Political Socialization in the Philippines: Learning about Democracy 227 CHAPTER EIGHT Political Socialization in the Philippines: Learning about Democracy Maria Cecilia Gastardo-Conaco People are not born with the understanding of democracy or with the knowledge of how to behave in a democratic society; it is not built into our genes. Rather it is a construct, an abstract idea that is operationalized as a political way of being that individuals learn as they develop and ourish within their specic social, political, cultural environments. And like any form of learning, it is premised on the individual's capability to learn it and inuenced by the social contexts in which the learning occurs. These two elements are critical - the individual's ability (i.e., cognitive, critical thinking skills) to learn and the context of transmission (i.e., agents and tools, as well as, processes of learning). Implicit in denitions of democracy is an active and engaged citizenry, citizens who elect leaders from among themselves to represent their interests but continue to be engaged politically via their civil society groups. Elected citizen leaders hold a special position but must continue to be accountable to those whose interests they have been privileged to represent. The socialization of the individual to this system will be the focus of this paper. How do Filipinos learn their roles in this system as participative and actively engaged citizens? How and from whom do they learn about democracy and their role in it? What is the impact of the socialization process on the acquisition and internalization of democratic citizenship values, beliefs and behaviors? How successful has political socialization been in the country in terms of turning out engaged, participative citizens? There are few studies exploring political socialization in the Philippines. (Loreta Makasiar Sicat pioneered