Volunteerism in the Philippines
Organized volunteer service in the Philippines began with the government’s creation of the Philippine National Volunteer Service Committee in 1964. The creation of the Committee was its commitment to the International Middle Level Manpower Conference held in Puerto Rico in 1962, which called for the adoption of volunteerism as a tool for economic development among participating countries. In 1980, theis committee became what is now the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA).
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme started in the Philippines in 1981 by hosting International UNV Specialists assigned to UN-assisted projects. The programme supported the implementation of the Country Cooperation Framework (CCF) from 1997 to 2001 through the assignment of UN volunteers to projects in the areas of community development, organizational capability building, gender, human resource development, agriculture, education, social work, development management and fisheries.
Since the 1980s, the development scenario in the Philippines has evolved in scope and diversity. Many non-government organizations have been created at the national and community levels and government regimes have recognized the possible contributions of volunteerism to overall social and economic development. Academic institutions are managing volunteer programmes and inculcating social responsibility among the youth. Foreign volunteer organizations have been operating the country, providing intercultural exchange and international expertise. The corporate sector has also been known to be more active in developing new models of business-community relations and corporate citizenship.
With regard to international cooperation, the Philippines has traditionally been an important supplier of volunteers. During 1999 and 2000, it was reported that Filipinos constituted the largest number of UN Volunteers serving abroad. This was supplemented by the south-to-south volunteer exchange program of the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) that was implemented in the country by 2001.
The idea of conducting a review on the different forms of volunteerism in the Philippines was initially considered as a post International Year of Volunteers (IYV) 2001 assessment. Recently, the need for a review has become stronger as the role of the government and other stakeholders is under revision in the light of new needs and social capacities. The country’s adoption of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) is emerging as a framework by which these needs and capacities are being analyzed.
Since the inception of an organized volunteer program in the 1960s, there have been limited studies on volunteerism in the Philippines as these were confined to selected programs and groups. There is a continuing need to look into the status of volunteering in the country that covers both the formal and structured volunteerism as implemented by the various sectors, and other forms of volunteerism performed by society in general.
Source: Joel Beasca, Strategic Review of the Volunteer System in the Philippines, August 2004.
What Do Filipino Volunteering Terms Signify?
Filipinos apparently smile through everything, good fortune as well as diversity. It is a testament to the basic goodness of their nature. It is also the foundation of their approach to life, a life that, for the most part, is always threatened by the uncertainties brought on by poverty.
Volunteering was often associated with willingness or desire to provide services for the community or to specific persons or groups needing such services. In particular, “volunteering” is defined as “willingness to serve the community,” “a show of concern for the community,” “a form of reaching out,” “sharing resources with others,” and providing assistance as well as good deeds for the Lord.”
Volunteering activities are undertaken out of a volunteer’s desire to “reach out” to people. This assistance, as expressed in terms of sharing resources with others, is motivated by a volunteer’s compassion and concern to uplift the condition of deprived communities or individuals. This gesture provides an important ground for nurturing pagtibangay (to help or to collaborate with others) between and among people. In the context of communities, pagtibangay is often expressed by way of people’s desire to participate voluntarily in community affairs.
Volunteering is also performed as a manifestation of one’s religious obligations, an act purposely undertaken “in the name of the Lord.” This underscores one of th essential dimensions of volunteering as an activity – it is generated out of a certain religious motivation. The religious motivation that underlies any voluntary action is not unusual especially in countries characterized by religious pluralism like the Philippines. Religious beliefs related to salvation seem to be a governing force behind one’s decision to volunteer. For instance, believers are socialized to the idea that any act of generosity (including voluntary activities) done on earth is a ticket to heaven. Thus generosity or charity towards needs neighbors ensures salvation.
Volunteering is conceived to mean the rendering of one’s resources (in particular, one’s time) for noble purposes or ends. It particularly involves extending oneself to others either in the form of service, sacrifice or charity.
There are about four terms that are used in volunteer literature and programs. Although all these comply with the generally accepted norms on volunteering (free will, least regard for financial compensation, and for the public benefit), researches indicate certain intrinsic differences.
Bayanihan is a Tagalog term referring to mutual assistance and self-help among equals. It appears to be more popular in the formal volunteering sector, having been used as the over-all theme for IYV 2001 (Bayanihan: Building Locally, Bonding Globally) and the name of the latest government program on volunteering, Bayanihang Bayan, which literally means “national self-help”.
Damayan in Tagalog means assistance to others in times of crisis or grief. It is closest to the concept of “episodic” volunteering.
Kawanggawa is another Tagalog term for assistance although it is associated with the notion of charity and embodies a relationship between unequals in society. It is nearest to the notion of “philanthropy”.
Pahinungod is a Cebuano term taken to mean a higher form of self-sacrifice by Filipinos and rooted to the Roman Catholic faith. Other research nevertheless suspects the term to be endemic as it was also found in the language of indigenous groups in the country. It could be the best local version of “pure” altruism.
The volunteer exchange program of the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) is called Bahaginan which implies a more generic connotation, “sharing”.
Source: Carino and Fernan III, 2002/ Beyond the Household, 2004 citing various authors