Civil society organizations play an important role in democracy according to the document. They can help establish and maintain democracy in several ways: by monitoring the government, exposing issues, encouraging democratic values, promoting political participation, providing democratic education, and acting as an arena for expression. In the Philippines, civil society groups helped transition the country to democracy and shaped the new constitution after People Power Revolution in 1986. Examples of civil society groups in the Philippines include Bagong Alyansang Makabayan which advocates for national and social issues, and National Secretariat of Social Action-Justice and Peace which focuses on poverty and governance issues.

1. CIVIL SOCIETY & SOCIAL
MOVEMENTS

2. CIVIL SOCIETY

3. WHAT IS CIVIL SOCIETY?
Civil Society is the aggregate of
nongovernmental organizations
and institutions that manifest
interest and will of citizens

4. CIVIL SOCIETY
The Unite Nations (UN) define “Civil Society” as the “third sector” of
society, along with government and business. It also includes relevant
organizations like nongovernment organizations.
These civil society organizations are viewed by the state as partners in
improving the standard living of citizens with their own set of goals and ideals.
Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) claims that civil society is seen as
social sphere separated from both the state and the market.WHO further
reports that the increasingly accepted understanding of the term civil society
organizations (CSOs) is that of non-state, not-for-profit but voluntary
organizations formed by people.

5. CIVIL SOCIETY
The basis for civil society in the Philippines comes from the
Filipino concepts of pakikipagkapwa (holistic interaction
with others) and kapwa (shared inner self).
Voluntary assistance or charity connotes for Filipinos an
equal status between the provider of assistance and the
recipient, which is embodied in the terms damayan
(assistance of peers in periods of crisis) and
pagtutulungan (mutual self-help).
The Western notion of kawanggawa (charity) may have
been introduced to the Philippines by Catholic
missionaries.

6. The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines,
forged and shaped in the aftermath of the
1986 People Power Revolution, clearly
recognizes participation and empowerment,
including the important role of CSOs. This may
be seen in several provisions of the
Constitution, most prominently in the
following:

7. Article II, Section 23:
“The State shall encourage non-
governmental, community-based, or
sector organizations that promote the
welfare of the nation.”

8. Article XIII, Section 15:
“The State shall respect the role of
independent people’s organizations
to enable the people to pursue and
protect, within the democratic
framework, their legitimate and
collective interests and aspirations
through peaceful and lawful means.

9. Article XIII, Section 16:
“The right of the people and their
organizations to effective and reasonable
participation at all levels of social, political
and economic decision-making shall not be
abridged. The State shall, by law, facilitate
the establishment of adequate consultation
mechanisms.”

10. According to Tocqueville civil society plays a role as a key player in the
decentralization of governance and democratic governance. This activity not
only to society but the country also is based on the institutions of democracy
and the process on the country. Civil society is seen as supporting structure in
terms of democratizing the country.
According to Robert Putnam, that the role of civil society is closely related to
social capital, that is through norms and networks to enhance the quality of
life, which both can build trust and reciprocity in achieving goals with actions
collective.
According to Cox, the civil society is seen as an arena to fight for and
construct an alternative mode of democracy, in accordance with the needs of
particular social classes in exclusion. The relationship between civil society and
democracy the more complex when civil society functioning as a giver of
influence on institutions and governance at the country level, where
decentralized power, resources, and local authorities or institutions non-state
deliberated to dominate politics. Civil society does have a role in making a
change in the country, especially in a democracy.

11. The movement was undertaken by the civil society
generally to establish a democracy by way of making
the transition to democracy, the consolidation of
democracy. This looks at the characteristics of civil
society can contribute to the political situation in a
country, for example, monitor the Government,
negotiate in shaping the new Constitution and so on.
Democracy gives its own strengths to the
development of civil society in a country, and provide
the consequences, i.e., an arena of power, inequality,
camps, conflict, and cooperation among competing
identities and interests

12. Civil society can maintain or establish a democracy in a
country that is based on its function, namely:
1. Democracy will run well if there are groups of people who control the
Government, civil society always monitor how public officials in power,
using its strength in making policy, demanding the freedom of access to
information laws or regulations such as the eradication of corruption.
2. Civil society can expose events that exist within the Government,
lobbying to reform the existing policy. Democracies make their role
more effectively.
3. Civil society may encourage the life of Westernization in everyday life,
such as tolerance, moderation, compromise, and respect for differences
of opinion. Without such attitudes, then democracy will not run stable.

13. 4. Civil society can promote democratic political participation with
the fight for their rights as citizens, aspires at the voice, solving
together and argue about public issues.
5. Civil society can provide the education of democracy, with the
cultivation of the values, concepts, along with training that relates to
democracy.
6. Civil society acts as an arena to express, lobbying, which can then
be strengthened democracy because of the formation of new
interests and form solidarity so that democracy can be stable.
7. Civil society can provide information and monitor the elections as
well as the resolution of a conflict. Some of these functions can make
democracies can be effective and legitimate, because of the positive
relationship between civil society and democracy.

14. SOCIAL
MOVEMENT

15. SOCIAL MOVEMENT

16. Social Movements can be thought of as organized yet
informal social entities that are engaged in an extra-
institutional conflict that is oriented towards a goal which can
be concrete and narrow policy or aimed at cultural change
(EBSCO Research Starters, 2009).
Furthermore, Social movements are broad alliances of people
who are connected through their shared interest in social
change.
Social movements can advocate for a particular social change,
but they can also organize to oppose a social change that is
being advocated by another entity.
These movements do not have to be formally organized to be
considered social movements. Different alliances can work
separately for common causes and still be considered a social
movement.

17. Tilly (1978) outline a four-stage process of social
movement. In the preliminary stage, people become
aware of an issue, and leaders emerge.
This is followed by the coalescence stage when people
join together and organize in order to publicize the issue
and raise awareness.
In the institutionalization stage, the movement no
longer requires grassroots volunteerism: it is an
established organization, typically with a paid staff.
When people fall away and adopt a new movement, the
movement successfully brings about the change it
sought, or when people no longer take the issue
seriously, the movement falls into the decline stage

18. Social movements are purposeful, organized groups,
either with the goal of pushing toward change, giving
political voice to those without it, or gathering for some
other common purpose. Social movements intersect
with environmental changes, technological innovations,
and other external factors to create social change.
There are a myriad of catalysts that create social
movements, and the reasons that people join are as
varied as the participants themselves.
Sociologists look at both the macro- and micro
analytical reasons that social movements occur, take
root, and ultimately succeed or fail.

19. Role of Civil Society towards Philippine
Democracy
Civil society in the Philippines cannot put his position on
democratization, though the movement is more
courageous. However, the fragmented civil society
because of the differences of different interests.
Civil society formed by two streams democracy, namely
the power elite and the political power, has more free
space. The fundamental strength of democracy of civil
society in the Philippines discovered by basic Alliance of
workers and peasants.

20. There are so many forms of civil society in the
Philippines, i.e. free independent media;
community-based social activism; politically
sensitized parts of Catholic Church; alternative
politics to Marcos Party; armed underground.
For example, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan
(Bayan) was created in 1985 by more than 1,000
mass organizations. It fights for national and
social liberation against imperialism, feudalism,
and bureaucrat capitalism.

21. Bayan fights for the nationalistic and democratic
needs of the people through legal and militant
forms of struggle, and, though it does not
participate in the armed struggle. National
Secretariat of Social Action-Justice and Peace
(NASSA), was created by the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in 1966. It
focuses on poverty alleviation, democratic
governance, ecology and integrity of creation,
peace, and development.