Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines

Alfred McCoy
PS 202 Report Raisa Neith Salvador MA Philippine Studies

Alfred McCoy
Professor of history at the University of WisconsinMadison His dissertation at Yale is entitled Ylo-ilo: Fictional Conflict in a colonial Economy His works were about Southeast Asia
http://history.wisc.edu/people/faculty/mccoy.htm

The Philippines has a long history of strong families assuring social survival when the nation is weak

What is the Filipino Family?

Practice of bilateral descent as a character of Filipino kinship Basic social institution (Civil Code, Art. 216) Recognition of its sanctity, protect and strengthen (Consti, Art.2 Sec. 12)

The Filipino family protects its members against all kinds -(Cordero and the good of misfortunes since Panopio, 1967) name of the family has to be protected.

Provides what the state and church cannot: (Conrado Benitez, 1932)
Employment and capital Education Medical care especially to the handicapped and elderly Transmits its name, honor, land, capital and values to the next generation

Philippines as an anarchy of families.

-(Robert Fox, 1959)

Political parties, ie Regimes Private entities There is a little separation between the enterprise and the household (Paul Hutchcroft, 1992)

Filipino Family and Politics

Family name is a valuable asset. Dynasty ie. Laurels, Osmenas, Cojuancos, Lopezes. Internal family battles can bear directly on the countrys politics, ie Cojuangco split in 194647.

an established name carries cachet and qualification, parties often favor a promising scion of an old line when selecting their candidates.

The Elite Families

Strong elite families and weak state. Leading actor in the unfolding of the national pageant. Provided a strong element of continuity to the countrys economic and social political history

the strongest unit of society, demanding the deepest -(Jean Grossholtz,the loyalties of 1964) individual and coloring all social activity with its own set of demands.

The Weak State

Elite and state are engaged in a reciprocal relationship. The emergence of powerful families through: 1. Rise of rents as a significant share of nations economy and 2. A simultaneous reduction of central governments control over the provinces. Privatization of public resources

The state as it evolved out of the colonial context, remains a weak apparatus for 1991) -(Temario Rivera, development Enjoying little autonomy from dominant

Rise of warlord-ism to protect both business and political. Crisologos of Ilocos Sur and Marcoses of Ilocos Norte.

Ferdinand Marcos as the ultimate example!

Political career as a defendant charged with murder of his fathers rival. Martial law to reform the family paradigm to remake the Philippines into a New Society. Kabataang Barangay Regime rested upon a coalition of rent-seeking families 1930s he succeeded to centralize political power.