Date of Publication

2026

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Behavioral Sciences with a track in Organizational and Social Systems Development

Subject Categories

Sociology

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Behavioral Sciences

Thesis Advisor

Marlon D.L. Era 

Defense Panel Chair

Michael Eduard L. Labayandoy 

Defense Panel Member

Zaldy C. Collado  
Diana Therese M. Veloso 

Abstract (English)

This study explores the socioeconomic marginalization of the Sama-Bajau community in Lucena City, Philippines, by identifying the structural, individual, and cultural factors shaping their lived experiences. Utilizing a qualitative narrative design, the research captures multi-generational life stories to understand how the community interprets their exclusion from critical pillars such as education, health, and livelihood. Findings reveal that marginalization is a self-reinforcing cycle anchored by structural gatekeeping, particularly documentation deficits and the denial of public utility rights, such as access to clean water. This systemic exclusion is compounded by institutionalized social stigma, which necessitates a survival-first logic that prioritizes immediate physiological needs over long-term human capital development. Furthermore, the study identifies a "Paradox of Criminalized Survival," where the state penalizes informal labor while blocking entry into the formal economy. While communal solidarity provides adaptive resilience, it remains a compensatory response to state neglect rather than a pathway to social mobility. To break this cycle, the study recommends a syncretic governance model focused on structural inclusion, including mobile civil registration, the decriminalization of vending through livelihood zoning, and socialized household water connections. Ultimately, these measures are essential to validate Sama-Bajau identity and dismantle the bureaucratic walls sustaining their marginality in an urban environment.

Keywords: Adaptive Resilience, Sama-Bajau, Socio-economic Marginalization, Public Utility Rights

Abstract Format

html

Abstract (Filipino)

Sinusuri ng pag-aaral na ito ang socioeconomic marginalization ng mga Sama-Bajau sa Lungsod ng Lucena gamit ang qualitative narrative design. Sa pamamagitan ng mga kuwento ng iba’t ibang henerasyon, tiningnan kung paano sila naisasantabi sa edukasyon, kalusugan, at kabuhayan. Lumabas sa pag-aaral na ang kanilang kalagayan ay isang paulit-ulit na siklo dulot ng structural gatekeeping, gaya ng kawalan ng dokumento at pagkakait sa public utility rights (hal. malinis na tubig). Pinalalala ito ng diskriminasyon na nagtutulak sa kanila sa "survival-first logic"—ang pag-una sa gutom kaysa sa pag-aaral. Tinukoy din ang "Paradox of Criminalized Survival," kung saan pinarurusahan ang kanilang impormal na trabaho habang sarado naman ang pormal na ekonomiya para sa kanila. Bagama’t may adaptive resilience o katatagan ang komunidad, tugon lamang ito sa kapabayaan ng estado at hindi tunay na landas paangat sa buhay. Inirerekomenda ng pananaliksik ang isang syncretic governance model: mobile civil registration, livelihood zoning para sa mga tindero, at murang koneksyon ng tubig. Mahalaga ang mga ito upang kilalanin ang identidad ng mga Sama-Bajau at tibuagin ang mga burukratikong hadlang sa lungsod.

Mga Susing Salita: Adaptibong Katatagan, Sama-Bajau, Sosyoekonomikong Marhinalisasyon, Karapatan sa mga Pampublikong Serbisyo

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Keywords

Marginality, Social--Philippines--Lucena City; Indigenous peoples-Philippines; Sama-Bajau--Philippines—Social conditions

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Embargo Period

4-21-2028

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Available for download on Friday, April 21, 2028

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