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AN Assessment of the Duterte Administration THROUGH the Lens of Catholic Social Principles
May - August 2020
Almost 8 out of 10 Filipinos believe that their quality of life became worse compared to a year ago. More than 27 million workers found themselves without a job, the highest in the last 12 years. The economy has fallen into a recession for the first time in almost 30 years. Parents and children still do not know if going to school will be safe, if ever they will be able to. Day by day, the capacity of the healthcare workers continues to wear thin as they keep up with the battle against COVID-19 that has infected more than 200,000 people, of which almost 70,000 are still struggling with the disease.
How is the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte rising to these challenges? As he enters the penultimate year of his presidency and with the coronavirus pandemic continuing to affect nearly every facet of life of Filipinos, what are the government’s priorities and where could these bring us as a nation? A quick review of the key decisions made and actions taken by the government in the last four months on select issues—which this edition of the Lights and Shadows offers—may provide us indications of areas for hope (the “lights”) and areas for concern (the “shadows”).
Consistent with our mission of catalyzing discussion and discernment that are based on evidence and ethical principles, we at the John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues (JJCICSI) frame the analysis using the principles of Catholic social teaching (CST). We also include in this edition a guide for prayerful reflection at the end of each assessment in hopes that our readers will be moved to respond with love to the challenges that confront our people.
THE THEMES
THE THEMES
ASSESSING PUBLIC POLICY AND PROGRAMS USING THE PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING
ASSESSING PUBLIC POLICY AND PROGRAMS USING THE PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING
Public policy and government programs must promote development that not only fulfils the material needs of citizens, but also affirms human dignity and freedom, integrity in governance, national sovereignty, and the spiritual dimension of human beings.
Public policy and government programs must reflect the conviction that all the goods of the earth are intended to fulfill the needs of all and to be shared fairly by all. It must recognize that private property has a social dimension, and that the rights of private ownership are limited by the urgent basic needs of others for food, safe and decent housing, and livelihood.
Public policy and government programs must correct historical injustice to groups of the marginalized and must promote equality, within the context of love for one’s fellow human beings.
Public policy and government programs must be oriented toward meeting the needs of the most vulnerable and marginalized in society.
Public policy and government programs must affirm human labor as the most important element of production, establish fair compensation that allows workers to raise families within a decent standard of living, protect the rights of workers to self-organization, and create opportunities for employment and livelihood with dignity.
Public policy and government programs must promote peace not as the suppression of conflict, but as the result of constructive dialogue and holistic solutions which treat conflicting parties as human beings and address the root causes of conflict.
Public policy and government programs must safeguard and conserve natural resources and promote production that does not destroy the environment.
Public policy and government programs must enable people to become “active and responsible subjects of social life,” institutionalizing mechanisms for meaningful participation at all levels of governance and protecting the civil rights and freedoms which allow such participation. Public policy and government programs must nurture the development of strong civil society organizations and institutions and protect the autonomy of civil society from the state, recognizing the principle of subsidiarity which requires that decisions be made as much as possible at the level closest to the people.
For comments, suggestions, and feedback, write us as jjcicsi@gmail.com, message us on Facebook at facebook.com/JJCICSI, or leave your message at the end of each assessment.
For comments, suggestions, and feedback, write us as jjcicsi@gmail.com, message us on Facebook at facebook.com/JJCICSI, or leave your message at the end of each assessment.
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