Berkley Center

The Philippines is characterized by extraordinarily high religiosity and diversity. Across countless religious groups, there is the near universal expectation that religion must be a force actively working towards the alleviation of suffering, the promotion of justice, and the longevity of peace. A major factor that separates the Philippine experience from comparable cases is the depth and degree to which religious and secular institutions are and have always been interconnected. In tandem with the high religiosity among Filipinos, the cumulatively quasi-state facility of religious and faith-inspired civil society organizations enables them to proactively impact policy and development priorities through their powerful direct advocacy and ability to hasten or stagnate program implementation. This project, a collaboration between the World Faiths Development Dialogue and the Berkley Center, aims to explore how faith-inspired organizations and religious leaders engage in the many facets of the Philippines' development.