1. Disaster-induced (natural) displacement is the forced migration of peoples and communities due to natural calamities and disasters. The Philippines is an archipelago situated in the Pacific Ocean typhoon belt and in the Pacific Ring of Fire. It hosts an average of 20 typhoons annually. It is also home to both active and dormant volcanoes, as well as several fault lines underneath its land and waters. Its geographical location and physical environment makes the Philippines susceptible to tsunamis, sea level rise, storm surges, landslides, floods, and drought.5 The Philippines’ geographical context is compounded by poor disaster risk reduction and management mechanisms, making the displacement of persons and communities par for the course when disasters strike. 2. Conflict-induced displacement occurs when people are forced to flee their homes due to armed conflict, generalized violence,6 persecution, or human rights violations, particularly those on the grounds of race, religion, political opinion, or social group.7 The Philippines is beset with long-running armed conflicts with various non-state armed groups. There are likewise several lawless elements, criminal groups, private armies, and paramilitary groups who, motivated by a variety of political, economic, and/or religious objectives, engage in violent activities that often affect surrounding populations and even complicate the long-standing armed conflicts involving state and non-state actors. Such activities expose persons and communities to threats of violence and insecurity, prompting their evacuation to safety. Due to the intractable nature of armed conflict, protracted displacement is pronounced in conflict-affected sites. 8 3. Development-induced displacement occurs when people are compelled to move as a result of policies and projects connected with development efforts. These include large-scale infrastructure projects (i.e., the construction of dams, roads, ports, airports and the like), urban clearance initiatives, extractive industry projects (mining and logging activities, among others), and land conversion.9 http://www.adrc.asia/nationinformation.php violence’ and ‘indiscriminate violence’ connote that violence is untargeted, widespread, random, and affects all alike, (cf. Holzer, Vanessa. UNHCR Legal and Protection Policy Research Series: The 1951 Refugee Convention and the Protection of People Fleeing Armed Conflict and Other Situations of Violence. Geneva, Switzerland. September 2012.) 7 http://www.columbia.edu/itc/hs/pubhealth/modules/forcedMigration/definitions.html 8 The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) defined protracted displacement as a “situation in which refugees and/or IDPs have been in exile for three years or more, and where the process of for finding durable solutions, such as repatriation, absorption in host communities, or settlement in third locations, has stalled.” IDMC (2015). Protracted displacement: uncertain paths to self-reliance in exile. p.11. 9 http://www.columbia.edu/itc/hs/pubhealth/modules/forcedMigration/definitions.html 5 6‘Generalized 4