The town of Coron in Palawan is well-known for its eye-catching sites such as Kayangan Lake, Mt. Tapyas, and Siete Picados Marine Park. Aside from this, it is in Coron where one can see the pristine white-sand allure of Malcapuya Island that is considered by locales as their own Boracay. However, despite its beauty, there lies a sad reality: destroyed houses, disrupted livelihoods, and relocation issues after Yolanda’s rampage in November 2013.

As part of my one-week research work in Coron, I was deployed at Sitio Maquinit, Barangay Tagumpay in order to conduct observations and interviews regarding the Emergency Shelter Assistance initiative of the Partnership of Philippine Support Services Association, Inc. (PHILSSA) under the Angat Calamianes Project (Arise Calamianes Project). And on my part, I was able to discover both the good and bad things in Coron.

Sitio Maquinit is situated at the very front of the Siete Picados (meaning “Seven Sinners”) Marine Park, an area protected by law as a site where fishing is prohibited. This is because Siete Picados houses diverse forms of marine resources such as corals, shrimps, squids, and fishes. In terms of livelihood, residents of Sitio Maquinit rely on fishing as evidenced by the fact that their houses are located on the shoreline itself. However, they do not catch fish in their immediate front as this is where the marine park is located, instead, local fishermen travel to farther areas for fishing.

I stayed at the house of Eliseo Labrador Sr., the Vice-Chairman of the sitio. And as I arrived at around 4:30 in the afternoon, I immediately had a glimpse of the issues that they confront. Over coffee, I talked to him together with his wife, and Flozerfida “Pida” Altajeros, the chairwoman of Sitio Maquinit about the aid that they received from PHILSSA and other entities as well as the issues that they confront.

According to them, they are forced to bow down to the relocation demands of the municipal government. After Yolanda, electricity already became non-existent in their area. And for this reason, they demand that their electricity supply be restored. The government showed willingness in restoring power supply provided that they sign a waiver stating that they agree to be relocated.

For Aling Pida, “Ilalaban namin ito” (We will fight for this). Despite their traumatic experiences during the rampage of Yolanda, the residents of Sitio Maquinit remains steadfast in defending their community from relocation. Almost all of them believe that relocation is tantamount to being stripped-off of their right to have a decent-living as they consider the area as their home and their bread and butter.

On the other hand, Teodorico de Guia, the field coordinator of Palawan Advocates for Good Governance and Empowerment (PAGE) succinctly explained that the relocation plan of the government works for the benefit of Maquinit residents. He said, “Alam mo kasi, hindi naman talaga dun sa mismong dagat sa harap nila nangingisda ang mga yan kundi doon sa malayong lugar pa” (You know, local fishermen do not really fish in their immediate coastal front bur rather in a more distant location). Hence, the argument that Maquinit residents’ livelihoods being tied to their area is flawed because even if they are located to another coastal area nearby, access to their fishing ground is still possible.

I believe that there is no middle-ground between relocation and staying in an area that is very close to the sea and a marine park. My stand is for relocation as I consider this move as the most sustainable and risk-informed decision. Living at the shoreline is like living with danger, day and night. This might be difficult and perhaps negatively-sounding for Maquinit residents. However, in order to be more prepared for the future, it is also necessary to make tough choices.

The case of Maquinit may only be one of the many representations of relocation issues in the country. This is because asking people to leave their home has always been difficult for authorities. The place where people live always tells a story of struggles, successes, happiness, and sadness. Thus, even with a clear sense of fear felt by Maquinit residents during the advent of Yolanda, they still consider relocation as something that presents greater uncertainty (in terms of livelihood and comfort) than the threat of typhoons.

Finally, the story of Maquinit and its battle against relocation after Yolanda tells us that beauty and amazement are not the only things that exists in several coastal tourist areas; a sad reality also does.

Karl Patrick Mendoza is an MA Political Science student at De La Salle University. He is also an NSTP Facilitator from the same university. Apart from research, Karl is interested in joining volunteering projects most especially those that tackle disaster risk reduction, governance and development issues.