Angeles, Ronante
by Ronante M. Angeles
Introduction
This paper is an attempt to contribute to the search of our Filipino people for an alternative paradigm in order to neutralize the negative effects of globalization. Instead of writing a scientific paper for publication, I opted to share some insights which I learned in class and filtered in moments of solitude while reflecting on the challenges of life we are confronted with today as individuals and as a nation.
As I am writing this paper, the twelve percent VAT bill has been passed after so much debate from different sectors of society especially in both houses of the legislature. Oil prices are continuously escalating triggering the increase in prices of basic commodities, services and just very recently transportation fares. The inability of the government to create jobs forced a lot of people to move out of the country and find employment elsewhere leaving their families behind. Our debt obligations led to the inadequacy of our government to provide basic services especially in health and education. The corrupt practices of our government officials and employees have led to the lack of trust of people towards their superiors. Pre-need and insurance companies are having problems paying their clients due to the growing inflation which was not foreseen many years back. The continuous destruction of our environment which led to flash floods and relocation of people in the areas affected. These are just some of the many issues the poor Juan de La Cruz is facing everyday. But how can he cope with these ever increasing problems everyday?
An evaluation of the above problems will lead us to see that the root of all these boils down to morality. Attitudes and values of people are influenced by the exposure they have in the environment they live in. Therefore, it is important to critically analyze the different factors that influence the way we live. One of the most dominant influences we can identify is the reality of globalization.
The Effects of Globalization
Fr. Huang(1999), in his article Emerging Global, Post Modern Culture in the Philippines, identified three novel cultural elements which have resulted in the cultural and societal changes described above. First is the experience of pluralism, the expansion of the range of choices of being and doing available in the culture. It is surely not insignificant that the great icons of the new global urban culture, the Internet, Cable TV and the mall, are all characterized by pluralism; all afford the individual a dizzying multiplicity of choices. Second, is the extension of modernity, particularly modernity’s individualistic sense of the self as “unencumbered” or completely autonomous. These can be observed in many Filipinos who have handled the “new pluralism” by adopting, often uncritically, modernity’s sense of the self as the one who is free to decide for himself or herself what is true and good, as long as these choices don’t harm anyone else. The strains of this thinking are immediately detectable by anyone exposed to Philippine popular media, to radio and TV talk shows, tabloids, and the like. And third, is the experience among many, of post modern fragmentation. Disoriented by so many choices, a disorientation abetted by the sense of self of modernity, what is arising especially among the young is a centerless pluralism.
The cultural elements described above lead people to values which are espoused by capitalistic globalization. The most dominant of which are possession and consumption. According to Fr. Huang, “If there is nothing large enough to integrate everything, nothing worth staking one’s life on, then more immediate goals of owning more and enjoying more become compelling”. It is not surprising, then, that the most prevalent cultural pre-occupation of many Filipinos is “the Mall”. The mall has become the representative of globalization where we can find and acquire everything that the world can offer. It is where people can satisfy their relatively superficial longings of having and enjoying. It has created a culture where people are seemingly absorbed yet deeply distracted within, run up and down the mall choosing things, while “death and alienation have the run of the place.”
In the larger context, Pro-globalizers say that globalization is good because countries are becoming interdependent. That it serves the poor who suffer from hunger, malnutrition and ill-health and that it is not controlled by human agents. It is true that countries are now more interdependent with the numerous agreements signed in the recent years and yet, the relationship is one of master-slave interdependency. It serves the poor temporarily a little while it serves the rich decisively more. All the forces of globalization may not be controlled by human agents and yet, the critical forces are the TNC’s, IMF, WB, WTO and the groupings of the rich. Thus, globalization is directed primarily in favor of the rich and the long-term adverse effects outweigh the short-term gains of the poor. The problems mentioned in the introduction of this paper are so much influenced by these realities. We encounter those problems because we have succumbed to the idea that we will gain developmental growth particularly in our economy if we will be one with those who control and dictate the present global order which spouses globalization.
In his book Journeying with Others: The Art of Being a Soul Friend(1992), Peter Leonard said that the period of history in which we have been living up to now is characterized by the following features: “individualism, anthropocentrism, patriarchy, mechanization, economism, consumerism and militarism” . In this worldview, power, domination, exploitation of the earth, accumulation of possessions, and instant happiness are portrayed as what gives meaning to life. This collective worldview, according to him, “has pervaded all cultures and peoples and has greatly shaped our individual worldview without our realizing it”.
Fr. Maximus P. Fernando, CSSR, in his article How Christian Is Globalization? A Call to Religious to Evangelize, enumerated the negative effects of globalization. They are as follows:
- Ever widening gap between the rich and the poor;
- Non-committal and destructive Trans-National Corporations;
- Destruction of local industries;
- Destruction of Agriculture;
- Destruction of communities and ecological balance;
- Unfair trade characterized by Helplessness of the poor;
- Dominance of foreign capital in the financial system;
- Unjust social and political relations;
- Marginalization of the poor;
- New forms of slavery;
- Prostitution industry;
- Consumerism;
- Destruction of the earth
These things are all threats to authentic growth and development not only of the Filipinos but of the whole human race. At the pace globalization is spreading it has already penetrated almost all areas of life. The process of globalization can be technological, economic, political, socio-cultural and religious linked together. In an article in Malaya, dated April 11, 2005, Bishop Chito Tagle said that, “The promise of globalization seems to be failing. They say we will become one world but the world is much divided now – economically, politically and militarily. Something is wrong and is not working. The Church has to find a way of embracing plurality while maintaining communion”.
The Role of the Church in Cultural Transformation
It is very evident from what is happening in the world today that globalization has affected us negatively. The question now is, “who will reshape the future of globalization so that it’s negative impact can somehow be neutralized.” Dr. Dejillas in one of our classes said that “the only institution we can rely at the moment to reshape the future of globalization is the Church because it has the machinery which can equal that of the government.” I very much agree with him in this regard because if only the Church can influence the majority of its members to go back and practice the core values of Christianity, it definitely will be able to redefine the present course that globalization is presently shaping in the context of the Filipinos. But recent experiences are teaching us that the effort to implant the Gospel in cultures and social structures is a very arduous task. Since 1991, the Philippine Church, through the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, has been talking about a renewed sense of mission that it expects from its members. Every Christian catholic is called to permeate all aspects of human life with Gospel values and bring about renewal and social transformation. But for us to experience social transformation we first need to undergo “conversion which then requires the renewal of people’s relationships and their social structures. By reason of our pilgrimage to the Kingdom of God, we need to change our own hearts and the social, economic, political and cultural systems”.
In his message for the World Day of Peace, January 01, 2005, Pope John Paul II used the 12th chapter of the letter to the Romans verse 21 as his theme where St. Paul says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Do not allow evil to take over you. And do not allow evil to take over the world and the Church, so do not be overcome by evil. Instead evil must be overcome. It is evil that should be surpassed. But how do we take hold of evil? By good, not with equal evil. We cannot defeat evil by meeting it with evil. We defeat evil with good. And that is the best way to protect ourselves from being overrun by evil. Avoid collaborating with the many manifestations of social and political evil, injustice and lack of integrity in the world as espoused by capitalistic globalization. And quoting directly from his message, he says, “to steer a path between the conflicting claims of good and evil, the human family urgently needs to preserve and esteem that common patrimony of moral values bestowed by God.” So what it seems to be saying is that evil is at the root of the injustice and problems that we find in the world. So for us to be able to counter-act them we have to go back to morality.
Today many people seem to be telling the Church, you want to work for a just society, you want to work for a peaceful world, work for the restoration of the moral order, work towards the return of the nation to morality, to the good. If we want to be able to solve our present day problems the answer is obvious – go back to morality. And this is the primary role of the Church who is known to be the protector and vanguard of morality. The Church in its better insights can motivate the faithful to live according to the core values taught by Jesus and the Bible.
A Renewed Vision of Reality
First, if we want to work for morality as the basis of our counter-cultural stance against the negative effects of globalization we need to have a renewed vision of reality and a renewed vision of human life. Why do I say this? Today, there seems to be prevailing vision of reality which is very much dependent on technology. I am not saying that technology is bad. It is a fact that technology has achieved much for us. But our dependence on technology carries with it a world view of manipulation because technology is manipulating nature. Manipulating what we have, manipulating not in the bad sense, but manipulating which means; with your hands you transform something. But the problem with that kind of world view is that it is connected with the worldview of use - of usefulness. Now that worldview unconsciously makes us look at reality, and we compartmentalize reality according to what is useful and useless. And little by little our perceptions of human beings, life and nature are influenced by that kind of worldview. Unconsciously we classify without knowing. It is the technological, the manipulate worldview that influences our perception of things. And we perceive realities pragmatically. We classify things and persons according usefulness and lack of use. And when that happens our relationship with nature, and with the people becomes transactional and businesslike. Now, if that is our dominant worldview in politics, in society, in economics, that is tantamount to domination, domineering and it is self-interest that will prevail. I will manipulate situations so that I can make full use of people or something. I am not saying this is totally evil, but we have to be aware that it could be a dominant worldview now. What is the moral vision that we want to acquire? What vision of reality based on the good do we want to acquire?
Today what we need is a vision of reality which is based on our traditional cultural values of gratitude, sharing, participation, compassion, community life and religiosity. The future of our nation depends on what values we have today. According to Dr. Tomas Andres(1989), by embracing the materialism, egoism, individualism and manipulative attitudes that globalization espouses, we lose our national identity. God has destined that certain people have certain values and the positive practice of these values will lead them to greatness. These are the same values that our faith teaches us. Thus, they are deeply embedded in us but the initiative of intensifying and expressing them has become so dormant that we seem to care only in times of crisis and calamities. The Church, in this regard, is challenged to design and implement programs of inculturation, projects of liberation and thorough evangelization so as to enliven these values among its faithful.
One Church initiative that can help in the formation of this renewed view of reality is the “Pondo ng Pinoy” which was launched last year in Manila spearheaded by Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales, as a movement for social transformation through integral evangelization. The project encourages people especially Catholics to set aside 25 centavos daily to support the movement. According to the Archbishop, the PnP is not just a fund raising drive but, “it is an evangelization program which aims to develop a Filipino culture that is rooted in the love of God and neighbor, through little acts of compassion, solidarity, and sharing. Thus, the spirit of PnP is LOVE and SHARING, done in small things but often, repeatedly, consistently as part of one’s life and values which is important in the development of a renewed vision of reality.
A Renewed Vision of Spirituality
Next to a renewed vision of reality is the fact that morality requires of us a renewed vision of spirituality. Spirituality, according to Tissa Balasuriya, is “the human quest for self realization of the noblest aspirations, for holiness and perfection in union with the Transcendent, the Divine, to the extent possible in our earthly existence.” Balasuriya also added that spirituality “engages a person and a community in the effort to overcome selfisheness, to care for others, to share with others what each one has so that the human happiness and the fulfillment of all may be realized”. So for us to be real agents of morality for the good of society we also have to renew our understanding and practice of spirituality and spiritual life.
In the Philippines, especially among the majority of Catholics, the dominant or the prevailing vision of spirituality associates it so much with piety. Piety and religiosity, actions and rituals are not wrong because we need them. Without piety the faith might disappear. What we are saying is that they are not also sufficient if we want to develop a spiritual life, a spirituality. By spirituality we mean that a person is in touch with the deepest core, not the peripheral, not with the superficial because that is not our true self. We have to go deeper. We have to get in touch with the core of who you are. And there we discover a reality, a mystery greater than we are. A mystery beyond us and a mystery deeper than ourselves and to be in communion with that is to get in touch with the source of energy. That is what we call spirituality… to live from that center of life and energy. And that center is mystery. Different religions have different names for that. But for us Christians, we call that the spirit of Jesus. It is the spirit poured in our hearts especially in baptism. So, spirituality is to live to that center where I know God and I know myself. And so the source of my life and the source of energy is not anything else. We are energized from within… I live by the Spirit and when I am living from there – from the core - I experience deep communion with the rest of the world. From that core even my enemies are in union with me. But the Holy Spirit is a spirit of love. It is the spirit of love that is why the core of Christian spirituality is to live in love which is the source of our life, the source of our energy. That is why spirituality is to live in love all days, every moment, and to love God in all and to be energized only by love. And that frees us. It’s liberating… its an experience of liberation from evil… from injustice because all is love. And that is the moral good. According to JPII “The moral good is born of love, shows itself in love and directed towards love.”
One thing that we must not forget is that the work to counter-act the negative effects of globalization is a work of love. It must really come from love. If the motivation is anger, hatred, revenge and getting even with people, it is not just. The injustice that is being repaired will become a greater injustice. It is only the spirituality of love that will give us the proper motivation to face the challenges brought about by an emerging world order. If we are living in this spirit we will always choose God who is the only good in our lives. Without choosing God it is easy to choose other things and we might misuse and abuse what is given to us as gift, not to promote the Kingdom of God, but for other selfish purposes. So choose God now… live from that call called SPIRIT in our lives. And hopefully by revisiting spirituality we could contribute more effectively to the search for alternative paradigms like the “Pondo ng Pinoy” to neutralize the negative effects of globalization. Let us not be ashamed to teach people we meet about a vision of reality filled with gratitude, cooperation, sharing and compassion. A renewed vision of reality and spirituality.
herbal medicine: making sustainable development work
As the Philippines is constantly beset by the economic crisis, various government and non government organizations have tried to assist and alleviate the conditions of poverty experienced by a great majority. More and more, as our world is becoming a highly globalized society, there is the need to take into consideration the development of poor communities in the country. The challenge that we face as a nation is to be able to move on and progress while our natural resources are cared for to provide, not only for the peoples of today but also for the next generation.
The World Commission on Environment and Development speaks of sustainable development as development that satisfies current needs without compromising the future needs of the next generations. This world body has outlined some issues that are interconnected prerequisites for sustainable development. These are peace, democracy, human rights, fair distribution of wealth, equality, efficient use of energy resources, local community involvement and participation of all sectors in decision making. These issues are crucial in making sustainable development truly work.
One of the emerging concerns and considerations for sustainable development is the rich tradition that our country has on herbal medicine and alternative healing. As the cost of healthcare continues to soar and drug prices are on the rise, many government and non government sectors have resorted to traditional herbal medicine as a wise and practical alternative. Republic Act 8423 is an act creating the Philippines Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) so as to accelerate the development of traditional and alternative healthcare in the country. This also known as the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act of 1997, signed into law by the then President of the Republic, Fidel V. Ramos. This law aims at propagating the many ways of alternative and native medicines which are affordable and within the reach of the majority of people since these plants or herbs are present in the community / surroundings. This law also paved the way for people to be more open and accepting of the other ways for alternative healing such as acupuncture, acupressure, etc.
The use of herbal medicine and alternative modes of healing are valid and appropriate responses to the health needs of the local communities. Plant medicines are locally available in the area. They are affordable and provide relief to common illnesses and bring an over-all sense of wellness. They are nature and environment friendly. These are also practical for use since they could be prepared by the rural health workers and housewives without the need for sophisticated laboratory equipments.
In this article, I would like to feature the endeavors of a NGO that is working for the poor communities in Marikina. One would could recognize that the features of their community work reflects the essential prerequisites of the Brundtland Report, and therefore could possibly serve as an inspiration for those who serve at local communities through the promotion and use of herbal medicine.
The Tuason Community Center Foundation Inc. or TCCFI is a socio-pastoral apostolate center of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Marikina. It aims at facilitating the over-all development of the area. It could be noted that the work being done by the group carries within it the principles espoused by sustainable development. It is also a coordinate of the Council for Health and Development (CHD), a NGO that coordinates health programs in the Philippines, is actively advocating the use of traditional medicine. It also serves as a center for herbal medical products and alternative healing which is in line with the health programs.
The first principle of sustainable development is economic development and expansion, spelled out in a long range term plan. TCCFI has been in existence for more than years. The use and promotion of herbal medicine has been part of their program and services in assisting the health and wellness of the community. A second principle they have been observing is to be able to arrive at environmental equilibrium so as to acquire sustainable growth. One of the difficulties they have encountered is to sustain the growth of plants and herbs to be used for the production of medicines. Although TCCFI has its own plantation, this would not suffice to the increasing needs that arose. “Herbal hunting” was then an option the center has decided to take. Every year, the group goes to various mountain regions in the area and nearby provinces so as to scout for plants that are used for the processing of herbal medicines. These are collected in sacks, dried and stored so that these could be used for the whole year. To overcome environmental degradation is an important tenet of sustainable development. It is crucial to maintain nature’s ability to replenish so as have balance in the environment. TCCFI continues to carry out its tasks of caring for nature’s wealth in order to achieve its thrust of wellness of being. A third component of sustainable development is involvement of the local community and participation of all sectors in decision making. TCCFI’s endeavors took into consideration the invaluable contribution of women and youth especially in their program of alternative healthcare. Many of the mothers in the area have been trained as community health workers (CHW’s). They help make herbal medicines as well as in sensitizing the people on how to use herbal medicines for their ailments. The group also came up with a herbal dispensary or “Botika ng Halamang Gamot” which is being managed by the CHW’s and the staff of TCCFI. Since the program of herbal medicines has a wide range of activities and projects, it calls for the cooperation of the staff, CHW’s and the local community. There is the support of the nearby schools and universities and educational institutions who sponsor, share information, do research and give financial and material assistance to enhance this program.
Sustainable development necessitates essential attitudes and values to make it truly work. In their experience, TCCFI has come to realize certain things that have encouraged their commitment to further their program on herbal medicine. Hope, cooperation, commitment to do research and study and a sense of determination have strengthened in them the capacity to believe in each one and those around them to meet the goals of their work. It has led them to open themselves to continuous study and discover new things, and the dedication to go ahead in spite of the difficulties they may encounter in implementing the program.
To sum up, TCCFI’s commitment boils down to three: HARD WORK, DEVELOPMENT and SERVICE. Hard work calls for zeal and industriousness to promote the use of herbal medicine, development is their passion to enhance the knowledge and training of each one; and service is ultimate goal of the program, for the betterment of the people. TCCFI’s vision is to carry out this initiative for the health and well being of the greater majority, geared towards the advancement of sustainable development. Part of their long term plan is to carry on with the production and development of herbal medicine. Hopefully, all their endeavors would be shared, information disseminated to a greater number of people so as to inspire other local communities to do likewise and thus, be at the service of the common good.