The Philippines is currently experiencing a political upheaval marred by massive corruption. Its former president, Rodrigo Duterte, is detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his “war on drugs” while he was mayor of Davao and president of the country between November 2011 and March 2019. Human rights organizations describe his leadership as a “human rights calamity” because it involved systematic widespread, extra judicial killings (EJKs) against suspected drug personalities with death toll estimates ranging from 12,000 to over 30,000.
Peace continues to be elusive in a country which 40 years ago toppled the Marcos dictatorship through a bloodless revolution known as the People Power Revolution. In 1986, the country became a global symbol of peaceful resistance when millions of Filipinos gathered along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue to nonviolently overthrow the 21-year dictatorship and restore democracy. Under President Cory Aquino’s revolutionary leadership, the 1987 Constitution formalized the country’s transition from dictatorship to democracy and institutionalized state policies that value the dignity of every human person and full respect for human rights. However, the country is once again under a Marcos Presidency after Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the former dictator, came to power in 2022.
How did the Philippines degenerate from a bastion of democracy into a country where its people suffer from systemic failure of its institutions and justice system? Why does genuine peace remain elusive for Filipinos?
In his speech at the High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (United Nations, 2014) stated that peace must “must be nurtured through the dignity, rights, and capacities of every man and woman.” In recent decades, a holistic understanding of peace has gone beyond the absence of physical violence and armed conflict. The paradigm of peace has shifted from signing treaty agreements to confronting structural and societal violence, manifested by systemic poverty, injustice, discriminatory practices, denial of human rights, and disregard for the sustainability of the environment.
Social workers in the Philippines have been at the forefront of government efforts to help the poorest segments of the country. They serve in a wide variety of settings in both the public and the non-profit sectors. Yet social workers continue to navigate through the tension between the two traditions: the focus on helping individuals adjust to their environment, and the emphasis on changing the environment. The emphasis on the former is aptly reflected by the way the government places importance in providing ayuda or financial aid to low-income and crisis-affected citizens. The cash programs only provide temporary relief to families and individuals in crisis, failing to address the root causes of poverty which is structural in nature.
It is crucial to revisit how principles of social justice and human rights are central in the Global Definition of Social Work, which states that the profession “promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people” (International Federation of Social Workers, 2014). The same statement reads, “principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work.” In addition, social workers are called to engage “people and structures” to enhance people’s wellbeing.
Recent developments demand “a holistic and pragmatic social work approach based on the principles of human rights and social justice that addresses poverty and socioeconomic inequalities at the individual, household, community, and policy levels” (James Midgley (ed.), 2010). By challenging structural inequality that manifests through poverty, inaccessible social services, and human rights abuses, social workers can contribute to the achievement of genuine peace. In general, however, peacebuilding remains an uncharted territory and is considered as “unconventional” practice for most social workers.
The Social Work Profession should reclaim its peacebuilding tradition exemplified during its foundational years. As an example, Josefa Llanes Escoda was a Filipino social worker who advocated for women’s rights and set up the Girl Scouts of the Philippines. During the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945, she organized a group of volunteers to ferry messages between war prisoners and their families, provide essential items to students stranded in Manila as well as to those imprisoned in camps, and organized community kitchens, among other initiatives (The Urban Roamer, 2021). As a result, Josefa was later executed by Japanese officials.
Social workers in the Philippines should strive to pursue pro-people development that places importance on the “marginalized”, the “little” people whom economic growth has bypassed. They include farmers robbed of their land, fisherfolks who have been neglected, indigenous peoples who have lost their cultural identity, and the forgotten families living in urban poor areas. Peacebuilding and pro-people development are interdependent concepts. One cannot be achieved without the other. In such a time as this, social workers have the potential to make a vital contribution in promoting genuine peace and development that enhance the well-being of all.
Keywords: Philippines, social work, peace, dictatorship, Duerte, Rodrigo Duerte, social worker, social workers, conflict, conflict resolution
