The Philippines have been greatly affected by the many years of colonial rule, from the 16th century under Spanish suzerainty, and from 1898 as an American colony. It wasn’t until 1946 that the country became independent, after several years of Japanese occupation.
The Spanish-American influence is still very strong. The country’s economy and social structure are reminiscent of Central America, although there are also great differences. The labour market laws and labour organising are strongly influenced by the United States. Membership in trade unions is low, only around ten percent, and is split among many different unions.
In 1986 the dictator Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown in a bloodless revolution. Since then the country has gradually moved towards a more democratic structure, and free elections. But there are still many problems. A civil war between government forces and Moslem separatist guerrillas continues on the southern island of Mindanao. Another, often forgotten, war continues against communist guerrillas.
The Philippines is in many respects under a feudal system where 200 families dominate politics and the economy. Corruption is widespread, as are environmental problems, and there are major social injustices. The country is a major exporter of labour, and nearly eight million Filipinos are estimated to work abroad. The money they send back to their families is very important to the country’s economy.
Analysis
The Philippines is very divided, geographically, politically, and socially. The political system is unlike the European parliamentary model, and is based on the election of individuals. In reality there are no political parties between elections, since the “parties” are little more than election machines for individual candidates. Civil society is active, but it too is split into many organisations, often linked to individuals.
The overall strategy for the Palme Center and its member organisations has been to concentrate on popular education, trade unions and political work, to strengthen democracy and local participation to bring different groups together in broad political unity.
A prerequisite for true democratisation in the Philippines is that citizens achieve real influence through the political system. Support for the Social Democratic party Akbayan, labour, and popular organisations is therefore a way to strengthen the forces working for democratic structural changes, which in the long run can lead to a modern parliamentary system.
Akbayan has real grassroots support, and a democratic structure with clear links to around 30 different organisations. Together with other progressive forces Akbayan works to influence and change legislation. This includes working to make it easier to form co-operatives.
Development Co-operation
An important part of the Palme Center’s work in the Philippines has been encouraging co-ordination with different organisations working together. Projects for popular education, trade union training, co-operatives, and for small scale enterprises, work together from a common political position. Projects to strengthen women’s rights can also play a leading role.
Many leading activists in the Philippines see the opportunity to create a labour-political collaboration on the Swedish or Brazilian model. The Labor Education and Research Network (LEARN), which focuses on worker education, plays a key role. LEARN carries out extensive education programs for civil society, which in turn strengthens Akbayan and its work in the trade union confederation Alliance of Progressive Labour (APL).
APL and its member organisations have over the years been involved in extensive co-operation with Swedish labour organisations, including the Union of Service and Communication Employees, the Food Workers´ Union, and the Forest and Wood Workers´ Union, which has led to the creation of a new trade union confederation in the political centre. Union organising has many risks, however, both for the individual and for the organisation.
Another important area is strengthening regional co-operation between labour and popular organisations. LEARN is part of a network together with the Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC) and the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) in Hong Kong and the Labour Education Foundation in Pakistan.
There are many projects on the southern island of Minanao, where armed conflict has gone on for many years. The military conflicts cause trauma and severe social stress. Supporting a civil peace movement is therefore an important aspect of the Palme Center’s work to lay a foundation for a democratic society, as is helping partners to heal with trauma and stress in their daily activities.