Emancipation From Disabling Perplexities Towards Church Resilience: The Tale of Quiapo Church

The Philippines ranks as one of the topmost vulnerable countries to climate change, prompting the government to harmonize proactive disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) efforts across private, public, and non-governmental organizations. However, many Catholic parishes in the country are still more active in responding to, restoring, and recovering from disasters, which is commendable but not preventive. Using a Filipino social research framework Alfonso (1992) developed called socially shared inquiry (SSI), this study investigates Quiapo Church’s issues in DRRM and how its volunteers and parishioners find solutions. The self-reflexive approach utilized in this study enabled the reframing of disabling cognitions through an appreciation process, which led to surfacing ways forward for the church to achieve church resilience. Notably, the findings of this paper suggest that people act when they are informed and included in communal work, recognizing that their participation is a right. Conversely, neglecting to engage and communicate with people can result in a disorganized system and worsening situations. This socially shared concept of “pagsama” highlights the vital role of communication in DRRM.