The Philippine Church and the Economic Sphere PDF

THEOLOGY 3: CHRISTIAN VISION OF THE CHURCH IN SOCIETY: The Philippine Church and the Economic Sphere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCKDir9HUu8  THEOLOGY 3: CHRISTIAN VISION OF THE CHURCH IN SOCIETY: The Philippine Church and the Economic Sphere https://w...

THEOLOGY 3: CHRISTIAN VISION OF THE CHURCH IN SOCIETY: The Philippine Church and the Economic Sphere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCKDir9HUu8  THEOLOGY 3: CHRISTIAN VISION OF THE CHURCH IN SOCIETY: The Philippine Church and the Economic Sphere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyInDEOo9Vk Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEw5LiMGc1Q What is the role of the Church in relation to Economics? The Pastoral Exhortation of the Catholic’s Bishop Conference of the Philippines on Philippine Economics  CBCP : 1998 Exhortation on Philippine Economy : A Revisit ‘trickle down economics’ : ‘ a faceless development’ ‘jobless growth’ : ‘voiceless growth : ‘rootless growth’ : ‘ruthless growth’: ‘futureless without new without extension causes cultural benefiting mainly growth‘: destroys opportunities for of democracy or identities to the wealthy. the environment. employment. empowerment. wither. Compendium on the Social Doctrines of the Church, 326. “ The intimate relationship of economics with the moral and spiritual life urges all the faithful ‘to renew economic life with the values of the Gospel so that even ‘economy and progress can be transformed into places of salvation and sanctification.”  Kinds of dehumanizing ‘ poverty of economic exclusion’ in the Philippines ( CBCP) Pope Francis, World Youth Day Exclusion from gainful livelihood : unemployment and underemployment, Rio, 2013. contractual labor Exclusion from sufficient shelter : Informal settlers and homeless either by natural and man- made calamities ‘In a world where there is so much wealth, so many resources to feed Exclusion from rural development : Rural poverty everyone, it is unfathomable that there are so many Exclusion from adequate health care : Privatization of public hospitals and rising hungry children, so population of the elderly many without an education, so many are poor. It is , indeed, a Exclusion from quality education : out-of –school youths and overcrowded schools scandal.’ CST Principles for a Philippine ‘caring economy’ and a ‘development with a human face’ Centrality of the Human Person and Solidarity Filipino as a society’s right to participate or at least to be consulted in decisions that affect their lives. calls for the authorities to evaluate the possible negative impacts of projects in the name of progress, industrialization and development. 2. Preferential Option for the Poor Poverty, misery and social injustice are still widespread and the standing normal phenomena in the country. 3. Universal Purpose of Created Goods The richest ten percent of the Philippine population is earning ten times more than the poorest ten percent, with the income of the richest families soaring way beyond the income of the poorest. The bottom line is basically the refusal of the more privileged of the “ universal destination of goods’ that ultimately brings about this social disorder, unrest, dissent, even violence in society.  4. Recognition of the Meaning and Dignity of Work - Objective Sense: Includes the acts done, the resources utilized, the instruments used and technology adopted in order to produce something for temporal advantages. - Subjective Sense: refers to the human person engaged in or Pope John Paul II, Laborem Exercens attending to a job. It is the activity of (“On Human Work), #6. a worker as individual capable of undertaking a variety of actions necessary for his/her self- realization ‘Work is for the worker’ and in accordance with his role or not ‘ the worker for work.’ mandate. Threefold significance of Work a) personal : for the good of the worker. Work is a ‘fundamental right’ of man. It is necessary for man’s self- expression and transformation by ‘becoming more of a human being’. b) familial : a worker becomes accountable not only to himself but to others as well, especially to his wife and children who are precisely dependent on him for their well- being. c) societal : for the welfare of society and building communion’. Work is a builder of social relation because it takes place within social relations and leads to social relations. 5. Spirituality of Work a) Participation of Christ’s Redemptive Act Work should make one closer to God : a participation in the creative power of God through changing, developing, ennobling and beautifying things on earth. b) Vocation : an expression of man’s true nature as being made in the image and likeness of God through working creatively and responsibly using one’s talents and abilities to the fullest. Not a necessary evil nor a curse c) Personal and Social Sins in Work becomes a source of social sin when accompanied by anxiety concerning competition for social status, fame and power. when it leads to alienation of the worker- person from their identity : used when profitable and discarded when no longer needed or made to work with no consideration for his intellectual and moral perfection. when it becomes a compulsion because of the social tendency to judge persons in terms of work they do, wage and economic success.  6. Priority of Labor over Capital Labor: refers to personal element of the worker or strength of the human resources: knowledge, creativity and capacity. Capital refers to all material resources, such as money and tools or instruments for production or manufacturing. - Labor has intrinsic priority over capital - Both parties should work in solidarity toward creating a real "community of persons" rather than be enemies in the achievement of their respective welfare and of the common good.  7. Rights of Workers a. Right to Decent Work Freely chosen and effectively associating workers with the development of their community; Enables the worker to be respected and free from any form of discrimination; Makes it possible for families to meet their needs and provide schooling for their children, without the latter being forced into labor; Permits the workers to organize themselves freely, and to make their voices heard; Leaves enough room for rediscovering one’s roots at a personal, familial and spiritual level; Guarantees those who have retired a decent standard of living. Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (“In Charity and Truth”), 2009, #63 b. Right to Just Wage : Determinants of just wage 1. Should be a ‘family wage’ : salary given to the head of the family sufficient enough for the needs of the family without the other spouse taking a gainful employment outside of the home. 2. Contribution of the worker in the economic effort. 3. National common good: state of the enterprise and country. 4. Universal common good. c. Healthy Working Environment The working environment must be such that physical health is not endangered and morals are safeguarded. Right to security in cases of sickness, inability to work, old age, and unemployment. Right to sufficient rest and leisure. The Issue of Contractualization and Outsourcing of labor. d. Worker’s Associations, Assembly and Unionism Importance of Unionism (Compendium, 307.) It serves as a weapon of self-defense against injustices of employers. It serves as instruments of education for members. It promotes the interests of the workers in attaining better working conditions. It helps develop, in the worker, a sense of loyalty to and identify with the enterprise. It helps in the implementation of labor and social laws. It helps the state by relieving it of many burdens that it has to attend to. Limitations of Unionism (Not an absolute right ) 1.) Limited by the higher and more basic rights of religious, moral and political freedom. 2.) Guard against abusing their strength in an exploitative manner by using force to impose conditions that are so burdensome for the overall economy and for the entire community or society. 3.) Policies of the union should not become the affair of an oligarchy within the union.  e. Collective Bargaining A mode of settling labor disputes and a just means of compromise between the employer and the laborers. It is always directed to some issues and conditions of employment which are over and above those mandated by law. Both the union and management negotiate a compromise on issues of wages and benefits on principle of parity of strength. It is unfair to expect unions to make concessions to the management if managers and shareholders do not make at least equal sacrifices. Compendium, 309; U.S. Catholic Bishops, Economic Justice for All, 106. f. Right to Stage a Strike There are instances, however, that despite the time and effort spent in dialogue, labor and management do not come to terms. In these circumstances, unions may tend to resort to more forceful measures to settle the issue through strike. Strike is the collective and concerted refusal to work on the part of the organized workers to continue rendering their services for the purpose of obtaining benefits. Morality of Strikes (Conditions for Moral Justification) Strikes must be for a just cause. All other means must have been exhausted. The good expected from the strike should be greater than its negative consequence. There should be a reasonable hope of success. The means employed must be morally acceptable. Compendium, 2435. Laborem Exercens, 20. 8. The Principle of Profit Sharing Consciousness of Corporate Social Responsibility “ True socialization is achieved only when all Practical Benefits persons, on the basis of their work, can fully Promotes healthy employer- employee relations. consider themselves Promotes loyalty. part owners”. St. Pope Promotes equity and social justice. John Paul II , Laborem Increases productivity. Exercens, 14. Promotes team spirit. Results in reduction in labor turnover. Results to less supervision. INSTRUCTIONS: Kindly start doing the Part 2 of your Course Inquiry Project. Refer to the instructions for your group collaboration.