BAYANIHAN: the indigenous Filipino strengths perspective
Abstract
Social work as a profession in the Philippines emerged during the colonial era, as such it was heavily influenced by deficit and vulnerability perspectives. The early social work professionals who were educated in the United States became the first social work educators and relied on western perspectives. Social workers were saddled with rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts right after World War 2, that they glossed over the need to rediscover indigenous concepts and perspectives for the indigenization of the social work profession. Although the Filipino people have exhibited strengths through the years of colonization and disasters, it is only recently that strengths perspective entered the Philippine social work parlance via western reference books. This paper is an attempt to rediscover strengths perspective in the indigenous Filipino culture and use this towards a more culturally sensitive social work practice.
... Nonghyup provides a sustainable development of specialized farmers of Korea (Guillian & Yang, 2015). In Japan, teikei, as a form of partnership promotes security of food consumption (Ealdama, 2012). ...
... Other versions of the bayanihan are shown in terms of helping one another during harvest and planting seasons. Ealdama (2012) mentioned that when the time of disaster, the bayanihan espouses strength of the Filipino to help one another in building a strong nation called bayan [nation], where its etymology derives. Being at the bosom of the Philippine archipelago, Cebu has similar concepts to bayanihan to show the potentials of the Western CL strategies using the Cebuano cultural practices of TAYTU. ...
... This act called unong emphasizes a voluntary help to someone who is in need like sickness, death, and other misfortunes in life. Ealdama (2012) calls this practice empathy. ...
Exploring the indigenous Cebuano cultural practices contextualizes a culture-based Cooperative Learning (CL) strategy. The study explored the socio-cultural background of Cebuano cooperation as reflected in the communal practices of the tagay, alayon, yayong, tambayayong, and unong (TAYTU); the process of localized cooperative learning strategies contextualized in the TAYTU; designing lesson exemplars in the TAYTU way. This qualitative study used a directive content analysis design using relevant research findings and initial codes that serve as bases of future projections, as a form of trend studies in CL strategies. The exploratory design was used to provide visualization of TAYTU exemplars. FGDs were conducted among the 60 research participants: alayon farmers (20), tambayayong fishermen (20) and male-drinkers (20), using enumeration sampling and inclusion criteria to establish the socio-cultural background of the study. The indigenous identities of the Cebuano cultural practices bridge a potential exploration of the localized and contextualized CL strategies in realizing the noble aim of malasakit in the Philippines' AmBisyon Natin 2040. Catharsis in tagay; togetherness and unity of command in alayon; sensibility and sensitivity in yayong; sharing of extreme emotions in tambayayong; and intimacy and solidarity in unong featured a socio-cultural background necessitated in the crafting of the TAYTU Models of CL Teaching exemplars.
... Some local communities might further equate the sudden restriction on mangrove utilisation imposed by the conservation project with resource prohibition (Katikiro, Macusi, and Deepananda, 2015, p.225), which could lessen its community acceptance and long-term success. In the Philippines, the indigenous tradition of 'bayanihan'-a spontaneous act of volunteerism to help those in need without the expectation of reward-is ingrained among Filipinos throughout the archipelago (Ealdama, 2012). This concept is applied towards other people and not the environment, hence its employment in mangrove projects was often redirected at community mobilisation by project implementers, which coincides with the initial aim of the projects. ...
Mangrove forest is an ecosystem‐based solution for disaster risk reduction in the Philippines, but its historical deforestation has hampered its capacity to protect coastal communities. With the increasing occurrence of storm surge in the Philippines, mangrove reforestation projects have received renewed attention, but many have failed. Community participation was deemed to be essential in those projects that did well. Hence, this paper examines successful mangrove restoration and rehabilitation projects in the Philippines to find out how community participation contributed to the accomplishments. The study found that while the transfer of science‐based ecological knowledge from project managers to the community is an important factor in ensuring successful initial planning and implementation, its integration into existing local ecological knowledge—‘localisation’ of science‐based ecological knowledge or hybrid ecological knowledge formation—helped to facilitate long‐term community‐based mangrove management beyond project duration by empowering community members and enabling project acceptance and ownership. Still, continuous local institutional support is a necessary anchor for community resilience.
... The poetic odyssey seamlessly weaves into the narrative, vividly illustrating the fortitude and resolve of the Concepcion community. This enduring spirit resonates not only in the words expressed but also in the very pulse of Concepcion, Iloilo, as it sustains the community mental health program throughout the years [5]. ...
This article explores the resilience ingrained in the Filipino community, drawing from the Bahala Na mentality and Bayanihan values. It examines how these cultural elements give rise to a dynamic force within society that goes beyond individual capacities. The narrative centers on a community mental health program in Concepcion, Iloilo, initiated prior to the enactment of the Mental Health Law in the Philippines, tracing its impact over a decade. The article showcases the transformative influence of communal resilience, evident in the increased numbers of patients and the rehabilitation of individuals once considered hopeless. The article artfully weaves together both prose and poetry, capturing the enduring spirit of Concepcion. The conclusion acknowledges the persistent challenges in mental health awareness and suicide prevention. The integrated poetic journey serves to highlight the resilience ingrained in Concepcion, offering a unique perspective in a world often focused on individual achievements. The Filipino experience emerges as a guiding light, exemplifying the profound strength derived from communal bonds in facing life's adversities.
... Bayanihan is a Filipino tradition of people going out of their way to help those in need (Ealdama 2012). This community spirit of a typical Filipino community has been one of the hallmarks of the Filipino culture. ...
Since President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s ascension to the presidency in July 2016, he weaves and pursues his own brand of authoritarianism. Riding on his popularity, he raises the issue of illegal drugs as a question of national survival for the nation. With this obsession, Duterte has unleashed the entire police force with the state’s resources on his war on drugs. In more than a year of its implementation, the war on drugs has created havoc in the lives of the Filipino people. Furthermore, it has promoted a culture of impunity, and fear has gripped the nation. With the worsening human rights situation, human rights in social work practice in the Philippines grapples with the multi-faceted effects of the war on drugs. Given the specificity of needs and circumstances of the violations, the social work profession can and should respond to the unfolding challenges through various interventions at the individual, family, and community levels.
This chapter examines community-based tourism (CBT) as a tool for sustainable tourism development. It is argued that social capital is the main catalyst of community participation, a factor which is vital in CBT. Trust, norms, and networks are the main components of social capital considered in this study. The researchers used a qualitative approach to gather data in Ugong Rock Adventures, a successful CBT site in the Philippines. This tourist attraction offers activities such as caving, spelunking, and zip-lining. Key stakeholders of Ugong Rock Adventures, located in Barangay Tagabinet in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, were interviewed. Consequently, this study employed thematic analysis to reveal the emerging themes from the interviews. Results showed that Ugong Rock Adventures’ CBT has a strong presence of social capital. This study contributes to existing knowledge that integrates tourism with social capital in the Philippines. This study recognises the need to strengthen the community’s social capital for its development.KeywordsCommunity-based tourismSocial capitalCommunity participationSustainable tourismPhilippines
Recent years have witnessed increased international interest in the relevance of social theories associated with postmodernism, social constructionism and narrative approaches for social work. The central aim of this unique book is to demonstrate how such ideas can make a direct and positive contribution to social work practice. The innovative approach is affirmative and reflexive and emphasis is given to dialogue, process and plurality of knowledge and voice. Richly illustrated by case examples, the book is an ideal introduction to a crucially important new area of social work theory.
English
Mainstream accounts of Philippine social welfare history trace its roots to welfare initiatives under centuries of colonial rules without pointing out their ideological implications. This article argues that the so-called advances nurtured ideological elements now embedded in contemporary Philippine social welfare and social work that should be critically analysed.
French
Les récits historiques majoritaires sur le bien-être social aux Philippines en font découvrir les racines dans les initiatives d'aide entreprises pendant les centaines d'années de régime colonial, sans que soient démontrées leurs implications idéologiques. Cet article suggère que les soi-disant progrès ont contribué à nourrir des éléments idéologiques aujourd'hui ancrés dans le bien-être social et les services sociaux des Philippines. L'auteur recommande une analyse critique de cette situation.
Spanish
Las discusiones dominantes de la historia del estado de beneficencia en las Filipinas trazan sus raíces a las iniciativas de beneficencia bajo dominación colonial, pero lo hacen sin mencionar las implicaciones ideológicas. Este artículo argumenta que las llamadas ventajas fomentan elementos ideológicos que se encuentran incorporados en el estado de beneficencia y trabajo social contemporáneo filipino los cuales deberían ser analizados críticamente.
This article examines Philippine social work under martial law. The article begins with an account of the assault on human rights under the Marcos regime. It then outlines the response of the mainstream professional community to the challenges under martial law and the implications for contemporary social work practice.
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