THE CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE SITUATION

A. THE ECONOMIC SITUATION.

The number of malnourished children constantly increases and so has the number
of beggars, of the out of school youth, and of the illiterate. Unemployment and
underemployment are not effectively managed. Rural families move into squalid
squatter areas in the cities, especially Manila, with the hope of better fortune,
ending only in deeper misery. These are just some of the signs of the unhealthy
economic situation in the Philippines.
Some of the factors that contribute to such a situation are the following: unequal
ownership of assets, especially land, a power system in which only a few rule,
misconceived economic policies, the prevailing capitalist economic structure, and
population growth which tends to be concentrated among the poor.
Aggravating the imbalance between the rich and the poor is a system of taxation
that is biased in favor of the well-to-do. Cases of tax evasion among some of the
richer members of society involve large sums of money and such uncollected
amount hurts the economy. At the same time, the government social services in
health and housing hardly reach those who really need them most.
Our economic situation offers little or no hope. Parents are forced to abandon their
children to be employed abroad, without being aware of the social costs. Men are
unemployed and graduating in ABS alak, babae, and sugal. Women are forced by
poverty into the flesh trade. Child labor destroys the life of many young people who
are robbed of their childhood and the opportunity for good education that can help
improve their future.
B. The POLITICAL SITUATION.
1. Oligarchic Political Situation
In our country, power like wealth, is concentrated in the hands of a few influential
people in society (politicians, businessmen, and the military). For instance, the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law intended to diffuse land ownership is largely a
failure because some rich landowners, many of whom are the lawmakers
themselves, have many ways to circumvent the law. Many of us share the popular
belief that external force, such as those of multinationals and political super powers
support this power concentration and tend to preserve the oligarchic political
structures.
The power attributes in our country is maintained by our false belief that we are
"poor and powerless" Filipinos. This kind of thinking had been imposed on us by long
years of colonization. It did not die after the colonizers were gone because the elite
took over and continued to perpetuate among the masses this idea of the inferiority
of the poor and the uneducated. We mindset ourselves that we are small. So, to feel
secure, we believe that we need to have a relationship of dependence with some
bigger and more powerful individuals, who can give us jobs, money, some power

and/or prestige. But these bigger and more powerful individuals might also be the
clients of a still more powerful patron.
This upward orientation, with which we support the powerful few, prevents the
creation of real democratic organizations and parties, which could produce leaders
who are really concerned about the common good. Our organizations are weak,
since we are divided by ideological and personal rivalries. Failing to recognize
ourselves in a democratic way, we are subject to ideological and political
manipulation, from within and without our country.
Factional divisions explain our weak sense of common good. Political parties have
no coherent ideology that would transform the present situation. Parties follow
personalities in power, and during election time, we see the "balimbing" system at
work. Politicians switch to other parties because of the exigency of winning. There is
no consistent history of political parties helping the majority, who are poor. The poor
depend on politicians for money. Unscrupulous politicians take advantage of this
situation by buying votes. This puts pressure on politicians to strengthen their
financial capabilities in ways that are not legal or moral. Sometimes, they borrow
money at high interest rates or request for financial assistance from the rich. So
when politicians are elected into office, they can not afford introducing truly
transformative social content into their platforms. They have to support laws that
are advantageous to the rich, who financed their campaigns, using one or all of
these: goons, guns and gold. Our elections have, thus, become an expensive and
immoral process.

2. Elite Politics and Human Rights Violations

One of the problems we meet in the present Philippine situation is the systematic
violation of human rights with the poor and the powerless as victims. Many believe
that the roots of such violations can be traced to elite politics. Only a few control
political and economic power, ensuring the marginalization of the majority. Because
of the elite has control over the government, its members are able to legitimize the
protection of their own interests. In the process, they deny the rights of the poor,
whom they are meant to represent.

3. Some Ideologies at Work

Filipino politics have not been based on an ideological position or political platform
of a party. It has been a "person-oriented politics" in which people opted for their
patron or for a particular personality often chosen because of his or her image
projected by the media. Many of our leaders turn out to be defenders of their
powers and riches, "ang sariling bulsa". The existence of a particular ideological
position of the left of one inspired by Islam is rather an exception with this political
scene. We say a few things about them under three headings: non-violent political
options, the armed struggle of the left, and the Muslim rebellion.

a. The non-violent left is committed to a democratization of wealth and political

power, through the development of mass based organizations of peasants and
workers. They educate the poor and laborers to work through electoral pressure
tactics, such as labor strikes. They look to the future, towards worker managed
enterprises, under democratically elected governments in a multi-party system.
Many of the socially oriented Christian organizations and BECs are accused of being
leftist. They are indeed influenced by a "socialist" vision of society. Socialism has
been expressed in a plurality of political strategies and most of them can be easily
reconciled with Catholic social doctrine. Private property has social mortgage. This
principle, repeatedly formulated in recent Papal Encyclicals, support a mitigated
form of socialism. Some goods should not be owned by a private person, if they are
needed for the common good. Leftist Christian groups are very Catholic when they
integrate this principle into their social and political platform.
b. A non-violent right dominates the Philippine political scene. Rightist politicians
emphasize individual freedom and civil liberties. They also favor free enterprise as
the engine of economic development. They claim to protect freedom makes rightists
often the blind for the condition of the poor. An unabated liberal capitalism, in the
name of individual freedom, is the root cause of many social ills in the country.
c. We mostly identify the left with Communist Party of the Philippines, its New
People Army and the National Democratic Front. They are groups that adhere to
Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideologies and use armed struggle as their principal strategy
for gaining power. They envision a radical reorganization of society and ownership
of wealth, in a state of collectivism, in order to bring about, eventually, a classless
society. They profess a nationalist and anti-imperialist stance.
d. Although geographically less widespread, the Muslim National Liberation Front
(MNLF), Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)
continue to be a serious threat to peace and order in our country. Though these
groups claim to fight for better life for Muslims in the southern Philippines, some of
their members are actually engaged in criminal and terrorist activities. Part of the
reason for the rise of these groups is the widely held view that the government has
failed to deliver the basic services to the Muslim regions.

C. CHURCH AND POLITICS.

The Church is a powerful and influential institution. It relies on a huge network of
dioceses, parishes, universities, colleges, grade schools and high schools, radio
stations, publications, and so on. It manages several hospitals, social action centers,
publications, and lay organizations, on the parish, diocesan and national levels. As
such, it has enormous resources for an integral national development. These
resources can be used to work for justice and peace in society. Indeed, there are
many instances where we can see the church trying to serve in society. But the
same resources can also be misused. There are cases where Churches permit
themselves, wittingly or unwittingly, to be used by some powerful groups to thwart

the promotion of the common welfare.

The relationship between Church and politics is a thorny issue. There is no hard and
fast rule to determine the parameters of the church's involvement in political
activities. Yet, as Christians, the ultimate guiding principle for involvement is
whether what we do as a Church can give a chance of Jesus' compassion, especially
for the poor, to reign in society. If such does not happen, then our political
participation is a sham.

D. THE NEED FOR ON-GOING CONSCIENTIZATION.

We mentioned some structures in our society, which are in need of transformation.
But, transformation will only be effective, if we have a serious analysis of the
situation. Marxist social analysis looks at the society as rooted in the three
fundamental structures of feudalism, bureaucrat capitalism, and imperialism. It
makes us understand some tensions and inequalities in our society. But it would be
simplistic to explain the complex problems of our society with such analysis alone.
We need other forms of analysis.
Christian groups, inspired by Marxism, developed an analysis, which can lead to a
more nuance understanding of the dynamics, which move society. Following Karl
Marx, they see the economy as the factor, which makes history move. The
organizing of the economy mostly lead to a sharp division between those who
control the means of production and the workers, those who have to sell their labor.
More often than not, the owners of the economy grab political power and develop
an ideological vision, which justifies their position.
History comes to a standstill because its main actors, those in power, opt for a
status quo. Prophetic leaders, and also the Church, mainly positioned in the area of
a vision on society, can contribute to break this pattern of dominion in which a
privileged group of people, safely supported by political power, present themselves
as the saviors of the poor. These rich are in fact the cause why the history does not
move any longer. Their positions of power give only few opportunities to the
majority of the poor.
The relationship between economic, political, and ideological structures certainly
deserves an ongoing study. Ascribing the whole process of development to
economic relationships alone would be another simplistic solution. Yet, we better do
not underestimate the economic relationships in our society in trying to understand
its tensions and problems.
PCP II added an important perspective by pointing out the importance of a
historical-cultural analysis. In the introduction of the document, we are reminded
that we need to take note of the fact that even if we are one people and one nation,
we are still separated by our geography, cultural traditions, languages and ethnic
origins. History and cultural anthropology become mediating sciences in
understanding society.

E. LAITY'S INVOLVEMENT AND LEADERSHIP IN POLITICS.

Given the Philippine situation that politics has become an obstacle to integral
development, there is an urgent necessity for the lay faithful to participate more
actively, with singular competence and integrity in political affairs. The lay faithful
ought to provide the needed leadership in renewing politics in accordance with the
values of the Good News of Jesus. More particularly, their involvement in the
political life of the nation must be guided by the following:
1. That the basic standard for participation is the pursuit of the common good;
2. That participation be characterized by a defense and promotion of peace;
3 That participation be inspired and guided by the spirit of service;
4. That it may be imbued with a love of preference for the poor; and
5. That empowering people be carried out both as a process and as a goal of
political activity.
The overall value that must be infused into the political order has to be that of
solidarity, which expressing completely the commandment of love, urges the active
and responsible participation of all in public life, from individual citizens to various
groups, from labor groups to political parties. All of us, each and everyone, are the
goal of public life as well as its leading participants.
F. TOWARDS A NEW PARADIGM OF DEVELOPMENT.
We want a change in economic system. But to do so, we need a change of values.
During the past twenty years, it has become increasingly clear to us that alleconomic system need to be tested in terms of whether and to what extent they put
people at the center of the development process. Among the values and criteria
that we are increasingly accepting are the following:
1. Meeting basic human needs. Are the needs met equally?
2. Justice and participation. Is everybody involved in the process of decision making
and implementation?
3. Sustainability. Is the economic system ecologically and socially sustainable over
the generations?
4. Self-reliance. Does the economic system enable people to achieve a sense of
their own worth, freedom and capacity, rather than living completely vulnerable to
the decision of the others?
5. Universality. Do the economic system and the economic policies focus on the
above elements for the global human family, beyond national or regional political
boundaries?
6. Peace. Does the economic system promote peace that is built on justice.
G. CONCLUSION.
The problems of our society are complex and interdependent. Christian service, to
solve the problem in justice and love, can never be achieved on one's own. We need
to approach them with the moral and social virtue of solidarity. Pope John Paul II has
been called the Pope of solidarity because of this emphasis on the vision that

development can only be integral if it serves the good of the whole community and
of all its members.
Solidarity, in this context, means more than just a spirit of camaraderie, or a vague
feeling of compassion or goodwill. Rather, it stands for a firm and persevering
determination to commit oneself to the common good, i.e. to the good of all and
each of the individuals because we are really responsible for all.
In this juncture, we had a look at the contemporary socio-economic and political
situation and realized that our society is in need of transformation. We reflected on
the value of an ongoing Christian conscientization. We traced the root of our
problems as a nation to sin not just the sin of individuals, but also social sin. Social
sins bring about sinful social structures that through time become accepted or
institutionalized.
We then introduced some key points of the social doctrine or teaching of the Church
and presented them as a Christian vision for transforming our society. PCP II
presents a vision of a people and a nation renewed. We realized that the only way to
be able to move towards such a vision is to adopt a spirituality of social
transformation that is rooted in our faith in Jesus of Nazareth, as a community of
disciples. The Filipino laity have to be encouraged to participate more actively in
social and political life in order to evangelize politics and politicians.