Socio-Political Awareness of the Residents of the Island of Talim, Rizal

Abstract

This undergraduate thesis entitled “Socio-political Awareness of the Residents of the Island of Talim”, showed that the people of the island of Talim, as represented by various barangays as foci of study, have a low level of socio-political awareness indicative of the inadequacies/deficiencies of the different socializing agents for sociopolitical awareness in cultivating such awareness. High level of socio-political awareness can be manifested in high participation in different activities of the community such as membership in different local organizations, attendance in barangay meetings, participation in decision-making in the barangay, high voters’ turn out, etc. On the other hand, a low level of socio-political awareness results in inactive participation and/or withdrawal in the different important activities in the barangay. Different variables and socializing agents determine level of SOCi0-political awareness and participation of the people of the island of Talim. Due to the lack of a source of stable income for the residents of the island, they tend to find jobs outside the island and spend less time in the community. This lowers their level of socio-political awareness and interest through time. Thoughts of finding food for the next meal also add to their withdrawal from the political activities in the barangay. Hardships in sending children to the school and pursuing higher education also add to a low level of sociopolitical awareness of the people. The absence of strengthened local organizations in the community is also another reason, as well as the absence of other sources of political information like newspapers and magazines. Having known these reasons behind the low level of socio-political awareness and participation of the residents of the island, measures that would help encourage such awareness are recommended. Some of these measures aim to establish and provide people with a more stable source of income in the community, give scholarship grants for poor but deserving students, strengthen local organization, and engage in advocacy programs for the sector of the community, among others.