The Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement, abbreviated as PRRM, is a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

and institution formed in 1952 to assist peasants in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. As a movement, it was initiated by upper and middle class group of individuals based on the experiences gained from the rural reconstruction and development done in China during the beginning of the 1900s. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, among its tasks had been the establishment of

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-contro ...

s in rural communities. It was the inspiration for the founding of the Federation of Free Farmers in 1953, as well as the birthing of organizations similar to PRRM in other countries such as

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, Colombia,

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, and Guatemala. Its main office is in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was foun ...

,''Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement''
The Beggar's Hand, library.thinkquest.org which became possible through Dr. Yen's establishment of another related organization during the 1960s, namely the

International Institute of Rural Reconstruction International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, also known as IIRR is a non-profit organization that helps empower rural communities by making them self-sufficient. By offering programs across health, education, environment and livelihood, its ...

(IIRR).''Beginnings''
Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement, prrm.org

Historical background

In the 1900s, the Philippine

Rural Reconstruction Movement The Rural Reconstruction Movement was started in China in the 1920s by Y.C. James Yen, Liang Shuming and others to revive the Chinese village. They strove for a middle way, independent of the Nationalist government but in competition with the r ...

was founded and inspired by its then leader Dr. Y.C. James "Jimmy" Yen (also known as

Yan Yangchu Y. C. James Yen (, 1890/1893-1990), known to his many English speaking friends as "Jimmy," was a Chinese educator and organizer known for his work in mass literacy and rural reconstruction, first in China, then in many countries. After working wit ...

), a national of China. It was brought the Philippines, specifically in

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( tgl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Ecija , also ; ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Ecija; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Ecija; Kapampangan: ''Lalawigan/Probinsia ning Nueva Ecija''), is a landlocked province ...

and then also in

Rizal province Rizal, officially the Province of Rizal ( fil, Lalawigan ng Rizal), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Antipolo. It is about east of Manila. The province is named after José ...

,Flavier, Juan M. ''

Doctor to the Barrios ''Doctor to the Barrios'' is a 1970 book written by Juan M. Flavier, a physician in the Philippines, who later became Secretary of the Department of Health and two-term Senator of the Philippines. Its complete title is ''Doctor to the Barrios, Ex ...

'', pages 1-15. by Filipinos such as

Conrado Benitez Conrado Benitez (November 26, 1889 – January 4, 1971) is a Filipino statesman, writer, and educator. He founded the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement and was one of the drafters of the 1935 Constitution of the Philippines. Flavier, Juan M. ...

, a person connected to the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...

, with the vision to empowering and developing rural communities and the aim of providing training on self-government and on how such communities can

sustain In sound and music, an envelope describes how a sound changes over time. It may relate to elements such as amplitude (volume), frequencies (with the use of filters) or pitch. For example, a piano key, when struck and held, creates a near-immedi ...

itself globally, nationally, and locally. Apart from Conrado Benitez, original members of PRRM's

Board of Trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organ ...

also included Salvador Araneta,

Cornelio Balmaceda Cornelio Agor Balmaceda (September 15, 1896 – April 17, 1982) was a former Secretary of Commerce and Industry in the Philippines. He was also one of the original board of trustees and then later became president of the Philippine Rural Recons ...

Cecilio Putong Cecilio Kapirig Putong (February 1, 1891 – January 26, 1980) was a Filipino scholar, educator, writer, UNESCO fellow, author. In 1952, he became the Secretary of Education of the Philippines. He was one of the most brilliant minds from Bohol ...

Juan Salcedo, Jr. Juan Salcedo Jr. was a former Secretary of the Department of Health in the Philippines. He was also one of the original board of trustees and incorporators of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement.Flavier, Juan M., '' Doctor to the Barrio ...

Asuncion A. Perez Asunción Arriola-Pérez (August 15, 1895 – 1967) was a Filipino government official. She became a social worker for the Red Cross in 1924 and held such positions as Executive Secretary of the Associated Charities of Manila and the Red Cross. She ...

Gil Puyat Gil Juco Puyat Sr. (September 1, 1907 – March 23, 1980) was a Filipino politician and businessman who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 1951 until 1972, when President Ferdinand Marcos shut Congress down and declared Martial Law, an ...

, Paul R. Parrette,

Manuel P. Manahan Manuel Perez Manahan (January 1, 1916 – May 18, 1994) was a Filipino politician, journalist, businessman, and rural development advocate. He was a key government official during the administration of president Ramon Magsaysay, best known for ...

, and

Albino Z. Sycip Albino Z. SyCip (last name also spelled as SycipFlavier, Juan M., "Albino Z. Sycip", '' Doctor to the Barrios'', page 6.) (c. 1888May 2, 1978) was a Chinese Filipino financier of Fujianese origin. He was known as the "Dean of Philippine Banking". ...

. Apart from Benitez, Sycip, Putong and Salcedo, Jr., PRRM's original incorporators also included

Esteban E. Abada Esteban () is a spanish people, Spanish male given name, derived from Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos) and related to the English names Steven and Stephen. Although in its original pronunciation the accent is paroxytone, on the penultimate syllab ...

, Eulogio Rodriguez, Jr.,

Roland Renne Roland R. Renne (December 12, 1905 – August 30, 1989), an Agricultural Economics Professor, served as President of Montana State College from 1943 to 1964. Dr. Renne was also active in Washington D.C. and United States overseas agricultural econ ...

Juan Cojuangco ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of '' John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...

Oscar B. Arellano Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

, and

Jose S. Camus Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya * Jose the Gali ...

. In 1970, former Philippine Secretary of Health and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

Dr.

Juan Flavier Juan Martin Flavier (; June 23, 1935 – October 30, 2014) was a Filipino physician and politician. He served as the Secretary of Health under President Fidel V. Ramos from 1992 to 1995, and was later elected to the Senate, serving from 1995 to ...

, conveyed his experiences working with and for PRRM in his book ''

''.''DOCTOR TO THE BARRIOS Experiences with the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement''
amazon.com In 2009, PRRM became a partner of the Ayala Foundation USA, with the task of building potable water facilities within chosen Philippine

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolit ...

s.''The Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement: AF-USA’s First Partner for the Year 2009!''
Ayala Foundation USA, af-usa.org, January 26, 2009

Goals

Among its present-day roles is the promotion of

sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem ser ...

, technologies in the fishing business and farming, agroforestry, planning and implementation of managing resources in communities, the fight against ignorance through education, the fight against poverty through livelihood training, the fight against diseases through health education, improvement in access to justice, restoration of cohesion and connection among and between communities, creation of livelihood, environmental stewardship, awareness of public policies, and the dissemination of information to other Philippine and Asian non-governmental organizations.