The Role of A Priori Cross-Border Migration after Extreme Climate Events: The Case of the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan

‘Floods’ of migrants, flows of care: Between climate displacement and global care chains

“…In a nuanced account of Filipinas working abroad, Gibson, Law, and McKay (2001) encourage us to view these women – many of whom are domestic labourers or care workers – neither as heroes of national development nor as passive victims of the demands of global capitalist labour markets, but as active – if constrained – agents with scope for negotiating their working conditions and advancing their own economic aspirations (see also Yeoh, Huang, & Lam, 2005). This resonates with Mosuela and Matias’s assessment of the self-organizational capacities and adaptability of post-Haiyan trans-border mobilizations: ‘(T)ransnational activists’, they observe, ‘gain new attitudes, try out new forms of action in response to feelings of empathy and emerge with new identities as empowered individuals through their contacts within and across borders’ (2014, p. 20).…”

“…However, there are other, potentially more positive ways in which trans-border mobilizations played a significant role in the vernacular response to the Haiyan crisis. Ranked in the top 10 of nations for climate change vulnerability and second in terms of natural disaster risk (Tesfay, 2015, p. 11), the Philippines are also at the forefront of exporting ‘surplus labour’ to higher income nations, with some 10 million people – approximately 25% of the labour force – currently working overseas, positioning the country as the world’s third largest recipient of migrants’ remittances (Mosuela & Matias, 2014, pp. 5–8).…”

“…5–8). Cleovi Mosuela and Denise Matias (2014) draw our attention to the importance not only of ongoing remittances by Filipina/Filipino transnational workers during the post-Haiyan recovery process to humanitarian assistance, but also of dedicated fund-raising and other long-distance humanitarian efforts. As they put it: ‘cross-border migrants … constitute an international network of Filipinos who are instrumental not only in keeping the Philippine economy afloat but also in constituting a network that may serve as a response to major environmental disasters in the Philippines’ (2014, p. 8).…”

Climate humanitarian visa: international migration opportunities as post-disaster humanitarian intervention

“…In the USA, the Philippines is the top three origin country of immigrants (Radford 2019), while it is the top country of birth of immigrants in Canada (Statistics Canada 2016). Indeed, familial affiliation of those affected by climate disasters can reinforce cross-border migration through immigration relief opportunities provided by states (Mosuela and Matias 2015). Whether being a top origin country of immigrants played a role in the USA and Canada opening their borders to kin of Philippine immigrants affected by disasters remains to be seen as other top origin countries such as Mexico, China, and India have yet to post record breaking deadly typhoons such as Haiyan.…”

“…The case of USA and Canada provides an exemplary case of humanitarian post-disaster interventions through loosening tight immigration and state policies for admission (Mosuela and Matias 2015). They represent how states could or should treat those people affected by a humanitarian crisis and of the protection they should receive when they cannot all be protected within their own countries.…”