Critical Review by:

Shema Sheravie Ivory F. Quebec

Samar State University

Bibliographical Entry

Cabrales, P.S. (2014). The Samareño Social Elite and the Damaged Environment.
Samar State University Publisher, Countryside Development Research Journal. Vol. 2.
www.cdrj.ssu.edu.ph

Title

The Samareño Social Elite and the Damaged Environment

Purpose

To vividly explain the relationship of the social elite of Samar to the damaged
environment with the existing and related review of literature. Through this theories, this
prevail the concept and the situation of Samar’s ecology that is affected by kinds of mores
and does the elite member of Samar and its society. This also illustrate how some aspect
of society: the government, economic state, and how the culture can damage the
environment.

Review of Literature

Provided an available literature the author overview in different studies. Peñaranda (1996)
in an article The Betrayal of Maqueda Bay, described picturesque and analysed the
situation of the province of Samar which has a wealthy marine resources, the fate of
Macqueda Bay lies in the effect of its tenants and their activities, whereas in every
resources has its end as to Lazo (1997). Since 1960’s the social morality among people
starts to “thinning out” as observe by Yankelovich (2006) that’s appears social condition
in America. This significance that social morality or mores and law as its relationship and
effect to its good governance and how law is properly interpreted.

Summary

The author claims the ideas and studies that support this article.
Conclusions

A synchronized behaviour that cultivates rugged spirituality and altruism, disregards the
trappings of religious dogma and ritualism, is a kind of an adaptive culture. Values and
attitudes that chase to promote self-interest at the expense of others and the environment
is a type of a maladaptive culture.

This damaged culture is, indeed, a maladaptive one, something that is covered to its
goodness, its patrimony and posterity, its environment, and its future. It also lacks a
genuine concern for others and the common weal. A detrimented culture is the culture of
the partisan Samareño elite.

List of References

The format of references used by the auther are coherent, and from diverse sources
from journals, theses and books.

Overall Critique of the article:

The article, “The Samareño Social Elite and the Damaged Environment”, by Prof. Pedro
S. Cabrales, speaks how the elite ones could possibly detriment the environment. To
construe the relationship between the Samareño social elite and its environment in the
extent review of literature, is the aim of the study. As theory prevails the true condition of
ecology in the province of Samar which is affected by the kinds of attitude and behaviour
of the elite as a member of the society in Samar island, and explicate how motley aspect
of society: governance, economic, and culture can detriment the environment. Upon
reading this article, vividly pointing out how damaged our environment has appeared. The
issue is probably true, the author chase some point of interest that catches my attention
being emphasized of how damage our environment was being done by those negative
behaviour of the elite member of the society. Where the big leaders and organizations
dominate the large scale societies as explained in the elite theory of Domhoff (2005).

According to the article, the elite one control’s the people, vote buying to have a lofty
position in the government, and to use their power to their personal interest to garner
investiture which resort without respecting the environment. Tracing and analzying this
kind of situation, the corrupt leader and the people who are dependent to their status in
the society as well as the environment. A society in conflict (Marx & Engels 1848) grouped
to influence social institution to work their advantages to the dominant ones. Without
minding the policies on what is right and wrong, tends to decimate the resources for them
to sustain their selfish daily needs. The author somehow didn’t emphasize the ordinary or
the poor people as amenable of the deeds of destroying resources. Statically says, the
Samar Island is one of the poorest province in the Philippines, in general the people on
the poorest status with respective reasons. Meaning, there is a large scale of the poor
people than the rich ones. This elite therefore does not contribute a big damage in our
environment. Since the most of them are professionals and does not rely on the
environment, whereas the poor are reliant in this natural resource as their main source of
income.

The poor is the big contributor in the damaged society and environment. In this democratic
type of government which we exercise the suffrage or free to vote and the freedom to
choose our leader. Having a corrupt and abusive leader in our state was being drawn and
fault of the people, we made a monster and our nightmare by choosing the amount of this
politicians to restore their might and their position in the government; it shows how
irresponsible we are. There is a saying,the kind of leader you are ia a some people who
follows you. If the leader itself do not care to the environment, it is the reflection of the
majority of the people who voted for them. Since we have a large amount or number of
voters from the ordinary sector the damaged environment is their fault. Not only to put the
blame to the poor but also the elite group as a part this society, their negative attitude,
values and behaviour of the people are the destroyer of our habitat and mother earth. The
poor people are tolerating the bad activities of some elite group in our society. This
negative attitudes towards conservation and prevention of our resources, is not only
implementing and following the rules and law. Negative values and customs that have a
bad effect to the harm of our environment; deforestation, illegal fishing, mining, etc. This
activities were being done by the ordinary people that the government could not control?
Or being tolerated?

Could not control, because they are ones who can manipulate the law. Tolerated by does
who interpret the law. Another reason is this dynasty in politics and their “collaboration “
with this private big time’s, private investors. In this kind of partnership makes the pauper
or poor, the poorest. The cost of labor is cheap yet the goods are expensive. This results
that the poor ones has to resort to the natural resources. Not all in the lower class are the
ones who detriment this natural sources, they are just fronts for all the irregularity’s of this
big times. But even if in case being responsible is a virtue.

As the author sighted the study of Sociologist Chester Hunt (1998) offered a significant
insight towards the relationship between social morality or mores and laws. “When mores
are strong, there is little need for law. But when the mores are weak, laws do not work
very well”. In general the morality of the people in Samar is very weak, that results to have
a very weak law and in relation to this damaged environment the latter were the main
contributor.

Controversial as it is, the author prefer the large dominant array of people to blame in
damaging our environment. Realistically the author should favour the large and dominant
group who are more contributors so that the readers should not blame the damaged
environment to the elite group alone,but also to their eyes to fix issue repeatedly and
timely. No one is exempted for our dying environment.