The Philippines is not yet a nation. It is a nation in progress. in progress = in evolution Independent barangays Independent towns Nation of regions or ethnic groups Nation of citizens Can we assign dates to the stages of our social evolution? Independent barangays: before 1580 Independent towns: 1580 up Ethnic groups or regions: 1896 Nation: 1896 or 1898 or 1946 Signs that we were not yet a national community at the end of the 19th century • Only Tagalogs and Pampangos revolted in 1896 • The 1898 Revolution occurred mainly in Luzon and only in some Visayan towns Filipino communities abroad show how social change continued in the 20th century to the level of the ethnic group or region. Nationhood in 1898 was a project, not yet a reality The state is a legal entity. The nation is a community (bayan). The Community • sharing in common duties • dialogue • shared life A special project • Not just a nation of one people who spoke the same language • But a nation of various peoples who spoke different languages: a nation of nations • For the Tagalog-Pampango project to take off, it would have to be accepted by all the ethnic groups in the Philippines • The earliest we know this happened was 1935 A crucial period in Philippine history: First third of twentieth century The conditions for a nation inhabiting the Philippine Archipelago are complete (a) All Philippine communities conquered by Americans (b) The political structure of a Philippine state set up (c) Infrastructure of a national community in place: communications, roads, transportation (d) Lingua franca Social evolution is proceeding within the framework of the state at different speeds in different parts of the country. • Part of the Filipino-American strategy to bring about the nation was to make the younger generation believe through education that the nation was already there. • We have ended up believing our “fiction.” • This has bred frustration and induced migration. How do we develop a nationalistic culture? Ideabehaviorhabitcustominstitution idea = education institution = laws we have yet to develop behavior, habit, and custom Aggravating Factor • New multi-ethnic communities in the 20th century have a diminished sense of community. • The fallback is the family. • The present challenge is to develop a multi-ethnic urban culture. How would we know that we have reached the fourth stage of our social evolution? • Not easy: at what point do we say we have reached the tipping point? • Besides, we are talking of the motivations and intentions of a person’s actions • But clear in moments of crisis • If we listen to Rizal, the health of our economic life, if this benefits everyone, is an indicator of whether we have reached the fourth stage or not For Rizal what we call the Stage of Nationhood was the Stage of Unity • Rizal saw the tendency to act for family or community without regard for the good of the country as a whole • Rizal saw factiousness • Economic activity calls for the cooperation of people from different parts of the country and different sectors of society • Work can bring about unity Reasons to hope for greater speed and intensity today • Mass media • Increased interaction • Lessons learned from other nations’ experience A lesson from history To jump to the last stage of social evolution at least a high school education is necessary The stages of our social evolution chart the evolution of our understanding of the common good Implications for Filipino citizenship • Our citizenship is focused not on what we are but on what we want to become • We cannot blame people who wish to migrate • It attempts to win others to the dream of nationhood • It tries to help others go beyond their relatively narrow application of the common good • This citizenship is dynamic: its demands change as society changes The Philippines is not yet a civil society. It is a civil society in progress. Filipino society as first envisioned by Rizal, Jacinto, and Mabini a society with civil rights and civic freedoms Gap recognized between vision and reality of Filipino society noted by • Rizal: last chapter of El Filibusterismo • Jacinto: Cartilla • Mabini: El verdadero decálogo The Philippines at the end of the 19th century A collection of autonomous towns under a single ruler: the Captain General Aguinaldo = new Captain General Vertical loyalty ( = traditional society) But no horizontal loyalties ( = civil society) Traditional society Datu and maginoos Timawa Aliping namamahay Aliping sa gigilid Hindi pantay-pantay ang tao Society is held together by vertical loyalties Modern version of traditional society In town: Mayor + rich families Goons Workers Domestic help Civil society Pantay-pantay ang tao ANG LAHAT AY MGA MAMAMAYAN Society is held together by horizontal loyalties Seed: THE EDUCATED CLASS We ignored the gap The middle class collaborated with the ruling class in concentrating on the campaign for independence. The ruling class established a feudal nation which the middle class supported or tolerated. Politics as compromise. result combination of traditional society and civil society CIVIL SOCIETY aka “DEMOCRACY” = SHELL TRADITIONAL SOCIETY = SUBSTANCE Since 1983 Movement for democracy IMPORTANT EVENTS: EDSA 1 AND 2 Their failure to change Philippine society informs us that hope for change is not in changing national leadership. Lessons of the middle class • You cannot tolerate trapo culture • You cannot get rid of trapo culture by addressing the maginoo alone or the alipin alone: you must address both • Today you can no longer bully the D-E crowd • The D-E crowd must be raised to B-C levels The biggest obstacle to the attainment of a civil society is the alipin mentality among the poor and the maginoo mentality among the rich and powerful. Alipin mentality = dependency Maginoo mentality = privileges OUR PROBLEM TODAY Dependency ⇨lack of initiative ⇨ laziness poverty Privileges ⇨ exemption from the law ⇨ exemption from ethics corruption Not alipin mentality alone Nor maginoo mentality alone but maginoo-alipin mentality in all individuals solution Not in change of social structures But in change of minds and hearts pagbabago ng isipan Rizal’s, Jacinto’s, and Mabini’s solution What is at issue Sensitivity to Human Dignity We must develop a civic education appropriate to our community. We cannot expect a culture to change overnight. Persuade people to do, first, what is good; then, what is pleasing; and finally, what is perfect. Radical change in three contexts • The family New persons • The school New ideas • The business corporation New social relationships In close mutual cooperation.