ABSTRACT
There is a tendency to use creative and culture-based approaches within community development in the Philippines as technique, or the superficial utilization of these approaches, merely to celebrate the feeling of fun (masaya). This tendency can result in diminishing the potential of these approaches to achieve creative and imaginative engagement towards addressing community development issues. The chapter examines the historical use of creative and culture-based approaches in the Philippines, identifies theater-based concepts to critically reflect on this practice, and proposes a reconceptualization to increase the effectiveness of the use of the creative and culture-based approaches in transformative community development.
