Chapter 5:

Civil Society and Non-Governmental

Organizations

Reporter:

ROSE J. SALINOG

LEO L. MORALES
Civil Society and Non-Governmental
Organizations
In classical usage, the term “civil society” according to
Thomas Carothers was equated with the word “state”, a
constitution-political body-that was created to protect the
people through the creation of an institution called, “the
government”. The meaning expanded of the concept of
“civil society” and eventually included the notion of
“individual liberty”, “social development”, and “economic
development”
 Civil Society
• “Civil society” as a concept can be defined in a number of ways but it has to be viewed in several
contexts in order to understand its actual meaning and purpose.
 According to Helmut K. Anheier (2004), Director of the Centre for Civil Society in London School of
Economics and Political Science, the term “civil society” can be defined as “ the sphere of institutions,
organizations, and individuals located among the family, the state, and the market, in which people
associate voluntary to advance common interests”.
 Ernest Gellner described “civil society” as “a set of institutions, which is strong enough to
counterbalance the state, and whilst not preventing the state from fulfilling its role of keeper of peace
and arbitrator between major interests, can nevertheless, prevent the state from dominating and
atomizing the rest of the society”.
 Jurgen Habermas defined “civil society” as an institution that is “made up of more or less
spontaneously created associations, organizations and movements, which find, take up, condense and
amplify the resonance of social problems in private life, and pass it on the political or public realm ”’
Civil Society and Good Governance
Good Governance
• The government can maximize its resources and improve its performance
• Brings the effective partnership among of the three institutions-government, civil
society, and business community
• Highlighted by the Center for Good Governance (CGG) which noted that the
“process of governance encompasses the political, social, and economic aspects
of life which have an impact on each individual, household, village, region, or the
nation”.
Civil Society
• Can perform the following tasks: citizenship development, policy
formulation and advocacy, watchdog role, welfare service delivery,
impact on electoral politics, and reform and social change
• Can increase awareness and consciousness of the public
• Also notable when it comes to influencing the process of
policymaking in the government
• Can also serve as watchdog in most activities of the government
• Important partner of public sector
• Take the role of leading process of social reforms and the
complementary social changes
 Characteristics of Civil Society
• Autonomy
Generally perceived as a common characteristic of all
groups of civil society. It is not an ordinary peculiarity but
the most important among all characteristics
• Volunteerism
Lies at the center of all non-governmental organizations.
Hardly a characteristic today but is a common attribute of
most non-governmental organizations whose objective is
to help the general public
• Plurality
Presupposes the idea that it can be deduced further into
separate entities or groups. Attribute of civil society
organizations “indicates not only the large number and types of
association and organizations occupying the sphere but also the
diversity of interests, objectives organizational forms, and
capacities”
• Trust and solidarity
Common attribute of social organizations whose connections lie
on the commonality of interest and objectives. As the
membership or numbers of these social organizations grow, the
chance of becoming more plural is always a big possibility
What Composes Civil Society?
• Several social organizations that together make up the “civil
society”. According to United Nations Development Program (as
cited in Mersha, 2009), these social organizations represent
several diverse yet conflicting social interests. The concept of
“good governance” reflects the recognition which the
government has imputed. “Good governance” sees public
management through a different perspective that considers the
business sector and civil society as key players in the society
• Most comprehensive classification of “civil society” has
provided by Bizusew Mersha (2009) in his study
entitled ,”Mapping of Civil Society Organizations on the
Ethiopian Side of Karamoja Cluster”. According to Mersha “civil
society” can be classified to four major groupings:
Formal and structured organizations

Interest group institutions

Grass root or community based organizations

Umbrella organizations and thematic networks

Civil Society in the Philippines
In one of the briefs of the Asian Development Bank (2007), it was noted that
some social organizations in the Philippines have been influenced by Filipino
values as “pakikipagkapwa”, “damayan”, “pagtutulungan” and “kawanggawa”
are all related to the provision of voluntary assistance or charity concepts and
dominates more the “civil society” in the country
Several developments have transpired among the members of the “civil society”
which centered mostly on the establishment of partnership between the
different social organizations such as Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform
and Rural Development (ANGOC), Caucus of Development NGO Networks
(CODE NGO), and Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare,
Incorporation (PNGOC)
In the Philippines, the two most common categories of “civil
society” are the non-governmental organizations and people’s
organization which were reported by the Asian Development
Bank (2007)
People’s organizations are composed of disadvantage and
under-privileged individuals. Commonly found at the grass root
levels and their members work with their organizations on a
voluntary basis
Non-governmental organizations are the intermediaries
between the government and people’s organizations, according
to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Their advocacy extends
even to non-members of the social organization and work for
the recognition of the plight of the under-privilege
Non-Governmental Organizations in the Philippines
• The term “non-governmental organizations” was first used by the United
Nations in 1953
• These are the non-state organizations which have been helping the
institution to fulfill its humanitarian works and missions
• According to Ma. Lourdes F. Melegrito and Diana J. Mendoza (1999), the
term “non-governmental organizations” suggests that they are not part of
the government or any of its instrumentality
• Considered as pillars that provide the necessary support to the poor and
other popular sectors in the country
Emerging Roles of Non-Governmental Organizations
According to Ma. Lourdes F. Melegrito and Diana J. Mendoza (1999), these are
the following roles taken by social organizations:
• Mediating structures in the society
Facilitate the communication between the conflicting interests in the
country
• Participants in the electoral arena
In the conference initiated by Philippine-Canada Human
ResourceDevelopment Program (PCHRD) together with Caucus for
Development for Non-Governmental Organizations (CODE-NGO), the
engagement were identified during elections and since then became a
primary objectives of social institutions
 Channels of influence through policy advocacy
Instrumentals in influencing the policy making process in the
country

 Partners in promoting better governance

Also been influential in upholding “good governance” in both
national and local government levels
Issues and Challenges Facing Non-
Governmental Organizations
These issues are the most pressing according to Dr. Alex B. Brillantes:
1. Participation issue
2. Autonomy and independence issue
3. Regulation by the government
4. Limited reach issue
5. Capability issue
6. Leftist label issue
THANK YOU!!!