__________________________________________________________________

The Church and Society Program aims to deepen the understanding of the role of the Catholic Church in Philippine society, with an emphasis on the dissemination of Catholic Social Teaching. Recognizing the crucial role that the Catholic Church has played in influencing Philippine social, political, and economic issues, the program seeks to foster reflection on the interface between Philippine Church and society.

 

The specific thrusts of the program are:

• The promotion of Catholic social teaching among Church personnel, Catholic lay groups, people's organizations and nongovernment organizations, with a view to informing their strategies and action for social justice.
• Research on the institutional and hierarchical Church, Church organizations, and Church movements in the Philippines, focusing on their engagement of social and political issues and analyzing these using theoretical frameworks derived from the sociology of religion.
• Establishing linkages with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, dioceses, associations of clergy and religious, and other Philippine Catholic Church networks, to assist in their advocacy of various national and societal issues.
• The program derives its inspiration from the pronouncements of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, which exhorts the establishment of a "Church of the Poor." Through these activities, the program hopes to contribute in nurturing a Church that is truly responsive to the needs and aspirations of the poorest in Philippine society.

__________________________________________________________________

Through research, advocacy and direct services, the Family Life Program assists the Catholic Church in addressing the social and spiritual needs of Filipino families, especially those in underprivileged communities.

Specifically the program aims to:

• Influence Church and State policy on issues affecting population and family life
• Organize seminars and conferences on Catholic Social Teaching and establish and strengthen networks with other Church-related groups
• Promote research-oriented agenda that help the Church to be a Church of and for the poor
• Work with government and nongovernment agencies to promote research and advocacy for juvenile justice
• Assist Filipino families in poor communities through the Pag-asa ng Pamilya Program which runs three direct service programs in Payatas: the Sagip Bata Program which helps feed malnourished children; the Landas ng Pag-asa Educational Scholarship Program which helps underprivileged students pursue their education; and the TAHANAN program which helps couples make intelligent decisions on how to plan their families using natural family planning methods.

The Urban Poverty and Governance Program addresses urban poverty and its principal manifestation - the lack of access to humane and secure housing. Through research and advocacy, the program aims to alleviate urban poverty by empowering urban poor groups to work for better urban governance.

The program's main thrusts are:

• Working with government agencies and funding institutions providing official development assistance to improve resettlement policy and practice
• Collaborating with urban local governments for the development of poverty focused plans and interventions, particularly in housing.
• Assisting peoples’ organizations and engaging them in participatory researches such as a city-wide urban poverty profile
• Conducting studies on security of tenure and formulating alternative tenure arrangements for possible application in areas proclaimed as socialized housing sites
• Disseminating information gathered from conducted researches through lectures and published articles and
• Networking with government institutions and other urban poor related groups to create a stronger advocacy base for urban development and housing reforms.

 

__________________________________________________________________

The Rural Development Program of the Institute recognizes that the majority of the Filipino poor live in rural areas. It also sees that the lack of access to land and other productive resources hinders the rural poor from participating in economic activities to improve their incomes.

In the face of formidable structures that perpetuate poverty in the countryside, the Rural Development Program sets its sight on alternatives, substitutes or options that would address the issue of access, along with control and management of resources. Primary areas and topics of concern for research and advocacy include:

• Access to land - agrarian reform, alternative and secure tenure arrangements, land use policy and mining
• Access to capital and credit - microfinance services and schemes, and other sustainable financing approaches towards savings and capital build-up
• Access to technology - diversification through intercropping and processing of value-added products, and promotion of sustainable technologies
• Access to market - alternative trading and marketing, and fair trade