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1. The Nun

2. The Cat and I

3. Community Organization

Denis Murphy's Story

Community Organization

by Denis Murphy

Introduction

In the early 1960s the Afro-American ghettos of American cities exploded in rage and frustration. Hundreds of people, mostly Afro-Americans, were killed; whole areas of the inner cities burned to the ground. White America was badly frightened. Largely in response to the riots Washington put together the War on Poverty.

The War did reasonably well in the beginning. It helped the poor organize, that is, come together, discuss their problems, propose solutions and bring their solutions to the decision makers in effective ways, including pressure tactics. Mistakes were made that could have been corrected in time. But concrete gains were also achieved, and thousands of poor people began to believe they could shape their futures. However, the city mayors who were often the targets of the pressure complained and Lyndon Johnson, who needed the mayors for the 1966 mid term elections, told the War on Poverty administrators to tone down the troublesome peoples initiatives. Money for organization dried up and soon the mayors were in full control. Washington chose politics over reform.

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Admittedly there were problems with the organizing work. Money was missing. Unsavory people gained influence. The author who was involved in one of the organizing efforts of the War in the South Bronx knows first hand of such problems. It is impossible to avoid mistakes in such a broad reform effort involving thousands, maybe millions of poor people who had never organized before. In the end the American program was seriously weakened when the organizing part of the War was suspended.

The May 1, 2001 mayhem alerted society that something must be done for the poor in the Philippines, something substantial and something done soon. This need is even more compelling in the Philippines than it was in the U.S., since here the poor are close to two thirds of the population, while poor peoples groups in the U.S. at the time of the riots were no more than 20%. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pledged at her inauguration to make the poor and poverty alleviation the number one priority of her administration. She repeats it in almost interview she gives. Will she and Philippine society stick with this resolve, or will they turn aside as the United States did in the 1960s?

This article cannot answer the question, but it will attempt, after describing the nature of community organization and its history, to show the indispensable role CO can play in a national anti poverty effort.

There will be more questions than answers.

Community organization (CO), a form of social action introduced in the Philippines in 1970, has enjoyed great success. It has also disappointed many, even its fondest supporters. It has been widely admired; it was once linked with the Basic Christian Community as the Church's main pastoral thrust (BCC-CO). It has been criticized by the radical left who called it reformist,' though they used it in their urban poor work, and by the right to whom it was subversive. CO over the years helped the poor achieve great victories, for example, in-city relocation at Dagat-Dagatan for 7,000 families of the Tondo Foreshore area and upgrading and titling for the other 23,000 families. In 1987 CO helped the peoples organization Sama-Sama persuade President Corazon Aquino to proclaim 150 has. for the residents of the National Government Center. CO played an important role in the anti-Marcos movement of the Martial Law period. Most urban poor areas being proclaimed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have active community organization groups that have hastened the proclamations. Among such areas are the Philippine National Railroad lands in Bicol; Baseco, Manila; Sitio Pajo, Quezon City; Parola, Manila.

Despite its success, some critics wonder if CO is out of date. They see it as an old rhinoceros, a creature left over from pre-historic time that is sadly out of place amid more glittering programs, such as, micro finance, the Community Mortgage Program, gender training, etc. Also, despite its success, the number of NGO groups concentrating on CO has dwindled; in the Metro Manila area there probably are no more than a handful. CO has influenced almost every social action effort even business supported foundations and government have CO workers but the numbers of traditional CO workers has dwindled.

Community Organization - Action, Reflection, Confrontation, Power

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