Abstract Introduction: This thesis focuses on the housing situation and sustainability in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. According to a report by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, approximately 25% of Manila's population resides in substandard living conditions and informal settlements. The thesis is based on a case study conducted on the Estero De San Miguel pilot project, where a Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) study was carried out on the housing project. The findings revealed that relocating people from slums to the housing project and providing them with a home led to an improvement in the quality of life and sustainability in the project area. The aim of the study was to conduct a POE and assess the quality of life and identify areas for improvement in future low-budget projects. Method: The research methods are based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Interviews were conducted with architects and other key individuals involved in the project. Surveys were administered to residents, and personal observations were made regarding the quality of life. Plan analysis and area analysis were also conducted. Results: The case study resulted in answers obtained through surveys administered to the residents in the area and interviews with key personnel involved in the project, providing responses to the research questions. Analysis: The Estero De San Miguel Pilot Project (EDSM) has made a significant impact on improving the quality of life and sustainability within the project area. Previously, informal settlements were typically reconstructed outside the city center, resulting in limited access to employment, education, and social services. The residents lived in poverty within these informal settlements, with their needs neglected by both society and the government. Since relocating to the EDSM housing project, 72% of the residents have experienced notable improvements in their lives. This project has provided them with an opportunity to enhance their quality of life and foster a stronger, more supportive community. Discussion: The method, with its specific limitations, in this case study yields results that align with the study's purpose and thereby addresses the research question of the thesis. There is a strong correlation between the findings and the theoretical framework.

The Philippines is considered one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate disasters due to a combination of its geospatial, political, economic, and social attributes. The nation gets hit with an average of 20 annual tropical cyclones, also known as typhoons, and through the process of climate change, these events are only growing in both frequency and magnitude. In the coastal capital city of Metro Manila, climate change coupled with rapid and unplanned urbanization has led to increased vulnerabilities of populations, infrastructures, and increased inequalities.  This thesis aims to assess the current disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) frameworks present within the nation and National Capital Region (NCR), through a case study approach of the 2020 typhoons: Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses. It presents findings through four thematic pillars of disaster prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response and early- recovery, and recovery and rehabilitation. It uses the perspectives of three key informants from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), as well as additional diversified perspectives.  Findings suggest that DRRM has evolved since the implementation of the Republic Act No 10121 (RA 10121), or the Philippine Disaster Reduction and Management Act of 2010, however, can still be improved to tackle root causes of vulnerabilities. I use Roberts and Pelling’s (2020) transformation as liberation model as a theoretical framework to generate recommendations to policymakers that can help address vulnerabilities to typhoons. These recommendations include increasing participation and inclusivity within policy and decision making, creating a formal mechanism to measure vulnerabilities and inform future DRRM policies, and finally to reframe climate change and disaster risks as a socio-ecological issue rather than just an environmental one. / Filippinerna anses vara ett av de mest sårbara länderna i världen för klimatkatastrofer på grund av en kombination av dess geospatiala, politiska, ekonomiska och sociala egenskaper. Nationen drabbas av i genomsnitt 20 årliga tropiska cykloner, även kända som tyfoner, och genom klimatförändringsprocessen växer dessa händelser bara i både frekvens och omfattning. I kusthuvudstaden Metro Manila har klimatförändringar i kombination med snabb och oplanerad urbanisering lett till ökad sårbarhet hos befolkningar, infrastrukturer och ökade ojämlikheter.  Denna avhandling syftar till att bedöma de nuvarande ramverken för katastrofriskminskning och -hantering (DRRM) som finns i landet och i National Capital Region (NCR), i fallet med tyfonerna 2020: Quinta, Rolly och Ulysses. Avhandlingen illustrerar resultaten genom fyra tematiska pelare: förebyggande och begränsning av katastrofer, beredskap, insatser och tidig återhämtning samt återhämtning och rehabilitering. Detta görs utifrån tre nyckelinformanters perspektiv, från Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) och Asian Development Bank (ADB).  Resultaten tyder på att nuvarande DRRM-policyer vidmakthåller orättvisa mönster i nationen och det borde tillämpas en förändring som befrielsemodell, baserad på Roberts och Pelling (2020), för att främja en mer rättvis och hållbar hantering av tyfoner i landet. Därför rekommenderas det att DRRM-policyer ökar deltagande och inkludering inom policy- och beslutsfattande, skapa en formell mekanism för att mäta sårbarheter och informera framtida DRRM-policyer, och slutligen att omformulera klimatförändringar och katastrofrisker som socioekologiska frågor snarare än bara miljömässiga sådana.

This study was carried out as a bachelor's thesis at KTH Royal Institute of Technology during the spring of 2023, investigating the correlation between the color with the concentration of various metal and metalloids (MMs) in the soil of Marinduque, The Philippines. With a history of mineral exploitation, notably copper and gold, the island has faced persistent environmental challenges, exemplified by the catastrophic waste spills in 1993 and 1996 that contaminated the Boac and Mogpog Rivers. These incidents have left lasting consequences on the environment and human health. The research methodology involved an analysis of soil samples collected from Marinduque, using portable equipment such as Olympus Vanta X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), color scanning using the Nix Pro 2 Color Sensor, followed by data processing through MATLAB version R2023a. The latter involved statistical methods such as Pearson correlation and p-value, which produced correlation coefficients and identified which correlations were statistically significant. The correlations yielded were those between varying MMs concentrations in the soil and CIE L*a*b* soil color parameters across different municipalities in Marinduque. These correlations offer insights into potential causal relationships between arsenic (As), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn), and soil discoloration. Based on correlations between MMs concentrations and soil color, future studies can encompass a broader range of soil assessment and contamination risks analysis, thus offering valuable guidance to local communities and authorities in devising effective strategies for mitigating MMs pollution in the natural environment. / Denna studie utfördes som en kandidatuppsats vid Kungliga Tekniska högskolan (KTH) under våren 2023 och undersökte korrelationer mellan färg, metalloid- och metallkoncentrationer i marken på Marinduque, Filippinerna. Med en historia av mineralutvinning, särskilt koppar och guld, har ön stått inför pågående miljöutmaningar, såsom katastrofala avfallsutsläpp som förorenat floderna Boac och Mogpog. Dessa händelser har lämnat långvariga konsekvenser för miljön och människors hälsa. Forskningsmetoden omfattade en analys av jordprover från Marinduque, med användning av laboratorieutrustning som röntgenfluorescens (XRF), färgskanning med Nix Pro 2 Color Sensor, följt av databehandling genom MATLAB version R2023a. Den senare involverade statistiska metoder som Pearson-korrelation och p-värde, vilka genererade korrelationskoefficienter och identifierade vilka korrelationer som var statistiskt signifikanta. De erhållna korrelationerna var mellan varierande metallkoncentrationer i jorden och CIE L*a*b* markfärgsparametrar inom olika kommuner på Marinduque. Dessa korrelationer ger insikter i potentiella kausala samband mellan arsenik (As), järn (Fe), bly (Pb), mangan (Mn) och zink (Zn), samt jordfärg. Baserat på korrelationer mellan metalloid- och metallkoncentrationer i mark och markfärg kan framtida studier täcka en bredare räckvidd av risker för markförorening, och därmed erbjuda värdefull vägledning till lokala samhällen och myndigheter för att utveckla effektiva strategier för att minska förorening av tungmetaller i den naturliga miljön.

Denna studie undersöker olika svenska aktörers arbete mot live-streamade sexuella övergrepp på filippinska barn samt deras syn på ansvarstagande gällande fall där svenska förövare begår detta brott. Det finns fyra svenska rättsfall där svenska män dömts för att ha beställt, regisserat och bevittnat sexuella övergrepp på barn i dagsläget. I dokumentärer och radioprogram som lyfter problematiken framkommer att dessa övergrepp sker i det dolda (på internet) och att det därmed finns ett stort mörkertal som innebär att övergreppen fortsätter att ske och att barnen riskerar att inte få rätt stöd och hjälp. Syftet med studien är därför att bidra med fördjupad kunskap inom området genom att undersöka huruvida svenska frivillighetsorganisationer samt myndigheter anser att deras arbete är tillräckligt eller behöver utvecklas. Det empiriska materialet bygger på fem intervjuer med ett urval av svenska myndigheter och frivilligorganisationer, där en aktör befinner sig på Filippinerna. Studien har en kvalitativ och induktiv ansats där resultatet analyseras utifrån Ludwig von Bertalanffys generella systemteori samt tidigare relevant forskning. Resultatet visar att informanterna anser att svenska aktörer har ett stort internationellt ansvar för de filippinska barn som blir utsatta för live-streamade övergrepp då förövarna är svenska. Två informanter menar att Sverige inte gör tillräckligt för dessa barn i nuläget. Samtidigt menar vissa informanter att ansvaret slutar någonstans och att Filippinernas egna aktörer behöver ta vid då vissa insatser inte anses kunna skötas från Sveriges håll. Resultatet visar även att nya idéer och resurser krävs för att de ska kunna uppfylla dessa ambitioner samt att det finns många utmaningar som försvårar och stoppar utvecklingen av arbetet. Empirin presenterar också möjligheter inom arbetet och förslag på nödvändiga åtgärder. I en avslutade diskussion lyfter vi fram bristen på ett barnfokus hos svenska aktörer samt några tankar kring vad detta kan bero på. Vi diskuterar även konsekvenserna av svenska rättsliga insatser för barnen och huruvida dessa gynnar eller skadar barnet. Avslutningsvis redovisar vi önskemål för framtida forskning inom området. / This study examines the work of various Swedish organizations regarding live-streamed sexual abuse of Filipino children and their view on responsibility for cases where Swedish perpetrators commit the crimes. There are four Swedish court cases where Swedish men have been convicted of this crime and documentaries and radio programs now highlight this problem. It appears that the crime is hidden, because it takes place on the internet, and for this reason there is a large number of hidden statistics that makes it difficult to protect and support the vulnerable children. The aim of this study is therefore to contribute with deeper knowledge in the area by examining whether Swedish non-governmental organizations and governmental authorities believe that their work is sufficient or needs to be developed. The empirical material is based on five interviews with a selection of Swedish authorities and non-governmental organizations. The study has a qualitative and inductive approach where the results are analyzed based on Ludwig von Bertalanffy's general systems theory and previous research. The result shows that the informants believe that Swedish actors have a great international responsibility for the Filipino children who are exposed to live-streamed abuse when the perpetrators are Swedish. Two informants believe that Sweden is not doing enough for these children at this moment. At the same time, some informants believe that their responsibility ends somewhere and that the Philippine government and non-governmental organizations have their responsibility. The result also shows that new ideas and resources are required for them to be able to fulfill these ambitions and that there are many challenges that stop the development of their work. The empiric also presents opportunities within the work and proposals for necessary measures for the future. Concluding in the discussion we highlight the lack of child focus among the work of Swedish governmental and nongovernmental organizations and what we believe is the reason for this. We also discuss the consequences of Swedish legal efforts for the children, such as damages, and whether these consequences benefit or harm the children. Finally, we come with suggestions for future research within the area.

The objective of this thesis is to examine how the bereavement of a mother tongue in various ways affects a person and how literature discusses this experience. How does literature reflect it and is it possible to identify any specific and recurring themes? Are there any similarities between the experience of migration and the experience of colonialism? What purpose does writing serve in this and how to describe the impact of language? Hopefully this thesis will contribute to a better understanding of the situation for newly arrived people and for persons living in Sweden with Swedish as a second language. The thesis has a postcolonial perspective as the focus is fiction dealing with a relocation from east to west. Earlier research and writings that has inspired is in particular the works by the two postcolonial theorists Franz Fanon and Sara Ahmed. The main source material for the study is literary works, e.g. the works of Jila Mossaed, Theodor Kallifatides, Athena Farrokhzad, Burcu Sahin and Yoko Tawada. The thesis is intentionally written in the form of an essay, suggesting the power of language and storytelling. The main objective of the thesis is to describe, rather than to arrive at a conclusion. One main focus is the author’s personal relation to the subject and to the Philippines and its colonial past. The literary works addressed in this study suggests that literature dealing with migration and language bereavement mainly focuses on a discussion about the relation between the native tongue and the new language, the relation between the metaphysical body and the new geographical location, about feelings of speechlessness and alienation that becomes physical. All these concurrent themes can be used as tools to define an experience that in many aspects is inconceivable. The thesis also identifies similarities between colonialism and migration, as both raise the question of inherit right to a place and a lifelong search for a place to call home. In this effort, writing is important and may function as an emancipatory lever to create new places.