Concepts, Role, and

Contributions of Civil
Society and Social
Movements to Philippine
Democracy
What defines a civil society?
• As of July 15, 2020, according to study.com, a civil society is
comprised of groups or organizations working in the interest of the
citizens but operating outside of the governmental and for-profit
sectors. They are known to champion issues of the marginalized
members of the society, such as issues on poverty, environmental
protection, human rights, labor rights. Organizations and institutions
that make up civil society include labor unions, non-profit
organizations, churches, and other service agencies that provide an
important service to society but generally ask for very little in return.
What defines a civil society?
• On a global scale, organizations from civil society play an incredibly
important role. In the consequences of a disaster and pandemic such
as the eruptions of Taal Volcano and COVID 19 group like the
Philippine Red Cross was instrumental in serving those affected and
helping them get back to normal. Philippine Red Cross has truly
become the premier humanitarian organization in the country,
committed to provide quality life-saving services that protect the life
and dignity especially of indigent Filipinos in vulnerable situations.
What defines a civil society?
• These groups are considered Non-Governmental Aid Organizations
(NGOs), which provide assistance to people for little or no fee. NGOs
fall into the category of civil society because they are not operated by
the government, are very often reliant on donations, and tend to be
comprised of volunteers.
What defines a civil society?
• Another example of civil society at work is civic groups, such as the
Rotary Club or Kiwanis. In the Philippines, these are groups that are
made up of people from the community who volunteer their time in
order to raise money for community projects or needs. Though these
groups tend to be much smaller than NGOs, they are important
because they represent the ordinary citizen contributing to the overall
well-being of their community.
What defines a civil society?
• In certain cases, your family could be considered a part of civic society
because they voluntarily contribute to your well-being and generally
ask for nothing in return. This, in-turn, might allow you to go out and
contribute elsewhere in the broader civil sector.
What defines a civil society?
• According to Khan et al. (2015) civil society organizations and social
movement play an essential role in democratizing politics and
governance and can provide both immediate relief and longer-term
transformative change by:
What defines a civil society?
➢ defending collective interests and increasing accountability;
➢ providing solidarity mechanisms;
➢ facilitate participation of the people in the policy-making and
execution process
of the government;
➢ key participant political force;
➢ role in enhancing democracy;
➢ important institutional vehicles; and
➢ directly engaging in service delivery and challenging prejudice.
What defines a social movement?
Philippine politics and the struggle for genuine social change are best
demonstrated through the country’s social movements. Social
movements have been making mark in our history since the colonial
period up to the present time.
As stated by Colas (2002), social movements are defined as a sustained
and purposeful collective mobilized by an identifiable, self-organized
group in confrontation with specific power structures and in the pursuit
of socioeconomic and political change. Many social scientists have
defined social movements in different context but all of them states that
social movements are groups meant to bring social change (Banga 2014).
What defines a social movement?
According to Blumer, social movements are collective enterprises to
establish a new order of life. Social movements are a collectivity which
acts with some continuity to promote or resist a change in the society
or group of which it is a part. Social movements are called “social”
because they intend to bring about change in the society and
“movement” because they have the capacity to mobilize or organize
people with common interest and goals. (Banga 2014)
What defines a social movement?
According to Phatharathananunt (2012) Social movements were
decisive forces in democratic breakthrough in the Philippines. Under
the dictatorial regime of Marcos, the following decades witnessed
What defines a social movement?
widespread human rights violations. Students, academics, journalists,
businessmen, laborers and peasants were arrested, tortured and killed. In
addition,
the regime also plundered the Philippines’s economy through the use of
various
kinds of corrupt practices The brutality of the regime drew strong
opposition from
variety social groups and movements, especially from the National
Democratic Front
(NDF).
What defines a social movement?
Opposition to the Marcos regime escalated after the killing of opposition
member Benigno Aquino in 1983. The opposition culminated in a massive popular
uprising widely known as EDSA 1 (after the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue or EDSA
where the majority of protests took place) that toppled the Marcos regime in February
1986. Ironically, it was moderate social movements and disaffected military officers,
that fought Marcos before martial law all the way up to the uprising and that,
through its leading role in “people power” brought back democratization to the
Philippines.
What defines a social movement?
A similar movement held on January 18, 2001 caused the dethronement of
former
President Joseph Ejercito Estrada in the event now known as EDSA People
Power II
wherein hundreds of thousands Filipinos poured into the EDSA shrine area.
When
the numbers of protesters reached a million the next day, the leadership of the
military and police withdrew their support from Estrada and expressed support
for
Arroyo. This act signaled the end of Estrada’s presidency.
What defines a social movement?
Because power resides with the people in a democratic government and the
citizens can directly or indirectly affect their government, social movements and
social organizations contribute to democracy by providing a venue where the citizens
can voice out their concerns to the government programs. Some organizations can
initiate programs that may help other people of the people. They can function as
watchers or observers of the government, calling the attention of both government
and the people to act. These actions may result in the change of leaders or even the
government.
What defines a social movement?