ABSTRACT
Philippine social welfare has its roots in pre-colonial times. The dominant forces that have moulded the fabric of the welfare system include the spirit of cooperation, or bayanihan among early Filipinos living in independent social units called barangays or communities; the Christian religion brought to the country by the Spanish colonisers; the concept, introduced by the Americans, of government responsibility for social welfare; and the commitment to and reaffirmation of humanistic ideals, among them human rights, social justice and people’s participation inspired by the democratic ideals, enshrined in the Philippine Constitution of 1935 and 1973, and reaffirmed in the national development plans (Montes, de Guzman, Franco & Cajuiat 1981, p.14).
