Summary
Highlights
Social work in the Philippines evolved in response to socio-political and economic conditions. While the terms 'social work' and 'social worker' were not present in pre-colonial languages, indigenous cultures valued helping and caring, with concepts like 'dulong' (help) and 'aruga' (care). Pre-colonial communities were self-contained, and poverty was not a significant issue. However, colonization led to land loss, marginalization, and increased inequality, creating a need for professional helping processes. Missionaries initiated charitable activities, establishing institutions that are now integrated with professional social workers.
Professional social workers are crucial in family and child welfare, focusing on family preservation, reunification, and permanent placement. Services include parent effectiveness training, empowerment sessions for mothers, daycare, and support for single mothers. Foster care is provided for children temporarily, with a focus on reunification. When reunification isn’t possible, domestic and international adoption processes are initiated to find permanent families.
Social workers play a vital role in hospitals, such as the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, assisting patients in adjusting to hospital routines and addressing personal and family problems impacting their treatment or rehabilitation. They also facilitate continuing care after hospitalization by referring patients to external agencies.
After World War II, social work in the Philippines flourished due to the extensive damage and economic erosion. The Philippine Association of Social Workers Incorporated was formed in 1948 by the first Western-trained social workers. Early efforts focused on relief, rehabilitation, and psychosocial trauma intervention. The Philippine School of Social Work was established in 1950, and by 1951, two universities offered social work courses, shifting the focus towards community development and rural reconstruction in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Economic and social inequality worsened despite reconstruction efforts. In 1968, the Department of Social Welfare was established to provide comprehensive social welfare programs, employing registered social workers. The department focuses on social protection, policy development, and empowering vulnerable groups like children, women, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and disaster-affected families. Flagship programs like 'Kalahi Seeds' aim to alleviate poverty through community-driven development in the poorest provinces. The Probation and Parole Administration works to rehabilitate probationers, parolees, and pardonees through innovative interventions like Therapeutic Community modality, restorative justice, and volunteer probation aid programs.
During martial law, many social workers were employed by the Ministry of Social Services and Development, while others engaged in social actions, forming community organizations for societal transformation. These social workers lived with marginalized communities, advocating for land, housing, and just wages, using popular education to raise awareness of rights, often facing human rights violations themselves. Post-martial law, social workers continued to champion justice, peace, and freedom.
In the era of globalization, social work faces challenges like cuts in social services funding, impacting resources for marginalized sectors. Academics and public sector employees advocate for higher budgets for social services and increased salaries. Social work is seen not just as a residual intervention but as a critical force for organizing, mobilization, and advocacy for the marginalized majority.
The 1986 People Power Revolution opened democratic spaces, though economic and political inequality persisted. This period saw the establishment of numerous non-government organizations (NGOs) to address the needs of an increasing clientele, focusing on issues like child labor and promoting generic, integrative approaches to social work.
Social work interventions extended to promoting micro-insurance among the poor, particularly those in the informal sector. Organizations like the Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PMBA) provide social protection through micro-financial services, recognizing that the poor are most in need of insurance protection.
The 1990s saw persistent poverty, armed conflicts, natural disasters, and widespread human rights abuses. Social workers, through organizations like the Children's Rehabilitation Center (CRC), provide rehabilitation for child victims of militarism and human rights violations. They offer individual and group therapy, counseling, and community outreach programs, helping children process trauma and understand their experiences within broader societal contexts of exploitation and repression.
Increased national and international migration led to overseas Filipino workers becoming victims of abuses. Social workers became instrumental in helping them, developing programs that incorporate a gender perspective for returning migrant workers and those facing illegal recruitment. They also organize families of overseas Filipinos, and provide mental health support, advocating for community-based care over institutionalization. Social work interventions emphasize social justice, empowerment, ethnic sensitivity, and gender equality. Human rights advocacy focuses on analyzing laws, policies, and practices to ensure they are non-discriminatory and empower women.
Today, social workers in both government and non-government agencies are continually challenged to develop integrated approaches to social problems like globalization, oppression, and political repression. The new millennium brings further challenges for social work education, requiring the creation of specialized training and degree programs in areas such as disaster management, conflict resolution, and migration issues. These new requirements aim to capacitate social workers to be more effective in serving marginalized groups and working towards a new social equilibrium in an unbalanced society like the Philippines.