Linking Moral Renewal and Sustainable Development through Social Enterprises in the Philippines

Abstract

Considering the current socio-political atmosphere in the Philippines that arguably cultivates moral ambiguity, ambivalence, and apathy vis-à-vis human rights and development issues, this thesis investigates the relationship between moral renewal and sustainability. It aims to narrow the literature gap between these two concepts by investigating the potential of a moral renewal framework (based on the government-proclaimed Moral Recovery Program) in social enterprises in the Philippines. This study advances the understanding of sustainable development as a moral imperative. Qualitative research methods, semi-structured interviews (12 participants) and surveys (10 participants), were employed to gather key insights on moral renewal, social enterprises, and sustainability in the context of the Philippines. The findings from the research reveal that: (1) there is a need for moral renewal; (2) social enterprises implicitly implement moral renewal; and (3) there are implicit linkages between moral renewal, social enterprises, and sustainable development. The research concludes that the Moral Recovery Program must be updated and be clear in its sustainability goals, and social enterprises have intrinsic moral goodness and must be seen in a complementary role to the overall effort of sustainability.