by natural calamities.
Facilitated through snowball sampling, a total of 10 in-depth interviews were conducted
in the 3rd week of December 2013. Five of these mothers are Employed (at least pre-disaster)
and the other five are Homemakers. These two categories are later discovered to be significant in
the kind of coping mechanisms of the participants.

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CITED REFERENCE
Ignacio, L. L., & Perlas, A. P. (1994). From victims to survivors: psychosocial intervention in
disaster management. Manila: UP Manila Information, Publication and Public Affairs Office. 4

2 A concept specific in the study, healing intervention is referred to as any activity (i.e. communication
plans, community activities) that responds to the psychosocial needs of disaster survivors.

3 Ignacio & Perlas (1994, p. 19-24) identified the 4 phases of disaster. These are the (1) Warning Phase,
(2) Impact Phase, (3) Inventory Phase, and (4) Reconstruction Phase. Reconstruction Phase is described
to be the period where victims come to grips with their losses and resolve their feelings of grief and
bereavement and rebuild their lives. (p.24) Two months after the disaster, the informants are believed
to have reached the Reconstruction Phase.