The Church as an ISA Today

The Catholic Church today as an Ideological State Apparatus has a

widespread but uneven influence on Philippine society. Given the scope and
complexity of its influence, as well as the crucial role it played during the two
People Power uprisings in 1986 and 2001, which led to the downfall of
Presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada, it is very possible that the
Church has assumed a new and significantly more influential role in
government and politics.

The Church has more than 2,000 parishes with about 10,300 churches
and chapels across the country. In addition to this, the Opus Dei, a “personal
prelature” of the Pope, has about 3,000 members. The Church has the ability
to speak powerfully on the national level through the pronouncements of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and it can reach the
most remote barangay through its priests and various media channels such
as its Radio Veritas.

The Catholic Church has been intimately involved in many aspects of

the Philippine society. It is most evident as an ideological state apparatus
with its influence on family law, particularly on the long-standing prohibition
of divorce and contraceptives and abortion. It has influenced, with varying
degrees over time, the government’s commitment to family planning. It has
also had an important influence on education. There are 17 Catholic
universities, 151 Church run colleges and almost 400 Catholic secondary
schools with a total enrolment of more than 670,000 students. Many of the
Philippines, brightest students are educated at Church-affiliated colleges and
universities such as the Ateneo de Manila University, St. Scholastica’s
College and De La Salle University. On the local level, the Church has had a
widespread presence in many remote areas compared to either civilian
government or the military.

The Philippine Church became active in socio-economic development

following the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65 (Vatican II). The Church
directly or indirectly has supported numerous foundations and other
organizations addressing a wide variety of social problems. These have
included urban squatters’ and farmers’ cooperatives, health clinics,
counselling centers, and human rights organizations.
 The Catholic Church, however, is no more monolithic than any other
group or institution in the Philippines. The more than two decades that have
passed since Vatican II have not resolved the disagreements within the
Church concerning the extent to which it should be actively involved in
fighting existing socio-economic and political injustices. The conservative old
guard insists that the Church should restrict itself to strictly spiritual matters.
The moderates believe that the Church has a responsibility to respond to the
socio-economic problems of the poor, but they have shied from advocating
social change. The progressive arm of the Church believes that the Church’s
energies should be focused on the problems of the poor and that the Church
should take the lead in pressing for fundamental social changes.

Looking to the future, there are a number of areas of possible

disagreement between the Church and the government. These include
continuing problems of corruption human rights abuses, inadequate social
services, and environmental degradation. The Church may also clash with
the government over changes in family law and particularly over the issue of
divorce. Perhaps the most important test of the Church’s relationship with
the government will be over the use of family planning. The Catholic
Church’s opposition to the promotion of family planning methods is only one
of a number of socio-economic cultural and bureaucratic factors responsible
for the country’s rapid population growth. The government cannot continue
to ignore or dismiss the negative socio-economic consequences of rapid
population growth. It will have to play a more active role in providing both
information on family planning methods and other family planning services.
Assuming that the government does recognize the need for a more effective
national planning program, the Church will have to choose between silently
accepting the program and actively opposing it. The Church’s response will
affect its relationship with the government. More importantly, it will also
affect the prospects of the poor majority of Filipinos who suffer the most
from unchecked population growth.

As an ideological state apparatus, the Church faces a number of

significant questions and challenges. Will it continue to walk the line
separating Church and state in the Philippines? Can it play a leading role in
improving the socio-economic conditions without becoming too deeply
involved in policy-making and politics? Where will it draw the line between
acceptable social activism and unacceptable political action? How will it
reconcile its concern for the poor majority of the Filipinos with its
conservatism on key social issues such as the role of women and family
planning?
Sources:

• http://changingminds.org/explanations/critical_theory/concepts/isa.htm

• http://eapi.admu.edu.ph/eapr005/bacani.htm

• http://www.internationaleducationmedia.com/philippines/