SPLIT-LEVEL CHRISTIANITY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Hipocrisy
The Philippines remains one of the most heavily Christianized nations in Asia, with non-Christians representing less than 10% of the total population. We were awash with teachings about caring for each other, about being peacemakers, about compassion for the poor and honest living. We hoped that after this earthly episode of our lives, there’s a paradise prepared for us. Our Catechism taught us about original sin and the eternal fire of a place called Hell. Our faith promised us Jesus’s Second Coming where souls would be judged according to how they live and practice the teachings of the Faith. But despite all these religious trappings, the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index of Transparency International, we ranked 114th out of 180 countries. Our score is 33 out of 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. This is way below the global average of 43 with Asia-Pacific region’s average of 44. The Philippines lagged most Asia-Pacific countries including Singapore (ranked 3rd with score 84), Japan (71), Taiwan (67), South Korea (64), Malaysia (50), and even Vietnam (40), Indonesia (37), and Thailand (34). And despite having English as medium of instruction, it didn’t play much with the results of the 2022 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment). The Philippines ranked 77th out of 81 countries – this places the country in the bottom 6% of all participating nations. This is not just “below average” – it represents a crisis in educational outcomes. What this means: Most 15-year-old Filipino students struggle with basic reading comprehension, critical thinking about texts, and extracting meaning from written material. What are the practical implications: Students cannot perform tasks that require basic reasoning; They struggle with straightforward questions in familiar contexts; They have difficulty applying knowledge to new situations. The results reveal a systemic failure in the Philippine education system. This isn’t about students lacking intelligence – it’s about: Inadequate teaching methods poor quality of instruction; insufficient resources; curriculum problems; assessment and evaluation issues. Many Pinoy academics who received scholarships here in Vienna say they were impressed by the local learning methods, which primarily used the language they were accustomed to yet still fostered an easy ability to shift between other languages. They ask, ‘What if physics or Chemistry were taught in Pilipino or Cebuano? Would it help produce students to enter that field or profession?
No wonder many of us would rather be entertained than gain knowledge through reading books or engaging in brain-teasing exercises like puzzle games. We’d rather view soap operas and cheap game shows than complicated film plots. We’d rather be passive than engage actively in society. Colonial schooling often implicitly or explicitly presented Western knowledge (science, history, literature) as superior and indigenous knowledge, traditions, and philosophy as inferior or primitive. The connection between split-level faith and ignorance lies in the conflict between a person’s proclaimed, intellectual beliefs and their practical, daily actions. This disconnect creates a situation where genuine, informed understanding is often bypassed in favor of compartmentalized, comfortable, or superstitious habits.
Yet perhaps this very crisis contains the seeds of transformation. The revolutionary spirit that sparked the 1898 declaration of independence—the first democratic republic in Asia—still pulses beneath the surface of Filipino consciousness, waiting to be awakened not by foreign liberators or charismatic strongmen, but by an informed, engaged citizenry. When Filipinos finally choose to wield democracy as their ancestors envisioned it—as a tool for genuine self-determination rather than a stage for spectacle—the split between Sunday faith and Monday practice may finally begin to heal. The same people who built the world’s largest peaceful revolution in 1986 possess within them the capacity to build something even more enduring: a society where the gospel they profess on their knees is the justice they practice on their feet, and where the dreams of Rizal, Bonifacio, and other heroes are not merely commemorated in monuments but lived in the choices made at every ballot box and in every act of civic courage.
The ancient philosopher Plato was quoted: “The state is a reflection of the soul of its citizens.” , “In every city, the form of its government is determined by the character of those who rule, and the character of those who rule is, in turn, determined by the character of the citizens.”
(Republic, Book VIII, summary of Socrates’ argument)
Who among us has the audacity to claim they’re not Judas when the “wilwigs” descend during election season, and we’re falling over ourselves—all too willing—to sell out our children’s future for pocket change? At least Judas got silver. We’re settling for pesos.
Our politicians do understand that poverty is a vicious cycle, and they are also willing to keep us there despite the fact that many powerful countries are salivating over our rich natural resources—including us.