Respect for

Human Dignity
at Work

The Priority
of Labor over
Capital

Respect
for Basic
Human
Rights

Social
Dimension
of Private
Property

Preferential
Option for
the Poor

1. Priority of Labor Over Capital

Capital has the tendency to improve PROFITABILITY at
the expense of LABOR.

Hardest hit is the rate of salaries and benefits of

personnel
reducing manpower through EARLY RETIREMENT
Ethical Option
morally acceptable if
1. all other alternatives, options are exhausted.
2. There is an imminent danger of bankruptcy or
closure.
Human activity proceeds from man: it is also ordered to him. When he works, not only does he
transform matter and society, but he fulfills himself. He learns, he develops his faculties and he
emerges from and transcends himself. Rightly understood, this kind of growth is more precious than
any kind of wealth that can be amassed. It is what a man is, rather than he has, that counts.
Technical progress is of less value than advances towards greater justice, wider brotherhood, and a
more humane social environment. Technical progress may supply the material for human advance
but it is powerless to actualize it. - GS, 1965, 35

1. Priority of Labor Over Capital

Capital is impossible without labor and labor is hopeless
is hopeless without capital.
Historical Factors conflicts between labor and capital
Black Slavery

Self/autonomous worker
of Industrial Revolution

a highly respected
member of the
production team
the bigger the business = the bigger the conflicts

1. Priority of Labor Over Capital

Philosophical Factors
1. Economism
- sees LABOR solely according to its ECONOMIC
purpose / a worker as a body that works and perspires
and nothing more
- not as a member of the a family who feels the burden
of work or enjoys it, a personality who needs to rest, to
pray, to recreate and to socialize
2. Materialism
- consumerism (happiness due to material possessions)/ eudaemonism
(happiness due to economic prosperity)
- labor as an instrument of production
In Ethics Capital should be at the service of labor and not labor at the
service of capital

1. Priority of Labor Over Capital

Labor is not a commodity, but an asset and a valuable
resource.
Labor are REAL PEOPLE with emotions, tendencies and
reactions as those of the managers/ who unlike machines,
are motivated by human needs and legitimate desires.
It follows by no means that those who work daily in such an
enterprise are to be considered merely as servants Mater et
Magistra, 83

As image of God, the human persons natural mission is to

subdue the earth and dominate it. By his labor, he honors the
gifts and talents received by him from the creator.
Person is the subject of work/ not its object.
Labor is intrinsically and naturally NOBLE, first am0ng other Ms
MONEY, MATERIALS, METHODS AND MARKETS.

2. Respect for Human Dignity

at Work
Labor is GODs people the IMAGE of the
LIVING GOD
Contrary Effects of Work
1. When it becomes the CHIEF determinant
of human dignity, an INDEX of human worth,
it dehumanizes men and their relationships.
2. Since work promises money, pleasure and
power, it can invite selfishness.

2.Respect for Human Dignity

at Work
Sharing in the Creative Activity of God
- Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and
subdue it Gen. 1:28
- Through his work, man continues to develop and
perfect the whole creation as he advances in the
discovery of the resources and values of creation.
- Work for the sake of salary kills creativity.
- Since people are not similarly gifted with the tools of
productivity (intellect), it becomes an obligation for
those gifted to care for those less endowed.
(Ethics and the Filipino, Ramon Agapay, 84)

2. Respect for Human Dignity

at Work
Gospel of Work
a. Jesus was once a craftsman like Joseph of Nazareth.
b. He appreciates and respects human work in his
discourses.
He looks with love upon human work and the
different forms it takes, seeing in each one of these
forms a particular facets of mans likeness with God,
the Creator and Father LE 26

The Cross and Resurrection of Christ

a. Work and Christ Paschal Mystery LE 27
b. Fruit of human work better ordering of human
society, furthering of Christs kingdom in anticipation
of the New Heaven and New Earth ( Rev 21:1)

2. Respect for Human Dignity

at Work
Man is not the means to be used to economic
development. It is economic development that must be the
means to the development of man. ( Quoted in The Philippine
Daily Inquirer, Dec. 13, 1996, p. 2)

It is therefore improper to reduce man to one of

these aspects ( social, political and economic) or to
any combination of them only.

2. Respect for Human Dignity

at Work
Three Spheres (where man is developed as the
subject of work)/necessity of work
- PERSONAL
> Man expresses himself and his personality in work.
a man by his work gives his imprint to it, acquiring
as he does so, perseverance, skill and a spirit of
invention (PP 27)
- FAMILY
> Work makes family, the first school of work.
> Inculcating in the children the necessity and nobility
of work
The family is simultaneously a community made
possible by work and the first school of work ( LE 10)

2. Respect for Human Dignity

at Work
Three Spheres (where man is developed as the
subject of work)/necessity of work
- SOCIAL
> through the work of its citizens nations develop
> through collective effort ( hopes, aspirations,
hardships and joy shared together occasions to be
with others and a commitment to do something for
others (CA, 31) and find themselves as brothers and
sisters (PP 27)
> Our work defines our roles in society and shapes most
of the directions and dynamics of our lives.

Homo
vivens
est
gloria
Dei
The
glory of

3. Respect for Basic Human

Rights
Reality
- Violations of Human Rights
1. Man is considered nothing more than as instrument
of production or a necessary item in a consumer
economy.
2. Politicians treat them as fertile soil for gimmicks.
3. To exploit other peoples unpreparedness and
ignorance and to give them in doleouts what is due to
them in justice is the vilest action against the dignity
of any human person.

3. Respect for Basic Human

Rights
Reality
- Violations of Human Rights
4. Massive poverty, broad daylights killings and
kidnappings, rapes, torture, detention without trial;
OFWs returning physically brutalized, if not, dead;
police brutalities, fighting between the government
forces and the rebels; international debt.
- $ 59.8 billion = P 3.35 trillion = P 41, 000 per
Filipino
- 94 % of the total revenues foreign debt services
Payments of debts should not result in hunger and
despair for nations.
CA 34-35

3. Respect for Basic Human

Rights
Reality
- OFWs
- Possible Types of Exploitation of Filipino migrant
workers face abroad:
1. lack of avenues for redress of grievances
2. excessive workload and deregulated working
hours
3. deceptive contractual arrangements, physical
abuse and sexual assault
4. maltreatment
5. rape and forcible abortion
- Carmelita Dimson, Director in charge of DOLEs Welfare
and Employment Office

3. Respect for Basic Human

Rights
Nature
- Human rights are prerogatives given by God to man
which are inalienable, fundamentally important,
unconditional, unchangeable and common to all
human beings.
( Pacem in Terris, 1963, The Landmark in the
acceptance by the Catholic Church of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights)

- Human rights and duties

- Fundamental rights of human beings exercise of
human dignity

UN Declaration of Human Rights (Dec. 30, 1948)

Article No. ( 1-21 individual rights)
1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
2. Everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without
distinction
3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
4. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude;
5. No one shall be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment.
6. Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
7. All are equal before the law
8. Everyone has an access to competent national tribunals
9. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

10. Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing

11. Everyone charged with a penal offense has the right to be presumed innocent until proved
guilty.
12. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or
correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation.
13. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each
state/ right to leave any country, including his own and to return to his country.
14. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
15. Everyone has a right to nationality/ no one shall be deprived of his nationality nor denied
the right to change his nationality.
16. Men and women of full age, without any limitation have the right to marry and to found a
family with full consent.
17. Everyone has the right to own property.
18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

20.Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

21. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country/right access to public
service in his country.
(22-30 social rights)
22. Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security for fee development of
his personality.
23 .Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable
conditions of work and to protection against unemployment/ right to equal pay for equal
work./ right to just favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an
existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of
social protection.
24.Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours
and periodic holidays with pay.
25.Everyone has the right to a standard of living/ motherhood and childhood are entitled to
special care and assistance.
26.Everyone has the right to education( at least in the elementary stage)/ directed to the full
development of human personality and to strengthen respect for human rights and
fundamental freedom.

27.Everyone has the right to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts
and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
28.Everyone is entitled to a social and internal order in which the rights and freedoms set forth
in this Declaration can be fully realized.
29.Everyone has duties to the community/ rights and freedom of an individual shall be
subjected to such limitations as determined by the law.
30.Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person
any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of
the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

4. Social Dimension of
Private Property
Nature - Right to private property
- it includes the following:
1. The prerogative to freely dispose of your properties,
i.e., to use, consume, sell, donate, or bequest it.
2. The exclusive claim to the fruits produced by your
properties, whether they are natural or industrial
3. The right to exclude others from acting upon your
properties; and
4. The right to restitution in the event of unlawful
deprivation or damage to your properties.
- Personal reason
Right to private property is a necessary right to
exercise personal responsibility and self-actualization
towards a more creative development

4. Social Dimension of
Private Property
Nature - Right to private property
- Moral reason
It provides one with a sense of independence, as it
serves as a protection for your freedom.
- Social reason
It enables one to provide for the support and
development of those who are entrusted to your care.
- Psychological reason
It has brought about personal initiative, drive and
enterprise.

4. Social Dimension of
Private Property
Two factors that make it a conditional right
- Personal Needs
You are not, and no one is, justified to possess, to own,
to keep for your exclusive use what you do not need,
particularly when you know in conscience there are
many others lacking necessities in life.
- Needs of the Community
You are not to exercise it detrimental to the common
good.

4. Social Dimension of
Private Property
Property right is not an absolute right.
By virtue of their origin and nature, by the will of the
Creator, worldly goods and riches are meant to serve the
utility and progress of each and every human being. Thus each
and every person enjoys a primary, fundamental and absolute
inviolable right to share in the use of these goods. All other
rights, including the right to private property and free trade,
are subordinate to this right.
(Evangelization at Present and in the Future of Latin America)
The world is given to all, and not only to the rich.
The rich have no right to get richer while the poor get
poorer.
God created and destined the earth and all its resources and
fruits it contains fro the benefits of all human residents of this
planet.
The Divine Will ordains that all created things and natural
resources be shared fairly by all members of the human family
under the guidance of justice and as tempered by
charity.

5. Preferential Option for the

Poor
It is a Christian Preference.
- He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
Lk 4:18

- equally applies to our social responsibilities and hence

to our manner of living
- embraces those who are hungry, the needy, the
homeless, those without medical care and above all
those without hope of a better future ( to ignore these
realities is to be like the rich man in the story of The
Rich and Lazarus)

5. Preferential Option for the

Poor
A personal choice, but can be a corporate choice
In Solidbank we believe that business has a responsibility to
help society, principally its less fortunate members
We shall not lose sight of our fundamental mission of enhancing
our shareholders return on investment
But at the same time, we recognize that there are opportunities
for us to make a meaningful impact in the lives and living
conditions of certain underpriviledged communities deserving
of our financial and moral support

- CSR ( Corporate Social Responsibility)

social investment/ resource sharing/ business ethics
concretized

Right to
Adequate
Work and Full
Employment

Right to Just
Wage and
Compensation

Right to Due Process

Versus Employment at
Will

Right to Good
Working
Conditions, Social
Security and Health
Benefits

Right to
Security of
Tenure

Right to
Organize and
Join Unions
Right to Strike

Why do I work?
Work is a means to connect oneself within and around
the family circle, be it in the form of doing menial tasks
like washing and ironing clothes at home or simply
fulfilling ones specific duties in the office.
Work is sharing of oneself wit the rest of Gods creation;
Work is a therapy;
Work is a buffer to ones financial and social life;
Work is an expression of ones creativity;
Work is a road to realizing ones dreams;
Work is an opportunity for polishing virtues;
Work is a source of ones happiness;
Work is a right that should not be denied any person.
Just as God is a worker via his awesome creation, he likewise intends the human
person to possess the basic freedom to work, using all the talents he is endowed
with, so as to reach his true destiny which is called perfection.
- Maritess P. Manuel, Accounts specialist, Development Bank of the Philippines.

 The Right to Adequate Work and Full employment

- Currency crisis in 1997 -99 East Asia
- a fundamental right
(
Right to work is part and parcel of the right to life and
the duty to sustain it.)
- a constitutional right
ART 2, Sec 9 - The State shall provide full
employment and improve the quality o f life.

ART 13, Sec 3 - The State shall afford full protection to labor, local and overseas,
organized and unorganized and promote full employment and equality of
employment opportunities for all guarantee the rights of all workers to selforganized, collective bargaining and negotiations, and peaceful concerted activities,
including the right to strike in accordance with law entitled to security of tenure,
humane conditions of work and a living wage also participate in policy and
decision- making processes affecting their rights and benefits as may be provided by
law.

 The Right to Due Process versus Employment at Will

- Employment at will
(
Employers and corporate owners may dismiss at will
for good cause, for no cause, or even for causes morally
wrong, without being thereby guilty of any legal
wrong.)
- Effect labor as mere means of production/
properties of capital
- Employees rights to due process
( They can appeal a
decision or action made by a superior in order to get a
rational explanation of the decision and objective review
of its propriety.)
- Conditions of a due process:
1. Clear and simple notice of rules.
2. Consistent administration of these rules.
3. Fair and impartial hearing.

4. Objective determination of the

fact
5. Non-liability of the innocent.

 The Right to Due Process versus Employment at Will

- Labor Code
Sec. 1 SECURITY OF TENURE AND DUE PROCESS
No worker shall be dismissed except for a just or authorized cause provided by law and after
due process.
Sec. 2 NOTICE OF DISMISSAL
Any employer who seeks to dismiss a worker shall furnish him a written notice stating the
particular acts or omission constituting the grounds for his dismissal . In cases of
abandonment of work, the notice shall be served at the workers last known address.
Sec. 5 ANSWER AND HEARING
The worker may answer the allegations stated against him in the notice of dismissal within
a reasonable period from receipt of notice. The employer shall afford the worker ample
opportunity to be heard and defend himself with the assistance of his representative, if he so
desires.
Sec. 6 DECISION TO DISMISS
The employer shall immediately notify a worker in writing of the decision to dismiss him
stating clearly the reason thereof.
Sec. 7 RIGHT TO CONTEST DISMISSAL
Any decision taken by the employer shall be without prejudice to the right of the worker to
contest the validity or legality of his dismissal by filing a complaint with the Regional
Branch of the Commission.

 The Right to Due Process versus Employment at Will

- Labor Code
Sec. 8 PERIOD TO DECIDE
Cases involving the dismissal of worker shall be decided by the Labor Arbiter within 20
working days from the date of submission of such case decision.
Sec. 9 REINSTATEMENT PENDING HEARING
The Secretary may suspend the effects of the termination pending resolution of the case in
the event of prima facie finding that the termination may cause a serious labor dispute or is
in implementation of a mass lay-off.
Sec. 10 CERTIFICATION OF EMPLOYMENT
A dismissed worker shall be entitled to receive, on request, a certificate from the employer
specifying the dates of his engagement and termination of his employment and the type or
types of work on which he was employed.
Sec. 11 REPORT OF DISMISSAL
The employer shall submit a monthly report to the Regional Office having jurisdiction over
the place of work all dismissals effected by him during the month, specifying therein the
names of dismissed workers, the reason for their dismissal, the dates of commencement and
termination of employment, the positions last held by them and such other information as
may be required by the Department for policy guidance and statistical purposes.

p 109

 The Right to Security of Tenure

- a basic right of public and private employees
- It means
- Regular/ Contractual/ Probationary/ Casual worker
Reality ( Mr. Business can afford to worry less about going
to hell when he dies than going to jail or paying a fine sooner or
later.)
p 109

- Just causes for termination:

Serious misconduct or willful disobedience/ gross and habitual neglect of the
workers duties/ crime against the employer and his/her immediate family members
- Workers can also be terminated due to redundancy, retrenchment and the
installation of other labor- saving devices to prevent losses. (1 month)
- Even if there is a just cause for dismissal, business may still rule against dismissal
from work because this right is essentially related to the right to life and the natural
duty to sustain it.
The right to life obviously rules overall.

 The Right to Security of Tenure

- Is sickness a ground for termination?
Yes, one may terminate the service of an employee who has
been found to be suffering from any disease and whose continued
employment ids prohibited by law or is prejudicial to his own
health as well as to the health of his co-workers.
p 112
- Can a worker terminate himself?

The Right to Just Wage and Compensation

- In the legal sense, it is the minimum wage.
- It was set to protect low-paid employees against all types of exploitation.Is
sickness a ground for termination?
-What is legally accepted as minimum wage may not necessarily be just.

Church and Economic Social Life

Church human development ( must promote the good of every man
and of the whole man PP 14)

Economic Level
in the concentration
of land and wealth in
the hands of the few,
urban-industrial and
management capital,
problem of poverty.

Social Level
Injustice

in population pressures,
disintegration of the
family,
graft and corruption.

Church and Economic Social Life

HUMAN WORK
Christian Meaning of Work ( LE)
2. subjective sense human person
with the following principles:
a. Work is for man, not man for work.
b. Priority over Capital
2a. Work is for man, not man for work.
- Technology instruments at the service of workers
neither to enslave, nor deprive them of the right to
work

Church and Economic Social Life

HUMAN WORK

Christian Meaning of Work ( LE)

2. subjective sense human person
a. Work is for man, not man for work.
- Three Spheres (where man is developed as the subject of work)/necessity
of work
PERSONAL
> Man expresses himself and his personality in work.
a man by his work gives his imprint to it, acquiring as he does so,
perseverance, skill and a spirit of invention (PP 27)
FAMILY
> Work make family, the first school of work.
> Inculcating in the children the necessity and nobility of work
The family is simultaneously a community made possible by work
and the first school of work ( LE 10)

Church and Economic Social Life

HUMAN WORK
Christian Meaning of Work ( LE)
2. subjective sense human person
a. Work is for man, not man for work.
- Three Spheres (where man is developed as the subject of work)
SOCIAL
> through the work of its citizens nations develop
> through collective effort ( hopes, aspirations, hardships and joy shared
together occasions to be with others and a commitment to do
something for others (CA, 31) and find themselves as
brothers and sisters (PP 27)
> Our work defines our roles in society and shapes most of the directions
and dynamics of our lives.

Church and Economic Social Life

HUMAN WORK
Christian Meaning of Work ( LE)
2. subjective sense human person
b. Priority of Labor over Capital
> Labor is always a primary efficient cause and capital remains simply
as an instrumental cause LE 12
> not to be treated as a mere instrument of production,
nor a commodity to be sold and bought in
accordance with the law of supply and
demand.- LE 6
> Every type of work has its human value and the primary value is not
the type of work but the one who performs it:

the PERSON

Church and Economic Social Life

HUMAN WORK
Contrary Effects of Work
1. When it becomes the CHIEF determinant of human dignity, an INDEX of
human worth, it dehumanizes men and their relationships.
2. Since work promises money, pleasure and power, it can invite selfishness.

Sharing in the Creative Activity of God

Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it Gen. 1:28
- Through his work, man continues to develop and perfect the whole creation as he
advances in the discovery of the resources and values of creation.
- Work for the sake of salary kills creativity.
- Since people are not similarly gifted with the tools of productivity (intellect), it
becomes an obligation for those gifted to care for those less endowed. (Ethics and
the Filipino, Ramon Agapay, 84)

Church and Economic Social Life

HUMAN WORK
Gospel of Work
a. Jesus was once a craftsman like Joseph of Nazareth.
b. He appreciates and respects human work in his discourses.
he looks with love upon human work and the different forms it takes, seeing in
each one of these forms a particular facets of mans likeness with God, the
Creator and Father LE 26

The Cross and Resurrection of Christ

a. Work and Christ Paschal Mystery LE 27
b. Fruit of human work better ordering of human society, furthering of
Christs kingdom in anticipation of the New Heaven and New Earth
( Rev 21:1)

Church and Economic Social Life

RIGHTS OF WORKERS

1. Just Remuneration for Work

Criteria for a just wage based on the official documents of the Church:
Quadragesimo Anno (Pope Pius XI, Mater et Magistra (Pope John XXIII,
Rerum Novarum(Pope Leo XIII and Laborem Exercens (Pope John Paul II

a. Enough to support the worker or those under his/her care

i. Living Wage
-not simply what has been agreed upon between the worker and the employer
-nor what is being stipulated in the existing law of the land
-What is legally accepted as minimum wage may not necessarily be just.

ii. Family Wage

The norms of justice and equity . . . requires that workers receive a wage
sufficient to lead a life worthy of a human being and to fulfill family
responsibilities properly. MM 71

b. State of business
c. The public economic good
d. The contribution of the individual to the economic effort (MM 75)

Church and Economic Social Life

RIGHTS OF WORKERS

2. Right to Protection and Social Security

a. The workers must enjoy certain benefits.
A human being also has the right to security in case of sickness, inability to work,
widowhood, old age, unemployment, or in any other case which he is deprived of
the means of subsistence through no fault of his own. PT 11
The social benefits cover the expenses involved in health care, especially in the
case of accidents at work and medical assistance should easily available for
workers if possible cheap or even free of charge LE 19

b. Workers should be treated as human beings, giving them free time to rest
(at least Sunday on a regular weekly basis, holidays or vacation), and
attend to their obligation. RN 31; 57-60; PT 19; LE 19
c. A good working environment

Church and Economic Social Life

RIGHTS OF WORKERS
3. Right to Qwnership

a. Private ownership is not an absolute and unconditional right.

God intended the earth and all that it contains for the use of every human being
and people. GS 69
No one is justified in keeping for his exclusive use what he does not need, when
others lack necessities. PP 23
b. Just ownership of the means of work, sharing by the workers in the management
and/ or profits of business, so called shareholding by labor - LE 14

Church and Economic Social Life

RIGHTS OF WORKERS

4. Right to Organize Trade Unions

a. To ensure that the interest and rights of workers are protected
b. It is derived from the fundamental right to free association.
Among the basic rights of the human person must be counted the right of freely
founding labor unions. . . To represent the workers and to contribute to the proper
arrangement of economic life. - GS 68
c. It also aims to organize activities that will foster their self education to be more.
- LE 20

d. Labor Unions ( LE 20)

- It is the mouthpiece for the struggle for social justice, not a struggle
against others.
- It has certain limitations.
- Abuses of it can lead to misfortune and destruction not only of property
but most valuable human life.
- It must not play politics.

Church and Economic Social Life

RIGHTS OF WORKERS
Question of Strike

1. It is a collective withdrawal from work on the part of the laborers unless their demand
are met and granted.
2. Issue on Strike and the Church
This method is recognized by Catholic social teaching as legitimate in the proper
conditions and within just limits. . . while admitting that it is a legitimate means, we
must at the same time emphasize that a strike remains, in a sense , an extreme means.
It must not be abused; it must not be used especially for political purposes. . . abuse of
the strike weapon can lead to the paralysis of the socio-economic life, and this is
contrary to the requirements of the common good of society. LE 20
3. For a strike to be moral, the following must be present:
a. There is a sufficient and just reason for it;
b. The intended good results must be proportionate to the evil effects;
c. The means employed are lawful.

Church and Economic Social Life

DUTIES OF WORKERS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Prepare oneself. for the task he wishes to pursue.

Render the services conscientiously.
Up-dating ones knowledge.
Maintain respect, honesty, fraternal charity and justice with his employer.
Never consort with agitator or men of evil principles.

DUTIES OF EMPLOYERS
1. Respect the human dignity of the workers.
2. Appreciate their work/
3. Never treat them as slaves for making money;
4. Never assign them task beyond their strength, do not employ them in work suited to
their age or sex;
5. Give them commensurate wages;
6. Provide for their health and social recreation;
7. Provide them time for the practice of their religion;
8. Instruct them on how to use their money wisely;
9. Instruct them to love their family;
10.Provide them with opportunities for promotion.

Church and Economic Social Life

CHURCH and ECONOMICS

Economic decisions are moral decisions that affect human beings.

They should be carried out humanely and morally.

The true aim of economy for men to develop a dignified life

All of economic life recognize the fact that we are all Gods children and members of
one human family, called to exercise a clear priority for the least among us. CA 35

HOUSING, HEALTH, POPULATION GROWTH

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Origin and Meaning of the State

1. Manifestation of the Divine Ruler Worship
Representative of God
2. As a result of power struggle
3. For the satisfaction of basic needs ( utilitarianism)
4. From the Social Teachings of the Church
a. Socio-theological interpretation
- Leader worship contradicts Sacred Scriptures (Mk.12:17/ vs. deification of the
state)
- The leader of the State is not the presence of God (Only Christ is the appearance
of God).
- The States power is meant to put order in the society (Rom. 13:3-4).
- The power of coercion vested in the State is only in this world.
- The state can degenerate into an ungodly power ( instead for the common good,
can be a source of terror and evil in the land).
- The States authority is from God ( Rom. 13:1-2).

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Origin and Meaning of the State

4. From the Social Teachings of the Church
b. Socio-philosophical interpretation
The STATE
-

the highest social form of a people

grounded in natural law,
serving the perfection of its earthly well-being,
resting on the might and right,
the supreme expression and highest guardian of the common good.

Principle of Subsidiarity
- States intervention taking into consideration what private individuals or
enterprise can and should do by themselves and allowing them to do it.

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Political Authority
- constitutive element of the state
- form auctoritas - Latin verb, augere to increase/ to enrich
- the power or the institution meant for the enrichment and promotion of those over
whom it is exercised.
- Two kinds of authority:
1. Personal ( superiority of a person)
2. Official or Social ( will of the society through an election)
A social life can not exist among a number of people unless the presidency of one to
look after the common good; for many as such, seek many things, whereas one
attends only to one. St. Thomas
- has its root in God and was given by God to serve Him. Gen 1:28; Sir. 17:2
- must be exercised in service.
whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be
first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man also came not to be served
but to serve. Mk. 10:43 -45

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Political Authority
- may be
1. legitimate

one who acquired power through an explicit consent of the

citizens and performs its God given duties
2. illegitimate one who claims or gets hold of power unjustly, by the use of
3 Fs: force, fraud and fear)
- special issue: continuous misuse of ones power contrary to the common good
1. citizens have the right to resist their tyrannical ruler and strive for his/her
removal
2. using legal means available,
3. resisting passively through non-violent refusal to obey the law, or
4. using active non-violent means ( mobilization of public opinion, mass
demonstration, general strike)

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Duties of Citizens towards the State

- Love of ones country
1. manifested in their faithfulness to the welfare of the country in times of calamities,
pain, hardships or success.
2. manifested in their readiness to help the country in just causes.
3. must not be limited to a narrow nationalism without considering the rights and
welfare of other countries.
richer countries have the duty to help the poorer ones in the spirit of love and
justice. Mater et Magistra, John XXIII
- Civic Responsibility and Participation
1. participate in the affairs of the state and be responsible citizens.
2. respecting the norms of the state ( traffic laws, sanitation, election and paying of
taxes)

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Vigilance for the sake of the State

- eliminate negative elements vs. peace and harmony
- participation in military services and in war

Common Good
- defined as the sum of those conditions of social life by which individuals,

families and groups can achieve their own fulfillment in a relatively

thorough and ready way. GS 74
- good general interest

connotes not only the exterior conditions and material things,

but also moral and spiritual values
perfects, achieves and completes the human person as rational
and free human being
provides peace, security, confidence and happiness.

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Common Good

- Essential Components:
1. public external order ( protection of life, property/ respect of freedom
and rights/ security and the exercise of justice and equality)
2. public well-being and prosperity ( Mater et Magistra, John XXIII)
> employment, respect for the rights of workers, public services, wages
and prices, have regards for future generation
3. intellectual, moral and spiritual development
- Conditions in attaining Common Good
1.
2.
3.
4.

Freedom
Protection of Basic Rights
Promotion of Every Individual
Social Authority

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Politics

- Historical Aspects:
1. Graeco- Roman Matrix
a. Platos Political Idealism
> Reality = ideas ( true self) and phenomena
> Politics is reduced to ethics.
> Kings must be philosophers.
b. Aristotles Political Realism
> State is a natural consequence of being human.
> Ethics is reduced to politics.
2. Patristic Period Middle Ages
a. St. Augustine of Hippo
> Ideal state = led by Christian leaders and citizens live in accordance
with the Christian Ideal
b. St. Thomas Aquinas
> Political authority = a necessity in attaining the common good
+ a transcendent end

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Politics

- Historical Aspects:
3. Modern Period
a. Francisco Suarez ( 1548-1617)
> Political authority = a natural necessity for man + citizens will
> Politics = a natural part of the whole society.
b. John Calvin ( 1509-1564)
> Political authority = a necessity as long as we are physically
human
> a reaction to the idea - Law is no longer necessary because Christ
has liberated us from its bondage.
c. The necessity need of man to be fully realized
Other communities are inadequate.

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Politics

- Historical Aspects:
3. Modern Period
d. Separation of politics and Christian Ethics
> Politics is commonly defined as the art of government and public
service.
> from the Greek word, polis, city
Political act every decision or action by the city or state
Political task to manage a city or state
e. Philippine Constitution
> Politics is meant for the good of civil society.
f. Reality
> Politics becomes an arena where interests of the powerful and the
rich few always tower over the weak and the poor.
> Public office has often become the means of enrichment, influence
and power for self and family interests.

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Politics

- Mentality that separate Morality from Politics:

1. Bourgeoisie mentality
a. existed among the bourgeoisie of the 19th century
b. shuns morality for it is not important in political matters.
c. focuses on self-interest ( liberalist mentality).
2. Marxist/ anarchist mentality
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Individual does not count.

What matters is the will of the state.
The individual is just an organism that exists for the will of the state.
Consequently, morality loses its importance.
Do not bow to any other authority, even to God.

3. Machiavellian mentality
4. Hegelian mentality

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Church and Poliitcs

- Church Involvement in Politics:

1. teaches that morality and politics can not be separated.
2. involves in the total human development of the people.
3. CBCP
Faith
= religious and moral dimension of life.
Every human activity = flows from the intellect and will ( which has a
religious and moral dimension, either leading
one to grace or to sin)
Therefore, human activity( politics) has a religious and moral
dimension.
4. not to grab for power,
a. but to take care of the peoples welfare and morality and
b. guide the them towards integral human development.

The State

Church and Politics

Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

- Church Involvement in Politics:

5. has the duty
a. to get involve in political action ( involves doing something
to influence and affect the policies of the state),
b. but never in partisan politics.- GS 76
6. Influencing government policies and actions through:
a. Collective action against graft and corruption, human rights
violations and socially-aggressive development projects;
b. Engaging in legislative advocacy, electoral activities
c. Monitoring and being involved in government projects.
This is evangelization: the PROCLAMATION, above all, of salvation
from sin; the LIBERATION from anything oppressive to man; the
DEVELOPMENT of man in all his dimensions, personal and
communitarian; and, ultimately, the RENEWAL of society in all its
strata through the interplay of the Gospel of Truth and Mans concrete
total Life. CBCP, The bond of love in Proclaiming the Good News,
Jan. 29, 1977

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Church and Politics

- Basis for the Churchs Involvement in Politics:

1. The Gospel and the Kingdom of God call the Church to Political Involvement.
a. Mk 1:15
b. The act of repentance and believing in the Gospel through
> renewing our lives,
> defending and promoting the values of the kingdom ( justice, peace,
truth, love, freedom, equality, mercy and reconciliation)
> proclaiming and live those values in all aspect of our lives.
2. The Churchs mission of integral salvation involves the temporal sphere,
not only the spiritual.
3. Salvation is liberation from personal and social sin, including sin in the
political sphere. EVANGELIZING politics and FORMING the
CONSCIENCE who are involve in politics.

The State
Responding to the Call of Justice and Love

Church and Politics

- Basis for the Churchs Involvement in Politics:

4. The Church has the option for the poor also in the field of politics.
> ensuring that the govt policies do not favor the rich at the expense of
the poor
5. At the core of the Churchs mission is the integral development of the
human person who is affected by politics.

- Moral religious truths that should guide and transform politics:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Human dignity and solidarity are first principles of politics.

The common good is the goal of political activity.
Authority and power are divine trust for service.
Between political community and the Church, there should be mutual
collaboration.

Trapo
by Yano

Jueteng at illegal logging may sideline rape at kidnapping

Dealer ng shabu at uzi commander ng private army
May ari ng subdivision stockholder ng corporation
Landlord na land grabber pa anak ka ng bobong tanga
May misis pero siyam and kabit na-addict kay sabik na sabik
Ang kapal mo hindi ka manipis ginu-good time mo lang ang aming buwis
Mas maraming absent kesa sa present di ginagawa kaniyang assignment.
Wala sa congress panay ang beauty rest.
Ang hirap mong hulihin. Lahat kaya mong bilhin
Wala kang silbi (@X) sa a min.
Trapo, trapo ka kasi. Trapo, trapo ka kasi.
Di na binoboto pero nananalo (2X)
And sarap mong ihawin. Ipalamon sa mga pating. Wala kang silbi sa amin.
Daming kalokohan, pero napagtatakpan.