SanibLakas Foundation

Premises: General Statements

From Preamble of the SanibLakas Foundation Constitution of 2002:

WE ARE INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY CONSCIOUS of the great power to be attained in synergism, where the magnitude of a unified whole is greater than the sum of the separate parts contributing to it, a principle that is alive in Nature and the Cosmos;

We are individually and collectively conscious that a fast-growing number of people all over the world are discovering and consciously applying the empowering principle of synergism in various fields of human endeavor, including philosophy and economics, social and natural sciences, governance and empowerment, education and profound enlightenment, gender and family relations, inner and environmental health, culture and aesthetics;

We are individually and collectively conscious that there are compelling reasons and effective ways to hasten, broaden and stabilize the process of consistently applying the synergism principle for people's direct self-empowerment and national synergy-building as a distinct contribution to the overall pursuit of total human development and harmony throughout the world, and that one such way is to establish, strengthen and continually develop a formal and solid organization of conscious and consistently-active synergy-builders that shall help develop them as such and facilitate effective teamwork systems for their work.

And we individually and collectively commit to live this consciousness, further grow in it, and spread it far and wide, to the best of our creative abilities; and on this basis, we hereby uphold the establishment of the solid organization of consistently-active synergizers, under the following definitions, delineations, principles and basic policies.

From Article II (Objectives of the Organization) of the SanibLakas Constitution:

Section 1. The objectives of this organization shall be the following:

1) to work for the development and application of effective technologies of empowerment for Filipinos as individual human persons and as individual honorable and productive citizens;

2) to work for the development and application of effective technologies of empowerment for Filipinos as groups and communities, based on the principles of human synergism; and

3) to contribute to national synergy-building and ultimately to total human development and universal harmony, on the basis of the foregoing objectives.

From Introducing the SanibLakas Foundation, a two-page handout issued in 2002

The Foundation functions for twin tasks: (1) promote the synergism principle, and (2) build actual synergies all around. Work in each and every SanibLakas program, project or activity carries this prime mandate.

From IArticle IV (Approaches of the Organization) of the SanibLakas Constitution:

Section 1. The general approach of SanibLakas ng Taongbayan Foundation in the lawful pursuit of its objectives shall be that of healthy partnership-building, applying generative empowerment and respecting all partners as co-equal teammates in specific endeavors, seeking optimum levels and terms of partnership, and being over and aboveboard in all dealings with them.

Section 2. Such synergetic partnership shall be forged and nurtured by the SanibLakas Foundation with the individuals and groups that are applying the principle and building growing synergies in their respective fields of concern and/or interest.

Section 3. Partnerships shall be encouraged, forged, nurtured and supported in other ways, among all synergism-oriented individuals and organizations/institutions. The Foundation shall exert persuasive motivation and provide facilitation, educational and other forms of support for many of these synergism-oriented individuals and entities to officially form part of a broad Synergy Community, to be called "Pamayanang SanibLakas,” which shall have its own organic leadership elected by its member-entities and by clusters of its individual members, and which shall officially subscribe as an organization to the herein Principles of Human Synergism.

Section 4. SanibLakas Foundation shall form or help form other lawful organizations in line with its synergy-building priorities, develop these into healthy and self-reliant organizations (with all "Three Synergies" functioning) that can spin off, after which eventuality the Foundation shall continue, as a partner, to guide and help develop these organizations, connect them with other members of the Pamayanang SanibLakas, and give them other means of support.

Program Thrusts (and the Programs under each one):

A. Program Thrust for Human Development and Harmony (HDH)

“Educate and facilitate for synergy as many people as possible, in the shortest time possible, to popularize and apply the synergism-oriented paradigm shifts for personally-rooted human development and harmony, thus promoting human individual and collective actualization, empowerment and harmony."

1. Light-Sharing Program for Growth and Empowerment:

“Develop (research, collate, refine) and popularize the synergism-oriented paradigm shifts for human development and harmony for personal application, and for academic adoption and social application. Both the personal and the academic components of this process and of all its sub-processes have to be intertwined in synergy, the personal component being the experiential basis and ultimate usefulness of the output, and mobilizing the academic component as the broad and prestigious social-mainstreaming mechanism, which would otherwise remain in the full service of effectively perpetuating the dominant (restrictrive and divisive) paradigms.”

Current projects: convening and spinning off the Lambat-Liwanag Network of Centers for Empowering Paradigms; creating and maintaining the LightShare e-mail list group; developing CHOSEN Sites Project

Organizations involved: LightShare/Sanib-Sinag Network (e-group, live groups, others); and Lambat-Liwanag Network; with its member-institutions (Asian Social Institute, First Asia Institute of Technology and the Humanities, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Philippine Normal University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sentro ng Agham Pilipino, University of the Philippines Manila, University of Sto. Tomas, etc) and their partner-groups/institutions (Education Network, and various NGOs represented in the paradigm-specific task forces).

Activities: Research work and collation of existing literature in support of empowering paradigms; generation of new literature; academic conferences; personal sharings (face-to-face, e-mails, text, phone); publication and circulation of the quarterly LightShare Journal, and publication and circulation of conference documentations and handouts.

2. Personal Strengths and Capabilities

Development & Actualization Program:

(1) ”Popularize the Holistic Health paradigm, and effectively unite as many people as possible in all its practical applications, including total health care and disease prevention, holistic diagnostic and treatment modalities, as well as sports development, human kinetics (healing dances), and non-combat martial arts.

(2) ”Popularize the Credo for Synaesthetics and effectively mobilize as many practicing artists as possible to help “all other people” discover and develop their artistic faculties, and, optionally, to contribute such capabilities to support synergism-oriented messages and activities!

Organizations involved: Sanib-Sining Consciousness Campaign Network; Sanib-Sigla Consciousness Campaign Network; pertinent task forces of Lambat-Liwanag; and their partner-groups/institutions

Activities: Promotional and educational work and projects (including seminars and publications; art-jams like “Sanib-Pinta,” “Sanib-Tinig,” etc.); festivals/fairs; fora, exhibits and fairs highlighting synaesthetics and the holistic health promotion systems; etc.

3. Direct Contributions to ‘Earth Synergy’ Program:

Help Promote a Worldwide Culture of Earth Synergy for Loving Life and Peace, for Environment Conservation and for Sustainable Development. Spread further familiarity on the Earth Synergy poem/prayer titled “A Giant Leap for Humankind"; solicit translations of this in more languages worldwide; and cause to be conducted on more occasions in more countries and Filipino communities the multinationality ritual centered on this poem. Actively participate in annual commemorations of the Earth Day, World Environment Day, and Creation Day and network with international and foreign organizations to share views and experiences in applying the synergism principle on environment-related and other people-oriented endeavors. Undertake fraternal sharings with other peoples/nations on synergetic empowerment, and join campaigns for World Peace and against war. Promote discussions and wide adoption of the Earth Charter.

B. NATIONAL SYNERGY-BUILDING Program Thrust (formerly called Integrated Empowerment for Social and Economic Upliftment or IESEU)

“Educate and facilitate, for synergism-oriented consciousness and action, as many people as possible, in the shortest time possible, to promote and apply the synergism-oriented paradigm shifts and to build strong synergies in various scopes (local communities, sectors, sub-sectors, etc.), for the Filipino people’s collective empowerment as a nation, amid conditions of disempowerment, worsening economic woes, and accelerating social fragmentation. Draw in the involvement of overseas Filipinos in all these efforts.

[Important Note of Clarification: the processes of education for consciousness (a pluralist Pambansang Talastasan (national discourse) in the spirit of “collectively searching for the truth that will set us free”) and of facilitating for synergized action (a widespread Pambansang Tangkilikan (national mutual-patronage) in the revived spirit of bayanihan, mainly in associative economics), have to be intertwined at all phases and scopes of their actualization, such that all persons and entities involved in one should be strongly persuaded and helped to be involved likewise in the other.)]

Organizations involved: Katipunang Dakilahi para sa Pambansang Pagsasanib-lakas, Love Life Philippines, Sanib-lakas ng Inang Kalikasan and Lambat-Liwanag Network, as well as their respective member-organizations and partner-groups/institutions.

Activities: Research; education drives and special projects; regular and special fora; media productions; circulation of publications and other educational and promotional materials; public endorsement/acknowledgment of marketing support for publications and fora that contribute to the national discourse process; trade fairs and other social marketing projects; national commemorations (like “Rise in Bataan”), local commemorations (like “Nagsabado” in Pasig) and ceremonies (like the regular “Pagtitipon ng mga Anak ng Bayan” with a sustaining mechanism and participation base to be called “Kilusan para sa Pagsasabuhay at Pagpapalaganap ng Kartilya ng Katipunan or simply “Kilusang Kartilya”); history- and culture-oriented educational tours and contests, etc.

1. Program for Highlighting Synergies in our Collective History and Culture:

Work for the deep and dynamic unity of the nation and of the communities in an enhanced sense of greatness, on the basis of consciousness on common heroic heritage and collective cultural enrichment.

Organizations involved: Katipunang DakiLahi, Kampanya para sa Kamalayan sa Kasaysayan, Suriang Ugat-Loob, Filipinos for Life Network mainly of overseas Filipinos, Lambat-Liwanag Task Force on Sense of History and Mission (Paradigm 4) and Lambat-Liwanag Task Force on Culture as Community Creativity (Paradigm 6); and such member-organizations and partner-organizations/entities as the Galing-Pilipino Movement, Viajes Filipinas, PETA, ADHIKA and People’s Patriotic Movement.

Activities: research, fora, conferences and seminars; propagation of publications and productions in various media; commemorations and ceremonies; issuance of statements; chapter-building, etc.

2. Program to Promote Socio-Economic Upliftment

Through Associative Economics

Encourage and facilitate win-win transactions among large and small enterprises and consumer groups for capital accumulation, jobs creation and overall socio-economic upliftment of communities and of the nation, and promote associative exonomics (with the tripod approach to sustainable development involving socio-cultural capital, natural capital and financial capital) as the only effective defense against “Globalized Greed” which is pushing our economy deeper in debt, disadvantage and destitution.

Organizations involved: Sanib-Sikap Initiatives Network; and such member-organizations and partner-organizations as the National Economic Protectionism Association, the National Credit Cooperative, and the “entre-worker” cooperatives.

Activities: InfoSharing on products and services of various enterprises; facilitation of actual bilateral, multilateral and large-scale win-win transactions; documentation of success stories for sharing and wider adoption/replication.convergences among cooperatives for these activities; and helping in setting up of mechanisms to support these activities.

3. Synergy-Building for Environmental Rescue, Conservation

and Restoration

Popularize the Deep Ecology paradigm and the Core Values of Human Stewardship on the Environment, and educate and mobilize the biggest number of the common people for active stakeholdership in environment conservation, help in building healthy operational ties among the active and organized environmentalists and help create a strong culture of cooperation among them.

Organizations involved: Love Life Philippines, Sanib-lakas ng Inang Kalikasan, Ugnayang Pamayanan, WED-Philippines, and the Lambat-Liwanag Task Force for Deep Ecology and Harmony with Nature, with their member-organizations and partner groups/institutions, like Mountaineers for the Environment, CLEAR, CCS, Environmental Broadcast Circle, and TagBalay.

Activities: Conduct of, or promo/facilitation support for, education seminars on synergism and its applications in environmentalism; regular fora (like Kamayan para sa Kalikasan c/o CLEAR and Salika) and special fora, including tie-ups among fora; publication of periodicals (like the Kamayan Forum Journal); other media-oriented projects (like video-cassettes c/o EBC, and broadcast programs like Kalikasan Vigilante and Radyo Kalikasan, and cyber-based projects (like IM_GREEN e-group and earth.web.ph, and various other websites); facilitation of specific-issue projects; active involvement in international commemorations like Earth Day, World Environment Day and Creation Day, and national as well as local commemorations; encouraging and brokering joint projects and mutual services linkages; conciliation work; formation, consolidation and networking of local bodies and actions for the environment (Ugnayang Pamayanan).

4. Cooperative Education on Synergism (CES) Program

Campaign for, and support in all necessary ways, a synergism-focused education thrust among cooperative leaders and members to help them actualize the essence of cooperatives and help them build the cooperative sector as a major pillar of national and local economies, and enable them to share with the broader population the principle of synergism through clear explanations and successful actualization.

Organizations involved: SanibLakas CES Team, Advocates of Cooperative Education on Synergism (ACES), and such partner institutions/organizations as the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Institute of Cooperatives; National Confederation of Cooperatives; the 6th National Cooperative Summit Information and Education Committee; 3rd Metro Manila Regional Cooperative Congress Education SubCommittee, and some sections of the Cooperative Development Authority.

Activities; solicitation of resolutions for implementation of CES Program and of more individual signatures for ACES Declaration; development of modules for, and actual conduct of, CES seminars; production and circulation of informational and educational publications, as well as use of various mass media for CES messages; consolidation of all partner entities and CES members with effective communications and appropriate taskings for CES implementation.

5. Local Community Empowerment Through Synergy-Building

Help build powerful synergies (revived praxis of bayanihan) for local community empowerment to be enjoyed by the neighborhoods, families and individuals. This entails helping the communities formulate their own socio-economic development plans and build strong synergy-based and sustainably developing local economies, with local cooperatives and local SMEs (small and medium enterprises) at the core. This also entails helping build systems and mechanisms for truly democratic and effective governance, including those that concern the following: environmental rescue, protection and restoration; cultural and heritage conservation; public health promotion; adequate respect and care for the family as social institution, women, children, the elderly and the differently-abled; and a culture of synergized inner discipline for peace and order and for civil defense. The empowered communities’ local economies shall be the building blocks of the national economy while the latter industrializes from the grassroots level, up, and dismantles the national economy’s subservience to and dependence on the trade and financial systems of Globalized Greed.

Organizations involved: Ugnayang Pamayanan para sa Kalikasan at Kinabukasan; TagBalay Foundation; and such partner-organizations as the Foundation for Local Autonomy and Good Governance; Boy Scouts of the Philippines; Girl Scouts of the Philippines; National Credit Cooperative other national and local cooperative formations; Youth for Sustainable Development Assembly; League of Municipalities; and Liga ng mga Barangay.

Activities: Conferences and seminars; commemorations (like local commemorations of Earth Day, World Environment Day and Creation Day, other joint activities and projects (tree-planting, cleanups, bio-gardens and recycling facilities, trade exhibits/fairs, historical and civic observances, etc.), research and monitoring work; leadership trainings; planning and consultation workshops etc.

C. Program Thrust for DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE SUPPORT SERVICES SYSTEMS FOR SYNERGISM PROMOTION, EDUCATION AND APPLICATION

Develop the following support services into systems and mechanisms that would be effective, sustainable and even income-generating both for the Foundation and for all the persons who will work in them: SanibLakas Learning Systems, which shall cover the Program for Citizens’ Rights Education and Assertion Trainings for Empowerment (CREATE); SanibLakas Promotion and Marketing Systems; SanibLakas InfoShare Media Services; SanibLakas CyberServices; SanibLakas Editorial and Publication Services; and the Sanib-Ambag Fund-Raising Services.

1. SanibLakas Learning Systems shall consist of integrated but modular packages of educational tools and technologies under CREATE, including seminars and functions, books and pamphlets, audio and video tapes, e-books (CDs) and e-booklets (diskettes), and visual aids, organized in package systems for appropriate availments and applications.

2. SanibLakas Promotion and Marketing Systems shall be a network of professional creators and promoters, as well as wholesale and retail marketers, all covered by fair rates of royalties and commissions. It shall function as a cooperative (with members and associate members) of marketers of functional products bearing synergism-promoting messages.

3. SanibLakas InfoShare Media Services shall cover the generation and placement of information materials mainly on the activities of Pamayanang SanibLakas and its member- and partner-entities.

4. SanibLakas CyberServices shall continue preparing, uploading and updating the SanibLakas websites, facilitating the creation of e-mail groups and e-mail addresses for SanibLakas members, and offering professional services on website creation, design and management.

5. SanibLakas Editorial and Publication Services shall offer service packages for books & similar projects. Professionals involved shall be organized into a collective-protection association with provisions for administrative, marketing, representation, training, and legal services.

6. Sanib-Ambag Fund-Raising Services shall be developed to attain financial self-sufficience for Foundation operations and eventually for the latter to attain capability to provide funds for partners undertaking specific components of SanibLakas programs and projects.