The Third Sector of the Philippines….

The Third Sector of the Philippines….
Ex Castillo

Philippine society is usually thought of as made of two sectors; the Public and the Private sector. 

The Public sector is the GOVERNMENT... and is the so-called First Sector. 
Politics plays a big role in the Public or the government sector.
The currency in this Sector is “Favors”.
You give somebody a favor, and the other party necessarily has the obligation to return that favor.
“QUID PRO QUO.“
“You scratch my back… I’ll scratch yours.”
Products, Goods, and Services are paid back with other Products, Goods, and Services.

Everything else, especially the BUSINESS sector, is thought of as the Private Sector or the so-called Second Sector.

The currency in this sector is “Money”.
“I give you what you want or need, you give me … Money”
Products, goods, and services are paid back with money.


However, in an alternate world, or the world of Philanthropy, there is a Third Sector, or the so-called NON-PROFIT Sector.
Products, Goods and Services are given….. without expecting anything back in return.
These are not paid back with money.
These are not paid back with other Products, Goods, or Services.
The currency is neither favors nor money;
It is Kindness…
which is not given back;
It is expected to be passed along.

Whatever needs that the Government and the Business Sectors in the Philippines can not provide to the citizens, the Third or the Non-profit Sector must have the ability to provide these needs.
This sector in our country, however, is relatively weak, and does not have the ability to help provide the necessary services to all the overwhelming number of citizens who need them.
It is underfunded,
It is undermanned, and
It is not fully supported.
It is highly dependent on Foreign funding.
It is corrupted by businessmen and politicians.

The THIRD SECTOR or the Non-profit sector of the Philippines must be expanded and strengthened, for it to be more effective in the provision of Human Services for the country’s needy. 

The 3 Sectors of any society; the Government, the Business, and the Non-profit sectors, must have the ability to provide the necessary Human Services to all its citizenry.
Failure to do is simply inhuman.


Ex Castillo
(Summary of an essay that I wrote in 1990)

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