1. What is citizenship? How does it relate with ethics?

For me, citizenship is a sense of belongingness to a certain society. It differs from one
society to another. In each of those societies are sets of norms and rules that a person
has to follow to continue with his status of being a member of the society. Those norms
vary from one society to another. Cultures also vary from one society to another. Some
way of life may be the same for some societies while some are different. However, in
relation to ethics, all societies share the same concept of good and bad. They always
want their members to be well despite instances of bad things happening. In this way,
all societies share the same concept of good and bad and this is shown on how people
interact with one another. The way of interacting with one another is dictated by the
narratives that tell people how to behave within the society. Again, despite differences
in narratives for all the societies, they go back to the basic need which is seeking the
good for the betterment of all the members of the society.

2. What is your basic idea of globalization? How do you relate it with the notion of global
ethics?
At first, I understand globalization as being in other countries either by living or working.
When I read the material, I understood that these are not the criteria for one person to
be considered as global. Rather, it says that a person may not be in other countries to
be considered global. Instead, he should only study the different societies of the world.
He must understand how each society works and how people are behaving. He should
also understand the concept of the East and the West in relation to norms and cultures
of the people living in those sides of the world. He should also be able to attend to the
needs of others in his own ways especially those coming from other countries. He may
not leave his country to be considered as global. He can read articles about other places
and what’s happening there. Through it, he can see the differences and similarities
shared by all men thus allowing deeper appreciation. Through this, when he finally
succeeds in understanding how the world works and appreciating the value of every
person regardless of which society he belongs to, then he is exercising global ethics.
This is seeking the good for every individual.

3. What is your understanding of humanistic education?

Humanistic education teaches students to be humans. It teaches them to appreciate
every person in the world. It teaches them to respect cultural differences. It teaches
them to live harmoniously with others even if they belong to different societies. It
doesn’t have to be that a student should live with people in other places, you just have
to read and read about them. That way, you can understand them even better even if
they are far away. This can lead to better understanding of different cultures and how
they live and think. Their way of life can be compared to ours and see similarities and
differences. We can then evaluate why they live differently. We learn to respect those
differences. Through this, we can understand the world as a whole.

4. What are your insights about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Are the
principles stated in this document observed in the Philippines?

I believe that what is written in the universal Declaration are practiced in the Philippines.
The people are able to exercise the rights written in the document. The Filipinos are
exercising the right to education. This is from the preschool up to college. Almost every
province and even city has its own public college or university. Filipinos are also able to
exercise freedom of expression and peaceful gatherings. They are also able to participate in
government affairs such as elections. They are also able to choose their religion and place
of residence. Even those who are working have leaves with compensation and enjoy
holidays. They are free to join any cultural event.

However, there are some that are not quite followed. One of these is slavery. We hear from
the news that there are women who are traded as prostitutes especially here in the
Philippines. For me, prostitution is one form of slavery because they are forced to do things
unwillingly. They are made to stay in one place and are only allowed when they are going to
work. Another is about Article 8 of the document which says something about equal
protection before the law. In the country, this is not quite followed. This can be seen
through the treatment between the rich and the poor. If you are rich and famous, justice
usually favors you. You can pay for the best lawyer and can bribe some people. The process
can also speed up because you have the money. Rich people can even turn things around
and insist on their innocence. On the other hand, if you are poor, the process takes a very
long time and often the lawyers are not that enthusiastic in representing their clients.

In the end, the document safeguards the rights of every individual regardless of their
nationality, color, culture, and gender. There are some that are violated but many are
followed. The document tells us that we should respect every human being in order to have
a peaceful world where people are living harmoniously.

REQUIRED OUTPUT
Look for 2 news stories which could be past or current (one local and one foreign) which
illustrate any of the provisions of the UN universal Declaration of human rights. Then
answer the following questions:
1. Which provision on UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the story related to?
2. What aspect of this story draws your interest?
3. How does this story help you appreciate our common humanity?

Answers:
Question 1: Two stories: Civil war in Syria and Marawi Siege

The civil war in Syria began in 2011 and still continues today. One violation of the Universal
Declaration is towards human rights. Since 1963, people were not allowed to gather or
assemble if they number to more than five. Their freedom of expression was strictly
controlled. Also, innocent people were killed, their right to life, liberty, and security was not
followed. We also hear on the news about bombing people with gas and that can be
considered as torture or inhumane treatment.

The Marawi siege happened in May to October 2017. The Maute group took control of
Marawi in Mindanao as a proof of their allegiance to the ISIS. As a result, aside from
violence, residents were displaced. They had to evacuate to other places where they can be
safe away from the war. In interviews with several survivors, they were abused by their
kidnappers. War crimes were done such as sexual abuse. Some were made to dig holes for
the terrorist fighters and to use as escape routes, some were ordered to cook foods, and
some were forced to fight for the terrorists. Christians were brutally killed and tortured.
 In both stories, human lives were lost through war and violence. The rights of the
individuals were not protected especially their right to life, freedom, and security. No law
was present to protect them since terrorists and those doing the killings recognize no laws.
Lastly, both wars showed the world how persons were treated brutally and were subjected
to torture and inhumane treatment.

Question 2
I was drawn into how war and violence can easily violate human rights. We are human
beings exercising the rights to humanity. With violence, these rights can be easily violated
by both sides involved in the war. People always seek for power and in getting this, they kill
other people. Of course, many are against this, both those affected directly and indirectly.
As a response, the oppressors do things that are against basic human rights such as
physical and mental abuse. They force people into doing things against their will. They do
not recognize any laws anymore. I realized that war and violence do not end well, and no
one wins at the end. The ones caught in between are the most affected. The families are
separated leading to the destruction of the basic unit of the society. The family is the first
shelter of children and should be held intact. But with war and violence, the family gets torn
and this will surely have a grave effect on the future.
Those two wars have similarities of their own despite they occurred in different countries far
away from one another, but they produced the same results. War can happen anywhere,
anytime. It makes me scared to think that during these times, it can happen quickly.

Question 3
It’s basic that people have to live harmoniously with each other whether they live in one
society or they live in societies apart from each other. some people will always want more
than what they have and this leads to conflicts. Misunderstandings and refusal to recognize
the rights of others often lead to violence and eventually, war. With it, almost all human
rights as written in the Universal Code are violated. This ultimately shows that there are
people who are not respecting the Universal Code as they continue on killing those on the
other side. As a result, there are killings everywhere. Abuses are done to innocent people.
Rights to residences, property, and security are violated. Even the basic right to live is
violated. If only people of different beliefs and cultures sit down and talk, and negotiate,
they can solve conflicts peacefully. This move can even allow people of different countries
appreciate the others and will learn to respect them. War doesn’t solve anything.