Instructional Guide for Teachers

Understanding Culture, Society & Politics

Module 17: Engaged Citizenship, Volunteerism, and Activism

Author: Dennis Quilala
More modules at https://sibika.ph/

There is some confusion about the roles of individuals, particularly of citizens, in politics. For example, in 2018,
Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde issued a statement addressed to students of a
state university for criticizing the government. He argued that students who are given free education by the
government should not criticize the government. The statement was made at a time when student activists were
linked to leftist groups that were considered terrorists by the government. On the one hand, it seems that for the
PNP Chief, citizens were seen as mere recipients of government services. Moreover, resources used by the
government to fund these services seemed to be generated by the government itself. The PNP Chief also
argued that citizens, as recipients of government services, do not have the right to criticize the government. On
the other hand, the PNP Chief seems to have attacked student activism. Student activism in the Philippines
played a significant role against martial law. This module will look into the roles of individuals in politics as
engaged citizens, volunteers, and as activists.

| Most Essential Learning Competencies

● Suggest ways to address social inequalities (local, national, and global); and
● Examine human responses to emerging challenges in contemporary societies.

| Content Standards | Performance Standards

By the end of this module, learners are expected to
demonstrate an understanding of:
● How individuals should behave as part of a
political community; and
● The agents/institutions, processes, and
outcomes of cultural, political, and social
change.
By the end of this module, learners are expected to:
● Identify one's role in social groups and
institutions;
● Recognize other forms of economic transaction
such as sharing, gift exchange, and
redistribution in his/her own society;
● Evaluates factors causing social, political, and
cultural change; and
● Advocate how human societies should adapt to
such changes.

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 Instructional Guide for Teachers
Module 17: Engaged Citizenship, Volunteerism, and Activism

| Self-evaluation Form (Part I)

What comes to your mind when you hear or read the words ‘engaged citizenship’, ‘volunteerism’, and ‘activism’?
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Lesson 1: Citizens and Citizenship

| Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the student must be able to:

● Identify the essential elements of democracy and citizenship;

● Define volunteerism and activism;
● Explain how the youth can become responsible citizens; and
● Discuss examples of how volunteerism and activism are beneficial to the community and to nation
building.

| Key Concepts

● Citizen - an individual given legal rights in a state.

● Citizenship - membership of a citizen with relation to a state.
● Thin democratic model - designates minimum role of citizen as inclusion in politics through voting,
supporting campaigns, etc.
● Deliberative democracy - defines the role of citizens as more engaged in public affairs, such as influencing
policy making.
● Cosmopolitan Democracy - espouses the broadening of perspectives beyond geographic boundaries, as
long as these are significant issues concerning democracy.
● Difference Democracy - encourages minorities and individuals to have their own perspectives.

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 Instructional Guide for Teachers
Module 17: Engaged Citizenship, Volunteerism, and Activism

● Volunteerism - the use of unpaid services to help others.

● Activism - political actions that seek change.
● Clicktivism - focuses on social media as a way to forward social awareness.
● Hacktivism - focuses on technology to pursue and attain political agenda and social change.

| Study Questions

● What are the different conceptions of democratic citizens?

● What are the ways that citizens can participate in politics and contribute to society?
● What are the different types of volunteering?

| Citizenship and Democracy

Section 1, Article IV of the 1987 Philippine Constitution identifies who Filipino citizens are.

The following are citizens of the Philippines:

(1) Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this Constitution;
(2) Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines;
(3) Those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the
age of majority; and
(4) Those who are naturalized in accordance with law.

The legal definition of a Filipino citizen is an example of a citizen within a “thin” model of democracy. However,
since there are different models of democracy, there are also different types of citizens.

| Citizens are made not born

Saward (2006) argued that citizens are made, not born. He posits that the kind of democracy would determine the
kind of citizens that a democracy would have. A thin model of democracy, for example, would have citizens
that are defined legally, and their roles are limited to activities like participating during elections. Their
inclusion in politics is guaranteed. In this kind of democracy, you would have a constitution that protects human
rights, promotes rule of law, and where representation is based on regular elections. Citizens can be defined as
those individuals who have legal rights in the state.

In the Philippines, this is true to a certain extent. Filipino citizens are defined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
The legal rights of Filipino citizens are protected and those of age can participate as voters and may
qualify as candidates during elections. Saward (2006) is describing a citizen as a person that is provided
minimum roles in politics as compared to other types of democracies. It can be argued that this minimum
definition of citizen could also be found in non-democracies. The rights and levels of participation in politics of
these citizens may be more limited than a “thin” conception of citizens in a democracy.

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Module 17: Engaged Citizenship, Volunteerism, and Activism

There is also deliberative democracy. In a deliberative democracy, continuous dialogues are expected, and
decision-making is shared between elected officials and the citizens. According to Saward, they are also expected
to reason and reflect together. Deliberative democracy citizens do not just elect public officials during
regular elections. They have more roles as they continue to engage their public officials. Elections are supposed
to make public officials accountable, but in a deliberative democracy, even in between elections, citizens are
keeping their public officials on their toes. They can request a meeting to discuss issues. They can write a letter to
their legislative representatives and inform them of their opinion regarding how they voted on a bill.

It is interesting that in the Philippines, there is an institutional mechanism where citizens can dialogue with their
public officials in between elections. The Local Government Code of 1991 and Proclamation No. 599, series of
2018 require barangays to hold assemblies twice a year. These assemblies should be held on any Saturday or
Sunday of March and October. In these assemblies, barangay officials meet the citizens who live in the barangay.
Citizens who are 15 years and older can join the assemblies. Barangay officials are supposed to present what
they have done and what they plan to do using the funds allotted to the barangay. Citizens can discuss with the
barangay officials in this forum. They can inform them of their needs. They can provide feedback on the projects
that they have led. These could be used by public officials in making decisions.

While the thin democratic model of citizen ensures inclusion, the deliberative democracy citizen is a more
engaged citizen. In the case of the Philippines barangays, the institutions facilitate this engagement; but even
without these institutions, citizens could still engage public officials in various ways.

Saward (2006) identified two other democracies that have implications on citizenship: difference democracy and
cosmopolitan democracy.

Difference democracy, according to Saward, is a democracy where differences are celebrated. Differences in
opinions, differences in visions, and differences in plans in achieving visions are normal in political life. Unlike in
deliberative democracy where consensus or agreed-upon decisions are supposed to be achieved, for
difference democracy, leaving different perspectives where they are is not an issue. The majority can make
decisions without making the minority agree. In this type of democracy, citizens are encouraged to have their
own perspectives. They do not necessarily have to conform to the majority. They can form small groups that
share their ideas. These ideas and perspectives are asserted and protected by citizens. Moreover, difference
democracy encourages democracy not only in politics but in various other spheres. Democracy should be
observed in the homes, in schools, in churches, and other social institutions.

Cosmopolitan democracy builds on other democracies, but its concern is not limited to one geographical
area. Its concerns are concerns of humanity as a whole. Issues that cosmopolitan democracy citizens are
interested in would include wars on the other side of the world, climate change that affects everyone on the
planet, and refugees and migrants who need governments to provide them help. Citizens in this democracy have
perspectives that are not limited to the states that provide them legal rights. They are also concerned about
global issues and people outside of the jurisdiction of their own states.

Citizens at a minimum are individuals that have legal rights in a state. In democracies, citizens would have
rights to participate in meaningful elections and other political activities. However, the expanding notions
of democracies, deliberative democracy, difference democracy, and cosmopolitan democracy, also

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Module 17: Engaged Citizenship, Volunteerism, and Activism

expand the notions of citizenship. There are more expectations for citizens with democracies that go beyond
the minimal or thin notion of democracy.

| Sub-Lesson 1: Volunteerism and Activism

There are specific ways that citizens participate in the life of society: through activism and through
volunteerism. Activism consists of political actions that seek change in society. These can take various
forms, which include some of the activities that citizens are supposed to do in a democracy. This may include
writing letters to their government officials asking for change in policy or in how certain activities are being
conducted. It can also be by joining various civil society groups that have the same interests as the individual.

According to Jordan (2004, p.9), activists provide society with “new definitions of the good life and society.”
Labour groups, for example, have ensured ample rest for workers by limiting work to 40 hours per week. The
activism of labour groups does not end there. Now, parental leaves are no longer limited to mothers who have
given birth, but to fathers who also want to share in the rearing of children in the early days of the baby. Moreover,
active groups from different sectors across the Philippines have conducted demonstrations and public protests in
response to anti-people policies. For example, mass organizations, human right groups and youth networks
support the Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya, which is an avenue for national minorities to demand for their
“right to self-determination and just peace” (Villanueva, 2017). These not only call for accountability from the
government, but these also show solidarity among sectors towards national development.
Jordan (2004) talked about the normalcy of organic eggs, which was a product of the activism of
environmentalists and animal rights advocates. Activists have a vision of a good life and society that they want to
be enjoyed by people.

Student activism in the Philippines during the Martial Law period demanded for more freedoms and the
protection of human rights. This continues today as students who are nurtured in universities with new ideas
and armed with new skills want to use these in effecting change in Philippine society. The internet has provided
students, young people, and citizens in general with a new way to demand change. Clicktivism and hacktivism
are more common. Clicktivism is “the use of the internet and social media to advance social causes” and
Hacktivism “uses technology to promote a political agenda or a social change” and uses “hacker culture and
hacker ethics…often related to the free speech, human rights, or freedom of information movements” (Haley,
2020). This new type of activism can be in the form of online petitions or hacking into government websites.

Citizens can also volunteer their time. There are different types of volunteerism (Rochester et al., 2010), (i.e.
the use of unpaid services to help others), informal volunteering and formal volunteering. Informal
volunteering is when individuals who are not paid help others who are not related to them. Formal volunteering
is when one joins groups without getting paid and helps others or society. There are different motivations behind
volunteering which can include altruism, mutual aid, and even because it helps one improve one’s skills.

In the Philippines, the National Service Training Program Law requires tertiary students to undergo a training
program in citizenship, environmental protection, disaster risk reduction, etc., in order to prepare them to become
part of the National Service Reserve Corps or the Citizen Armed Force. Part of the training program is to
provide the students an opportunity to volunteer or at least learn what volunteerism is. While in itself, the program
is mandatory and a requirement for graduation, its main goal is to give students a taste of providing some of their
time to help other people.
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 Instructional Guide for Teachers
Module 17: Engaged Citizenship, Volunteerism, and Activism

| Synchronous Activities

Activity: Needs Assessment

Instructions. Divide the class into two groups. Ask each group to discuss the needs of the community
where the school is located.

Step 1. Ask the students to write down these needs.

Step 2. Ask a representative from each group to present the needs they have identified in class.
Step 3. After the two presentations, were there identified needs of the community that were common to the
two presentations?
Step 4. Ask the students what the class can do regarding the needs of the community.

| Asynchronous Activities

Activity: Class Petition

Instructions. Ask the students to draft a letter addressed to a government official who can address the
need/s of the community.
It is important that the teacher guides the students with regard to identifying the government agency and
the government official who can address the problem. Does the identified need/s require legislation? Does
it require action by the governor/mayor/barangay official?

Step 1. When the class has identified the agency and the government official, the students will draft the
letter and ask students and other stakeholders of the community to sign a petition.
Step 2. The letter and the petition should need to be sent to the proper government agency and
government official.

| Self-Paced Learning Activities (Optional)

Activity: Volunteer Presentation Day

Instructions. Ask the students to reflect on a social, political, economic issue that they are most interested
in. Give them time to research the issue.

Step 1. Ask them to identify a group that addresses that issue.

Step 2. Ask them to think about how they can contribute to the group that addresses that issue.
Step 3. Ask each of them to provide a five-minute presentation in class about the issue, the group, and
how they can help that group address the issue.

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 Instructional Guide for Teachers
Module 17: Engaged Citizenship, Volunteerism, and Activism

| Self-Evaluation Form (Part 2)

Answer the following questions.

1. Compare and contrast engaged citizenship, volunteerism, and activism through the Venn diagram below.

2. How will you apply the knowledge you have learned on engaged citizenship, volunteerism, and activism in
improving Philippine society?
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________________________________________________________________________________________
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 Instructional Guide for Teachers
Module 17: Engaged Citizenship, Volunteerism, and Activism

| Rubric for Discussions

Excellent Above Average Developing Needs Improvement

Content:
The central
theme/idea/argument
of the student’s
output is focused and
supported by
evidence which
indicates mastery of
the content.

Organization:
The flow of the
discussion of the
central
theme/idea/theme is
coherent.

Presentation:
The form and
presentation of the
central theme/idea
is clear, persuasive,
polite, and easy to
understand.

| Rubric for Written Outputs

Excellent Above Average Developing Needs Improvement

Content:
The central
theme/idea of the
paper is focused and
supported by
evidence which
indicates mastery of
the content.

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 Instructional Guide for Teachers
Module 17: Engaged Citizenship, Volunteerism, and Activism

Organization:
The flow of the
discussion of the
central theme/idea
is coherent.

Presentation:
The form and
presentation of the
central theme/idea
is clear and easy to
understand..

| Learning Material

Useful Government links:

THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES. Official Gazette of the Philippines.
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/1991/10oct/19911010-RA-7160-CCA.pdf

Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines

House of Representatives. Congress.gov.ph. https://www.congress.gov.ph/

Senate of the Philippines. Senate.gov.ph. https://www.senate.gov.ph/

iVolunteer Philippines - | Filipino Volunteers. i Volunteer Philippines. https://www.ivolunteer.com.ph/

Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency - Build Hope, Change Lives: Volunteer!.
PNVSCA Website. https://www.pnvsca.gov.ph/

University of The Philippines Ugnayan ng Pahinungód. Ugnayan ng Pahinungód Facebook Page.

https://www.facebook.com/UgnayanNgPahinungodSystem/.

| References

Healey, J. (2020), Activism and Protest.

Jordan, T. (2004). Activism: Direct Action, Hacktivism and the Future of Society.
Rochester, C. et al. (2010). Volunteering and Society in the 21st Century.
SAMONTE, Q. S. (1970). Student Activism and National Development: The Philippine Setting. The

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Module 17: Engaged Citizenship, Volunteerism, and Activism

Journal of Educational Thought (JET) / Revue de La Pensée Éducative, 4(3), 161–173.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/23768353
Saward, M. (2006). “Democracy and Citizenship: Expanding Horizons” in Oxford Handbook of Political
Theory.
Villanueva, P. (2017). Following the Lumad, from Bukidnon to Manila. CNN Philippines.
https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/09/07/lumad-lakbayan-2017.html

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