Bayanihan: An Untapped Potential

If Indonesia has gotong royong, the Philippines has bayanihan.

Informatization indeed led to the exploitation of our economic resources; thus, enriching a
certain sector in expense of the other. It also led to a global divide in which there became an
information poor and an information rich; a center and a periphery. Informatization then allowed
information access to the center and less to none to the periphery. It also gave way to the so-
called brain drain and the gap between researchers, policy makers, and the masses.
All of these have become a problem in developing countries just like the Philippines. But how
are we going to solve all of these? How are we going to counter these problems?
It’s through bayanihan.
Just like what was discussed above, the degradation of our economic resources is the most
adverse effect of informatization into our country. Considering this case, it would be fact that
those in the lower spectrum of our social pyramid would be the ones experiencing the
disadvantageous effects of this scenario. These will include our farmers, our fishermen, our
laborers, and those other people who could not access information.
But how would bayanihan address this issue?
Just like the case of UNDP-PCARRD Mango Information Network (MIN), we could employ
various researchers, known as intermediaries, data specialists, development workers, the
support of our government, and of course, the participation of our main stakeholders who are
the farmers, the fishermen, the laborers, and etc.; and all of these people should work hand in
hand and consider each other’s opinions and knowledge in order to come up with an action plan
that could effect change.
So, based from these, we can say that through the collective effort (also known as bayanihan)
of these people and through the help of new media, the not-so-good effect of informatization
could be reversed; and, informatization would be a tool for the transformation of the information
poor to information rich; and for the realization of these people’s full potential.
On the other hand, though some might say that the bayanihan concept in our country is dead, I
dare say that it’s not, for even until now, farmers help each other by lending the other
his carabao or even his plow when the other needs to till his land. Moreover, even fishermen
help each other when they fish on the sea. Additionally, the concept of bayanihan when one is
moving a house to a certain place is still alive. Furthermore, bayanihan when it comes to
burying the dead, attending a procession in Semana Santa, and even participating in the
celebration of a town fiesta is perfectly alive.
Overall, bayanihan is one of the key values of Filipinos that we need to tap; for its potential is
enormous. And for in the end, bayanihanwith the aim of alleviating the poor and reversing the
adverse effect of informatization through the use of new media and the internet— is the best
way of creating an impact into the society.
References:
Chib, A., May, J. & Barrantes, R. (2015). Impact of Information Society Research in the Global
South [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://myportal.upou.edu.ph/course/view.php?id=4269
Flor, A. G. (2009). Developing Societies in the Information Age: A Critical Perspective [PDF file].
Philippines: UP Open University. Retrieved
from https://myportal.upou.edu.ph/course/view.php?id=4269
Flor, A. G. (2007). Development Communication Praxis [PDF file]. Retrieved
from https://myportal.upou.edu.ph/course/view.php?id=4269