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Pinas Soc-Cultural Situation PDF
Pinas Soc-Cultural Situation PDF
The situation of the Philippines is not too different from that of other countries in
Southeast Asia. It is confronted by many socio-cultural challenges, such as rapid
population growth, poverty, ethnic and religious conflicts, and other social problems.
2. Product of History
The distinction between the “ethnic majority” and the “ethnic minority” is a product of
the Philippines’ colonial past. Those groups that have been colonized by Spain and have
been converted into Roman Catholicism became what is now known as the “ethnic
majority”. On the other hand, those that have continued the practices of their ancestors
became labeled as “minorities” and “indigenous peoples”.
While it is true that they indeed make up the majority of the population in terms of
number, the concept of being the “majority” is also a political construct. These Christian
(dominantly Catholic) groups have more political power than others because they have
embraced the laws and the life-ways of the colonizers. Eventually, they inherited the
Philippine State and perpetuated the laws and practices of their previous colonial masters (i.e.
Spain and, eventually, the US). It is not surprising then when one hears of criticisms from
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Visayas or Mindanao against what they call as “Manila imperialism”.
3. Armed Conflict
Armed separatist movements are still found in Mindanao although the strength of these
groups has weakened in recent years. Originally, the Moro National Liberation Front
(MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) advocated for an independent
Bangsamoro Republik and pressed their political agenda through armed means. Both
groups now officially announce that they are amenable to political and cultural autonomy
within the context of the Philippine State. However, there are splinter groups of the MNLF
and the MILF that still engage in armed hostilities with the Philippine military.
To complicate matters is the persistence of an armed Maoist guerilla movement,
especially in remote rural areas. This movement is led by the Communist Party of the
Philippines and its military arm – the New People’s Army (NPA). The CPP-NPA is waging
a “protracted people’s war” since 1969. It is perhaps the only remaining Maoist armed
group in the world, after the collapse of the Sendero Luminoso in Peru and the shift to
parliamentary struggle of Maoists in Nepal.
Both Muslim separatism and the Maoist insurgency grew in strength during the period of
Marcos dictatorship. Poverty and human rights abuses have contributed to the popularity
of the revolutionary agenda. Both groups eventually weakened with the peaceful
overthrow of President Ferdinand Marcos in February 1986 and the restoration of
democratic institutions thereafter.
However, the transition to democracy was marked by armed challenges as well coming
from disgruntled military men who waged several coup attempts against the government of
President Corazon Aquino. All of these coup attempts have been quelled but this
eventually led to a strong political influence on the government by military generals. Up to
the present, the Philippine State remains as a weak state that is constantly faced with
political instability.
5. Filipino Diaspora
To escape the lack of economic opportunities in the country, many Filipinos have gone
abroad in search of greener pastures. Many of them have moved to different parts of the
world to work as overseas contract workers. As of 2004, there are 3.6 million Filipinos
who are working abroad as contract workers. Most of them are working as industrial and
service workers in the Middle East. The rest are working as domestic helpers in Hong
Kong, English teachers in the Spanish-speaking regions of the US, nurses in Great Britain,
NGO workers in Cambodia, entertainers in Japan, and Catholic missionaries in Africa,
among others. If one were to add the number of Filipinos who have permanently
migrated to another country, such as in the United States, the number of overseas Filipinos
would reach eight million.
Unlike their Asian brothers, however, Filipinos do not generally bring with them their
culture to a foreign setting. They do not establish Filipino towns similar to those of a
Chinatown. On the contrary, many of them adopt the culture of the host country. Many
of migrant parents discourage their children from speaking their native tongue with the
belief that they could not easily adjust in their new setting if they continue to cling to
Filipino language and identity. Thus, the problem of culture loss is very strong among
Filipino migrant communities.
Moreover, when these overseas Filipinos go back to the Philippines, they carry with them
the culture that they have learned abroad. For example, Filipinos who have worked in Italy
would create “Italian towns” (i.e. houses made of Italian architecture) in rural communities
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in the Philippines. Because of domestic poverty and political instability, many Filipinos
become ashamed of being Filipinos and tend to think that the culture of foreigners is more
superior to their own culture.
Notes
1) Opening Address for the International Conference on Social Environment in Contemporary East
Asia in the Age of Globalization: International and Interdisciplinary Studies on Ageing, Agriculture
and Multicultural Situations, 21-22 February 2011, Nagoya, Japan.
2) Secretary General, International Federation of Social Science Organizations (IFSSO), Quezon City,
Philippines.
Bibliography
Abe Jun’ichiro (2010) Japanese Nation-Building and the Formation of Ethnic/Racial Studies in
Imperial Era from the Perspectives of “Human Mobility/Displacement”: On the exposition projects
and the tourism policies in Japan and Taiwan, Nagoya University [doctoral thesis].
Alegre, Edilberto N., 1993, Pinoy Forever: Essays on Culture and Language. Quezon City: Anvil.
Azurin, Arnold Molina, 1993, Reinventing the Filipino: Sense of Being and Becoming. Quezon City:
CSSP Publications and UP Press.
Covar, Prospero R., 1998, Larangan: Seminal Essays on Philippine Culture. Manila: NCCA.
Enriquez, Virgilio G., 1994, Pagbabangong-dangal: Indigenous Psychology and Cultural Empowerment.
Quezon City: Akademya ng Kultura at Sikolohiyang Pilipino.
Jocano, F. Landa, 1998a, Filipino Indigenous Ethnic Communities: Patterns, Variations, and
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