Soon Chuan Yean. Tulong: An Articulation of Politics in the Christian Philippines

Abstract

Tulong: An Articulation of Politics in Christian Philippines Soon Chuan Yean Manila: University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, 2015, xvii+275pp.The dominant analytical framework of elite rule in Philippine local politics has been patronclient relationship and machine politics in which politicians provide tulong (help) to poor and poor return debt with their votes. Criticizing dominant view of pragmatic and functional exchange of material benefits as being too narrow, Soon Chuan Yean argues that relationship between politicians and ordinary people entails a moral and religious dimension in which poor have agency to negotiate with politicians from bottom up. His methodology to support his argument is in-depth fieldwork to explore the clients' viewpoints based on their everyday struggle in Tanauan City, Batangas.Chapter 1, Layering Level of Tulong (Help) from Peasantry, examines Janusfaced characteristics of patron-client relationship in Tanauan. local political landscape is very similar to arguments of patron-client relations and machine politics. Local politicians subordinate and manipulate poor though material benefits, fraud, violence, and coercion. However, moral order also exists between them, in which poor negotiate with elites. Even though poor receive help from elites, they are not always subordinated to their patrons because poor scrutinize politicians' loob (inner being) and authenticity of tulong. Through such moral judgment, poor determine whether they support a politician, receive benefits without supporting him/her, or cast a vote for a rival politician.Chapter 2, The Research Setting, introduces physical landscape of main field site, Barangay Angeles, Tanauan City, and how author collected data as a Malaysian researcher. chapter also describes how ordinary people in villages struggle for everyday subsistence.Chapter 3, Reaching Popular, explores moral order between politicians and ordinary people beyond a mechanical exchange of money and votes by examining discourse of development in local politics. For local politicians, money is not sufficient to win hearts and support of ordinary people. They are required to project their loob as righteous and tulong as unselfish sacrifice within framework of moral order while blurring hierarchal gap between rich and poor in order to capture sentiments of people. In other words, politicians and constituents actively negotiate within moral order.Chapter 4 Locating a Language of Emotion in Popular Politics, discusses how ordinary people scrutinize whether politicians' help comes sincerely from their loob. Only when ordinary people believe in righteousness of politicians, latter's act (gawa) is recognized as tulong. For ordinary people to have ability to appropriately scrutinize acts of politicians, lakaran (journey) and sariling sikap (self-initiative) to discipline and purify their loob is important. negotiation of loob between a politician and ordinary people produces different outcomes. When ordinary people feel harmonization of loob transcending hierarchical gap, they are emancipated from utang (debt). On contrary, if harmonization of loob is not achieved, a politician's acts are not recognized as tulong. This is situation of pulitilka (politics) equated with spoils and blank promises in game of personal interests.Chapter 5, Religious Ideas in Politics of Moral Order, explores religious background of moral politics over tulong. Ordinary people associate tulong from God with tulong from a politi- cian. They believe that those who help needy along a matuwid na landas (straight path) will be blessed with liwanag (light), and those who reach liwanag must circulate this liwanag though their sacrifice of giving tulong. Such mutual help represents equality of people before God and breaks down hierarchy. …