Political Creeping into the Mauaque Resettlement Center Through Dyadic Relationships

Abstract

This paper focuses on the characteristically dyadic political culture of Mauaque Resettlement Center, a government organized community of disaster victims (1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption). It attempts to trace and understand the resettlers' proclivity for dyadic means of cooperation, dependency and even political action.

The resettlement site is composed basically of three different barangays which retained their "sub-cultures," including their political ethos. What manifest at present are the comfortable reciprocal schemes developed by the resettlers and their leaders which inevitably create either positive or negative consequences relative to the political life of the whole community.

To be considered will be the personal followings and system of alliances of the present barangay leaders within the context of the Filipino kinship system. Moreover, the other socio-cultural values and traits of the resettlers which serve as underpinning for their dyadic relationships will also be discussed.

Interviewing the individuals concerned, particularly the barangay captains, has been the method employed in gathering the information needed for this qualitative study.