Emergence of Mid Class PDF

Emergence of Mid Class American Period – After colonization, the Philippine Islands began to industrialize ahead of other colonies in Asia during the period up to the outbreak of the Second World War. Due to the free trade with the United States, the Philippines was initially dependent on the United...

Emergence of Mid Class American Period – After colonization, the Philippine Islands began to industrialize ahead of other colonies in Asia during the period up to the outbreak of the Second World War. Due to the free trade with the United States, the Philippines was initially dependent on the United States for about 70 per cent of its foreign trade.. However, with the establishment of the Commonwealth in 1935, industrialization among Filipinos were promoted. In 1934, the National Economic Protectionism Association (NEPA) was founded by a group of Filipino entrepreneurs and the National Developing Company (NDC), was transformed into a holding company for state enterprises in 1936, followed by the establishment of state enterprises in various areas of light industries (Doronila 1992, pp. 32–34). As a result, the manufacturing industries had grown to account for 11.3 per cent of the country’s employed workforce by 1939. After Independence – In the 1950s, the country embarked on full-Scale import-substitution industrialization. The percentage of national income generated by the manufacturing sector grew. The import-substitution industrialization which had continued through the 1950s and 1960s brought about significant changes in the Philippine social structure such as growth in entrepreneurship and a decline in agriculture. Marcos – The Marcos Administration used an export oriented economic policy to fas track domestic industries. However, it was met by corruption when he took over enterprises and handed it to his cronies. As a result, the declining percentage of employment in the primary industries was continuously absorbed by the tertiary industries. After Marcos- Privatization of industries were pursued by Aquino after the democratization of the Philippines. The middle classes compared to Marcos era just increased slightly. CHARACTERISTICS Industrialization progressed slowly and was accompanied by the growth of the tertiary industries and the informal sector. The middle classes have a relatively small population and have distinct characteristics compared to the agrarian population and working class. They display internal diversity with large income differentials even within similar occupations across different subsectors. They are not organized based on class consciousness or occupation, but rather form small groups based on personal relationships and join ad hoc coalitions focusing on specific issues. Due to their small population and lack of cohesiveness, the middle classes have limited political influence under ordinary circumstances. However, they can play an important role in times of crisis due to their mobilization capability and concentration in Metro Manila. MIDDLE CLASS BEFORE MARTIAL LAW The communist camp posed a challenge to traditional politics which was characterized by patron client relations and oligarchy and gained support from radical peasant and labor movements. The middle classes prior to martial law were mostly submerged in patron-client networks and had no distinct political demands.After the assassination of former Senator Aquino in 1983, the Marcos regime lost popular support and an economic crisis occurred. A protest movement arose, with many members of the middle classes joining in. Anti-Marcos forces formed coalitions and organizations to oppose the regime. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) was founded in 1985 as a more organized anti-Marcos coalition. - BANDILA was formed in August and supported Cory Aquino for President Movement Bagong Alyansang Makabayan boycotted the election. The election was fraudulent and led to protests and chaos Minister of Defense Enrile, Deputy Chief of Staff Ramos, and RAM defected from Marcos and joined BANDILA Middle classes played a significant role in the protest movement. The protest movement was not a middle-class movement, but drew support from all social classes Middle classes joined cause-oriented groups based on networks of dyadic relationships. Cause-oriented groups were the main building blocks of the anti-Marcos coalitions. Middle classes had to join forces with other classes in political action ATOM was one of the influential cause-oriented groups. ATOM had 114 members after the "people's power revolution" with diverse class backgrounds and educational backgrounds. - 60.5% of the members were college graduates, 19.3% had some college education, 9.6% were high school graduates, and 4.4% had not finished high school. Some members were professionals working for government-owned companies, indicating moral outrage as a motivation for joining the movement. Other influential cause-oriented groups included Manindigan!, AWARE, and SANDATA. Manindigan! was founded by a small group of businessmen and had about 150 members. AWARE was an organization of about 25 professional women. SANDATA was formed by businessmen and professionals and later expanded to include members from the urban poor sector. After the Aquino administration was formed, many leaders of the anti-Marcos movement were appointed to key government positions. Traditional politicians who had joined Marcos' KBL lost their political influence. The Aquino administration became more conservative and protest movement leaders were gradually removed from key positions. The new constitution and congressional elections brought traditional political forces back to the forefront. The Aquino administration's rightward shift alienated many former protest movement leaders. BANDILA became inactive and cause-oriented groups born during the anti-Marcos struggle disappeared. Citizens are mobilized through voluntary groups and express their political will when specific issues arise. Ad hoc coalitions are formed around specific issues, led by businessmen and the middle classes. The number and combination of organizations in a coalition vary depending on the issue. The number of NGOs, led by the middle class, increased during the Aquino administration. NGOs have become a new means of political participation for activists involved in the anti-Marcos struggle. KOMPIL II was formed as a coalition drawing support from all social - The middle classes in the Philippines emerged during the Filipinization of government organizations under American colonial rule and industrialization in the 1930s. The middle classes participated in political activities, including CODE-NGO acting as the secretariat of KOMPIL II.