The following is the result of a running assessment of the John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues of the Duterte administration from the perspective of eight principles of Catholic social teaching (CST) identified by the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP-II). It looks into 21 thematic areas such as poverty reduction, women, socialized housing, agrarian reform, environment and climate change, and human rights. For each thematic area, developments under the Duterte administration are assessed as “light” (policies, plans, pronouncements, and initial moves that seem consistent with a particular CST principle, and therefore potential common ground with the Church) or as “shadow” (policies, plans, pronouncements, and first moves which may have consequences at odds with a principle, and in which public contestation may be a legitimate response). It is hoped that Catholics and Catholic groups and other interested publics will use this assessment as reference for discussion and discernment on how to relate with the current government in a most constructive way.
This updated version of the Light and Shadow is a product of discussions of staff members of JJCICSI, the Institute of Social Order (ISO), and Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan.
