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.
