Children in Angeles City, Philippines

Upholding the Dangal (Dignity) of Biracial (Haphap) Children in Angeles City, Philippines by Maria Margarita R. Lavides Thesis submitted to the Auckland University of Technology in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy 15 January 2020 Supervisors: Associate Professor Camille Nakhid Associate Professor Rogelia Pe-Pua Professor Marilyn Waring Dr. Kirsten Hanna ii Abstract There is some literature on the situation of Filipino children relative to the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in the Philippines. However, there is a scarcity of research about the experiences of the Filipino haphap (biracial) children, particularly those living in Angeles City; as well as a lack of investigation on the concept of children’s dignity from an indigenous perspective. Addressing these gaps are imperative since the Philippines ratified the Convention in 1990, and considering that millions of Filipino children are in poverty. Hence, this study aimed to recommend child-centred policies that can be applied by the Angeles City Local Government so as to uphold the dignity of the Filipino biracial children. In the thesis, I consider the context of the study through a discussion of the Philippine society, culture, political system, colonial history, and geography. I highlighted the impact of colonisation on Filipino women and children, and provided details about Angeles City and the biracial children. I developed the theoretical framework of this study from an indigenous Filipino standpoint, and with a focus on the Filipino concept of dignity called dangal. I employed sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino psychology) as my epistemology, and used semi-structured interview, together with Filipino research methods in my fieldwork in Angeles City. In line with promoting their participation rights, I involved the biracial children in this study not only as participants but also as junior research associates (JRAs). During my fieldwork, I had a support team consisting of a research assistant, a recruitment facilitator, a translation consultant, and three JRAs. I conceptualised, collected, and analysed the data. I transcribed and coded the interviews I conducted with 10 biracial child participants, 10 parent participants, and 16 community participants (6 teachers, 5 government officials, 2 priests, a nun, a policewoman and an NGO worker). iii I analysed the interview data and the child participants’ drawings using thematic analysis. Themes that were related to children’s understanding of their dangal, as well as its enablers and barriers, emerged. The data analysis revealed that the child participants’ dangal had internal and external domains. While the external domain was reflected in functionality, the internal domain was promoted through pakikipagkapwa or treating others as kapwa (fellow human beings). The barriers to dangal included social prejudice, poverty, governmental inadequacy, and environmental disturbances. The research argues that the biracial children’s dangal can be upheld by establishing a functional environment, addressing social prejudice, and providing financial assistance as well as access to education. iv Attestation of Authorship I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person (except where explicitly defined in the acknowledgements), nor material which to a substantial extent has been submitted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institution of higher learning. Signed: Date: 15th of January 2020 v Related Research Outputs The following are research outputs relating to this study or literature review. Journal Publication Lavides, M., Waring, M., Hanna, K., & Nakhid, C. (2018). Haphap: A Filipina perspective on the biracial child’s dangal. JATI-Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 23(1), 191–214. https://doi.org/10.22452/jati.vol23no1.9 Conference Presentations Lavides, M. M. (2017). Haphap: A Filipina perspective on the biracial child’s dangal. Paper presented at the First International Conference on Multidisciplinary Filipino Studies, University of Hawaii in Hilo, Hawaii, USA, 27–28 October 2017. The paper received the Best Paper Award in the conference. Lavides, M. M. (2018). Dangal: A Filipino approach to study of human rights. Paper presented at the International Indigenous Research Conference, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, 13–16 November 2018. Lavides, M. M. (2019). Dangal: Understanding dignity from a Filipino child’s perspective. Paper presented at the 3rd International Conference on Multidisciplinary Filipino Studies, Cebu City, Philippines, 22–24 November 2019. vi Acknowledgements First and foremost, I thank the Lord for the strength, as well as the miracles, that brought me to the completion of my PhD journey. I thank the children and the adults who participated in this research. Thank you for sharing your stories, as well as for your trust and confidence in me as a researcher. I thank my parents, Andrea and Gilbert Lavides, for their sacrifices; my siblings Maria Carmen, Jonathan, Leslie, and Elenita, and my good friends Eloisa Erfe, Rose Leisi, Lolo Saulala, Amor Hirao, Stenly Hely Sajow, Ida Arr, and Fred Massera, for their support; and my nieces and nephews for their smiles. My family and friends have always been the source and enabler of my dangal (dignity) especially during the frustrating moments of this journey. I wish to express my gratitude to the government of New Zealand for the generous scholarship that funded my four-year PhD program. Thank you to the supportive NZAID staff at AUT, led by Sacha Pointon. I am deeply indebted to Professor Marilyn Waring for believing that I was capable of pursuing a doctoral degree, and to Dr. Kirsten Hanna for teaching me how to conduct research with children. Thank you so much, Marilyn and Kirsten! I am also grateful to Professor Waring’s potluck group for their support, particularly during the first half of my PhD journey. I wish to thank Agnes Espiritu, Jessica Brian Bacani, and Dr. Nestor De Guzman for their assistance in my preparation for data collection. I am also grateful to Angeles City’s former Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, the Board of Directors and staff of Pearl S. Buck Foundation–Philippines, Inc., the DepEd Division Office, and the members of Angeles City’s Local Council for the Protection of Children, for their support during my fieldwork. vii I am thankful to Associate Professor Rodney Jubilado and his team at the University of Hawai’i in Hilo for recognizing and paving the way for the publication of the first journal article that arose from this thesis. Thank you so much, Sir Rodney, for making me realise that I have a talent in research. My heartfelt gratitude also goes to Rangi Davis for being my “mother” in Whakaruruhau in Akoranga. Thank you so much, Rangi, for giving me a home in the North Shore. I thank the AUT staff, especially the librarians, led by Ann Chen, who worked hard to make the academic resources available for my research. I’m also thankful to the security personnel in the AUT South Campus led by Fred for their escorts that helped me take the bus home safely during late nights on campus. I wish to thank my MH206 whanau – Adrianne Taungapeau, Christianah Adesina, Chung Thi Nguyen, Daniel Dantzic, Edmond Fehoko, Ekta Dahiya, Hazel Abraham, Isaac Amoah, Jeanne Teisina, Jonathan Barrett, Katharine Hoskyn, Litiuingi Ahio, Lola He-polealis, Qorinah Estiningtyas, Reem Abbas, Shabnam Jalili-Moghaddam, Preet Kamal Kaur, Soana Muimuiheata, Tania Mullane, Vivienne Duffy, and Yuanyuan Shen, for giving me a “family” in New Zealand. Thank you so much for your friendship. I love and will miss all of you. I am also thankful to my mentors and friends who contributed to the development of my career, namely, Professor Jose Wendell Capili, Atty. Edmundo O. Reyes, Jr., Melissa Mercado-Gascon, Karen Reside, Sharon Fernandez, Atty. Virgilio de los Reyes, Professor Wu Xun, Janet Mintzer, Dr. Nestor Pilar, Byron Bicenio, Johanna Rendon, April Marino, Adela Marquez, Renalain Necosia Bagtasus, Mrs. Rosalind Wee, Dr. Lina Laigo, and Mrs. Myrna Yao. I am deeply indebted to Professor Elizabeth De Castro for orienting me on sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino psychology), and sharing with me her experiences as an viii indigenous researcher, as well as her thoughts on my research with biracial children. Maraming salamat po, Prof. Beth. (Thank you so much, Prof. Beth.) I’m most grateful to Associate Professor Camille Nakhid for accepting me to be her PhD student. Thank you so much, Camille, for your patience, and for not giving up on me. Finally, I offer my sincerest gratitude to Associate Professor Rogelia “Rogee” Pe- Pua for being my supervisor and mentor. Thank you so much, Ma’am Rogee, for being willing and available to supervise my thesis the second time I sought your help. I’m not sure if you remember, but your being busy with your new book made you decline my request the first time I (a stranger that time) sent you an email. Ma’am Rogee, your presence in the supervision team during the last stage of my thesis was a sign that the Lord loved me and wanted me to finish my thesis. I will never forget the constant exchange of emails about my thesis topic, and your unwavering encouragement that motivated me to see my PhD journey to completion. Maraming salamat po, Ma’am Rogee. Hindi ko po kayo malilimutan. (Thank

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