Republic of the Philippines

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR BRANCHES AND CAMPUSES
MARAGONDON BRANCH

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

FOR

GEED 20033
PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE
AND CITIZENSHIP

Compiled by: Checked by:

(Fr.) Hermogenes P. Verano Assoc. Prof. Ayreenlee E. Resus

Faculty Chairman, Instructional Materials

Date: _________________ Date: ___________________

Approved by:

Dr. Agnes Y. Gonzaga Assoc. Prof. Denise A. Abril

Head, Academic Programs Director

Date: _________________ Date: __________________

 INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. This module will help you become an
effective learner and successfully meet the requirements of the course. You will discover that
you can learn in a very challenging way at your own pace.

THE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

VISION

PUP: The National Polytechnic University

MISSION

Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities
through a re-engineered polytechnic university by committing to:

 provide democratized access to educational opportunities for the holistic development of

individuals with global perspective
 offer industry-oriented curricula that produce highly-skilled professionals with managerial
and technical capabilities and a strong sense of public service for nation building
 embed a culture of research and innovation
 continuously develop faculty and employees with the highest level of professionalism
 engage public and private institutions and other stakeholders for the attainment of social
development goal
 establish a strong presence and impact in the international academic community

PHILOSOPHY

As a state university, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines believes that:

 Education is an instrument for the development of the citizenry and for the enhancement
of nation building; and
 That meaningful growth and transmission of the country are best achieved in an
atmosphere of brotherhood, peace, freedom, justice and nationalist-oriented education
imbued with the spirit of humanist internationalism.

TEN PILLARS

Pillar 1:  Dynamic, Transformational, and Responsible Leadership

Pillar 2: Responsive and Innovative Curricula and Instruction
Pillar 3:  Enabling and Productive Learning Environment
Pillar 4:  Holistic Student Development and Engagement
Pillar 5:  Empowered Faculty Members and Employees
Pillar 6: Vigorous Research Production and Utilization
Pillar 7:  Global Academic Standards and Excellence
Pillar 8: Synergistic, Productive, Strategic Networks and Partnerships
Pillar 9: Active and Sustained Stakeholders’ Engagement

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 Pillar 10: Sustainable Social Development Programs and Projects

SHARED VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

 Integrity and Accountability

 Nationalism
 Spirituality
 Passion for Learning and Innovation
 Inclusivity
 Respect for Human Rights and The Environment
 Excellence
 Democracy

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

MARAGONDON BRANCH

GOALS

 Quality and excellent graduates

 Empowered faculty members
 Relevant curricula
 Efficient administration
 Development – oriented researches
 State-of-the-art physical facilities and laboratories
 Profitable income – generating programs
 Innovative instruction
 ICT – driven library
 Strong local and international linkage

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

a. Possess broad knowledge of language and literature for effective learning.

b. Use English as a global language in a multilingual context as it applies to the teaching of
language and literature.
c. Acquire extensive reading background in language, literature, and allied fields.
d. Demonstrate proficiency in oral and written communication.
e. Shows competence in employing innovative language and literature teaching
approaches, methodologies, and strategies.
f. Use technology in facilitating language learning and teaching.
g. Inspire students and colleagues to lead relevant and transformative changes to improve
learning and teaching language and literature.
h. Display skills and abilities to be a reflective and research-oriented language and
literature teacher.

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 GEED 20033 PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE AND
CITIZENSHIP
COURSE DESCRIPTION

COURSE TITLE : Philippine Politics and Governance and Citizenship

COURSE CODE : GEED 20033
COURSE CREDIT : 3 units
PRE-REQUISITE : none

The course discusses and analyzes how leaders and stakeholders of government take action in
politics, governance and citizenship, presaging theories and concepts in political science.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

1. get better understanding of the political set-up of the Philippine government

2. acknowledge the ins and outs of government
3. appreciate how democracy works
4. apply the knowledge for better level of awareness

LEARNING RESOURCES/
Week TOPIC METHODOLOGIES ASSESSMENT
OUTCOMES REFERENCES
- Make the students
at ease and eager to
ORIENTATIONS learn
Presentation of the
1. Course Syllabus - show a clear
Grading System,
2. Grading System understanding of
Class Management Course
1st 3. Class Mngt. what the subject is
Policies, and the Syllabus
Policies all about, what will
rest of the Syllabus
4. Course be covered in the
References semester and what
the students are
expected to gain
See the list of
references
*Discuss the theories
and concepts of
political science
OVERVIEWING
*Explain the
nd THE BASIC
2 - importance of
CONCEPTS IN Essay
4th studying them
POLITICAL
* Apply some Lecture and
SCIENCE
theories and Discussion
concepts through
demonstrations

*Discuss the
approaches to the
COMPREHENDING
5th-6th study of politics Essay
POLITICS
*Argue the images of
politics
7th REVISITING THE *Discuss the concept Showing the Identification
CONCEPT OF *Explain the Philippine Map and
GOVERNANCE prescriptions of good Archipelago

iv
 governance
*Discuss the social Lecture and
forces of governance Discussion

*Relate the
Philippines: its land
REVIEWING THE
and its people
8th – PHILIPPINES AS A
*Explain the meaning Essay
10th NATION AND AS A
of nation and state
STATE
*Discuss the
elements of the state

*Briefly discuss the

Philippine Examination
Constitution
*Explain the ff:
REEXAMINING
11th 1. The Three
THE PHILIPPINE
-12th Branches of the
INSTITUTIONS
Government Identification
2. The Military
3. The Church
4.The Media
ACQUINTING THE *Describely acquaint
PHILIPPINE students the
CITIZENSHIP AND Philippine citizenship
SOCIAL *Discuss the different
13th -
MOVEMENTS social movements
14th Lecture and True or False
Discussion

*Explain the relations

ORIENTING THE of elections and
15th -16th PHILIPPINE democracy
ELECTIONS AND * Discuss the Essay
DEMOCRACY elections in the
Philippines

*Discuss the
Marginalized Sectors
in the Philippines
* Impart the
UNDERSTANDING Bangsamoro as
THE marginalized
17th
MARGINALIZED * Show the Women True or False
GROUPS as a Marginalized
Sector
* Explain the
Indigenous People
as Marginalized

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 18th INTERPRETING * Discuss the
THE democratic erosion
CONTEMPORARY in the Philippines
ISSUES * Explain the
polarized Philippines
* Interpret the
1. Illiberal
Democracy of Pres.
Duterte Essay
2. The Emergence of
One-Man Rule
3. The Victims of his
Invectiveness

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

The course requirements are as follows:

1. Students are encouraged to attend the class sessions (online students) and complete all
the requirements (online and offline students).
2. The course is expected to have a minimum of four (4) quizzes and two (2) major
examination (Midterm and Final Examination).
3. Other requirements such as written outputs, exercises, assignments and the likes will be
given throughout the sessions. These shall be submitted on the due dates set by the
teacher.

GRADING SYSTEM

The grading system will determine if the student passed or failed the course. There will be two
grading periods: Midterm and Final Period. Each period has components of: 70% Class
Standing + 30% Major Examination. Final Grade will be the average of the two periodical
grades.

Midterm Grading Final Grading

Class Standing 70% Class Standing 70%
 Quizzes  Quizzes
 Activities  Activities
Midterm Examination 30% Final Examination 30%
100% 100%
FINAL GRADE = Midterm Grade + Final Grade
2

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 REFERENCES

Arellano, Busto V. (2017). Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines: A Compilation,

AVB Printing Press, Sampaloc, Manila

Dannug, Roman R. (2003). Politics and Governance, Advanced and Designs Philippines
Inc., Manila, Philippines

Dannug, Roman R. (2005). Politics and Governance, C&E Publishing, Quezon City

Dannug, Roman R. and Campanilla, Marlo B. (2003). Politics and Governance and
Government with Philippine Constitution, Manila, Philippines

Garcia, Carlito D. (2010). Philippine History and Government for College Students, Books
Atbp. Publishing Corp., Mandaluyong City

Munoz, Mauro Jr. R. and Gonzales-Munoz, Delilah. (2002). Philippine

Governance and Constitution, Katha Publishing Co. Inc., Quezon
Avenue, Quezon City

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………… ii
Course Syllabus……………………………………………………………………………… iv

LESSON I
OVERVIEWING THE BASIC CONCEPTS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE………………….. 2
LESSON II
COMPREHENDING POLITICS……………………………………………………………...16
LESSON III
REVISITING THE CONCEPT OF GOVERNANCE………………………………………. 23
LESSON IV
REVIEWING THE PHILIPPINES AS A NATION AND A STATE……………………… 28
LESSON V
REEXAMINING THE PHILIPPINE INSTITUTIONS……………………………………… 31
LESSON VI
ACQUAINTING THE PHILIPPINE CITIZENSHIP AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS……. 36
LESSON VII
ORIENTING THE PHILIPPINE ELECTIONS AND DEMOCRACY…………………… 39
LESSON VIII
UNDERSTANTING THE MARGINALIZED GROUPS…………………………………. 42
LESSON IX
INTERPRETING THE CONTEMPORARY ISSUE……………………………………… 47

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 LESSON I

THE BASIC CONCEPTS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

The lesson includes:

The Meaning of Concepts and Theories

The Political Concepts as well as Theories

Overview

The lesson discusses and analyzes the concepts and theories of Political
Science.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the topic discussion, the students should be able to:

1. demonstrate sound knowledge of the basic concepts of Political Science

A. Meaning of Concepts and Theories

Concepts are abstract ideas of general notions. They are also plans, intentions or
inventions to help sell or publicize a commodity (Definition from Oxford Languages). But far from
the dictionary definition, Dr. Harriet O. Efanodor (2017) defines concepts as: “constructions
recognized as essential to knowledge which help to explain a piece of reality. Therefore, in
order to have a clear understanding of politics related concepts such as government, state,
sovereignty, legitimacy, power, influence, authority, democracy, power, political participation,
political system, etc.” should form part of the equation.

Theories are abstract thoughts, general principles of subjects and plausible or

scientifically acceptable general principle offered to explain observed facts. Others call them
hypotheses or conjectures need to be proven and experimented. They are suppositions or
systems of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles
independent of the thing to be explained. Theories are formulated to explain, predict, and
understand phenomena and in many cases, to challenge and extend existing knowledge, within
the limits of critical bounding assumptions. The theoretical framework is the structure that can
hold or support a theory of research study.

2
B. The Political Concepts and Theories

Referred to as the sets of concepts essential to serious reflections on political life

include:

1. Authority

It is the legitimate power to give orders, make decisions and enforce obedience.
It is also a person or organization having power or control in a particular, typically
political or administrative sphere. This term is sometimes called power. All primary and
secondary characteristic of a state are important to its success, but the most important
characteristic is having a state authority. It is vital to the survival of an ancient state to
have a central system for decision making that can also enforce those decisions. An
example is an authority towards subordinate.

2. Democracy

It is a system of government by the whole population or all eligible members of a

state typically through elected representatives. From the Greek words, “demos” meaning
people and “crasus” which means power. In other words, it is the power of the people.
The former United States President Abraham Lincoln defines democracy as “the
government of the people, for the people and by the people. In the classic democracy,
four freedoms are supposed to enjoyed by the people, namely: the freedoms of
expression or speech, of religion worship or beliefs, of liberty to choose one’s state in
life, and liberty from fear.

One theory holds that democracy requires three fundamental principles namely:

a. the upward - sovereignty residing at the lowest levels of authority. (ex.

pyramid)

b. the political equality - referred to as equal opportunities for participation of all in

the political process. (ex. men and women viewed as being just)

c. social norms - the unwritten rules about how to behave. (ex. when we expect
students to arrive to a lesson on time and complete their works)

There are different types of democracy. These are as follows:

a. Direct democracy - a pure democracy in which people decide on policy

initiatives directly. There are three types of direct democracy:

The popular initiative, another name is citizen’s initiative is a means by

which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can
force a government to choose to either enact a law or hold a public vote in a
parliament in what is called indirect initiative or under direct initiative. The right of
initiative is usually attributed to parliament, which in most countries have the right
to make law proposals alone or sharing this right with the government. An
example is Australia and Germany.

3
 Optional referendum, under the optional referendum, allows citizens to
oppose laws voted by the federal government, cantonal and/or municipal decrees
by legislative and/or executive bodies. There are two types of referenda: the
referendum bill and the referendum measure. The primary purpose of both is to
give voters an opportunity to approve or reject laws either proposed or enacted
by the Legislature. An example of is the legislative referendum and the popular
referendum.

Mandatory referendum, an instrument of direct democracy in Switzerland.

It is a mechanism that holds mandatory votation of some decisions of the federal,
cantonal or municipal parliament. It is a mechanism that holds mandatory
votation of some decisions of the federal, cantonal or municipal parliament and/or
government such as modifications of Constitution or adhesion to supranational
communities on a federal or cantonal level. (ex. Switzerland, at the levels of
municipalities, cantons and federal states there are frequent elections and
meetings)

b. Representative democracy - a democracy founded on the principle of elected

officials representing a group of people. This is opposed to direct democracy.
The alliance for the representative democracy is a partnership combining the
resources of: the Trust for representative democracy at the National Conference
of State Legislature, the Center of Congress, and the Center for Civic Education.
Simply put, a representative democracy is a system of government in which all
eligible citizens vote on representatives to pass laws for them. (ex. India and
Switzerland)

c. Constitutional democracy - a system of government that has a constitution

setting it as such. The term democracy indicates a form of government where all
the state’s decisions are exercised directly or indirectly by a majority of its
citizenry through a fair elective process. The politics of Canada function within
the framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary
government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a constitutional
monarchy in which the monarch is the head of state. It has placed an emphasis
on equality and exclusiveness for all its people. (ex. United States of America)

d. Monitory democracy - a system characterized by instruments of public

monitoring and scrutinizing of government power. The theory was coined by John
Keane. The divide between media rich and media poor blights all monitory
democracies. It threatens the quite discriminations and injustices that happen
behind closed doors and in the world of everyday life. Media controversies and
gate scandals remind us of a perennial problem facing monitory democracy. This
a viral democracy. This is the age of surveys, focus, groups, deliberative polling,
online petitions and audience and customer voting.

3. Power

It is a possession of control, authority or influence over others. It could be a

nation that has influence among other nations or foreign nation. Or it is the ability to act

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or produce an effect. In social science and politics, power is the capacity of an individual
to influence the actions, beliefs, or conduct (behavior) of others. The term authority is
often used for power that is perieved as legitimate by social structure. It implies
possession or ability to wield force. Dannug (2003) enumerates the five bases of power,
namely:

a. Expert power - a perception that the leader possesses special knowledge or

expertise.

b. Referent power - based on the follower’s liking, admiring or identifying with the
leader.
c. Reward power - the leader’s capacity to mediate rewards to the follower.

d. Legitimate power -the leader has the legitimate right or authority to exercise
influence over him/her.

e. Coercive power - the follower’s fear that non-compliance with the leader’s
wishes will lead to punishment.

4. Government

It is the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members,
citizen or inhabitants of communities or societies and states. There are approximately 18
forms of government with concepts and theories discussed, to name them:

a. Anarchism - an absence of government, a condition on which action or state

operates without a central governing body. This form of government denotes no
public utilities, or services, lacks regulatory control and limited diplomatic
relations with other nations or states. In most instances, it is a society divided into
different locally ruled settlements or fiefdoms. (ex. Somalia)

b. Aristocracy - a form of government in which wealthy nobles are given power

over those in lower socio-economic strata. The ruling class is viewed as
possessing education, upbringing and genetic traits required for rulership. Plato,
the philosopher, call them “philosopher kings.” “Aristo” means excellent, while
“krato” means power. (ex. Britain’s Royal family)

c. Bureaucracy - a government in which non-elected government officials carry

out public responsibilities as dictated by administrative policy making groups.
Rules, regulations, procedures outcome are formulated to maintain order.
Bureaucratic streamlining of policy implementation can take place under the rule
of democracy or a dictator perhaps. Bureaucracy is defined as working in a way
that has many steps to complete a task and very strict order or rules. The job of a
bureaucrat is to implement government policy, to take the laws and decisions
made by elected officials and put them into practice. The task of running the
government., and providing services through policy implementation which is
called public administration. In the United States there are four types of general
types of bureaucracy, namely- cabinet departments, independent excutive
agencies, regulatory agencies and government corporations.

5
d. Capitalism - a government with a form of economy in which production is
driven by private ownership. It is an economic and political system in which a
country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit rather than
the state. It promotes the idea of an open competition and extends from the belief
that a free market economy-one with regulatory control-is the most efficient form
of economic organization. Its advocates argue that capitalism promotes
economic growth, improves standards of living, higher productivity and broader
prosperity. Those who are pro capitalism argue that economic freedom helps
political freedom. If governments own the means of production and set prices, it
invariably leads to a powerful state and creates a large bureaucracy which may
extend into other areas of life. While those who are against the theory accused it
as inherently exploitative, unsustainable, and creates economic inequality, anti-
democratic and leads to an erosion of human rights while it incentivizes
imperialist expansion or war. The end step of Capitalism is that it digs its own
grave, spotlights the immorality of corporations using social issues to advance
their brand. An example is the Communist North Korea.

e. Colonialism - a form of governance in which a nation will seek to extend its

sovereignty over other territories. Colonialism involves the expansion of nation’s
rule beyond its borders. The colonizer often imposes its own economy, culture,
religious order and form of government on an occupied people to strengthen its
own authority. It is the practice of domination which involves the subjugation of
one people to another. One of the difficulties of defining colonialism is that it is
hard to distinguish it from imperialism. Like colonialism, imperialism also involves
political and economic control over a dependent territory. (ex. Philippines that
was colonized by Spain, America)

f. Communism - a government referring to the idea of common, public ownership

of the economy including infrastructure, utilities and means of production.
Idealized by thinkers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, it denotes an absence of
class divisions which inherently requires the subversion of the ruling class by the
working class. It often incorporates the idea of revolutionary action against
unequal rule. This may manifest in some communist states as a more
authoritarian form of governance. (ex. Russia, China and North Korea)

g. Federalism - a government that both combines and divides powers between a

centralized federal authority and an array of regional and local authorities. A set
of states, territories or provinces are both self- governing and beholden to the
authority of a broad unifying government structure. (ex. United States and British
Commonwealth)
h. Feudalism - a government with a social structure revolving around land
ownership, nobility and military obligation. It is a way of life in which sharp
hierarchical division separates noble classes, clergy and peasantry. In this
system, peasants typically provided labor and military service in exchange for
occupancy of land and protection from outside forces under the authority of noble
Lord. (ex. France)

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i. Kleptocracy - a government in which the ruling party has either come to power,
retained power or both, through means of corruption and theft. This is not a form
of government, but a pejorative term used to describe a group whose power rests
on a foundation of embezzlement, misappropriation of funds and transfer of
massive amounts of wealth from public to private interests. (ex. Vladimir Putin of
Russia)
j. Meritocracy - a government system in which authority is vested in those who
have demonstrated the merits deemed pertinent to governing or public
administration. These merits are conferred to through testing and academic
credentials and are meant to create an order in which talents, abilities and
intellect determine who should hold positions of leadership and economic
scholarship. (ex. Singapore)
k. Military Dictatorship - this form is headed usually by the head of the nation’s
armed forces. A dictatorship is a nation ruled with absolute power in the absence
of democratic process and typically under the thumb of a single authority figure. It
comes to power by subverting the existing set of government which subsequently
uses the military to establish its own brand of law and order. (ex. Gen. Prayut
Chan Cha who declared martial rule in Thailand)
l. Oligarchy - a government in which a smattering of individuals rules over a
nation. Specific sets of qualities are used to vest power in a small group of
individuals, qualities like wealth, heredity or race. Forms of this government are
regarded as aristocratic, plutocratic or totalitarian. It is characterized by tyrannical
or authoritarian rule and the absence of democratic practices and individual
rights. (ex. South Africa, 1948-1991)
m. Plutocracy - this government refers to a system where power is determined as
a direct function is wealth. Shades of Aristocratic system, it refers to the
ascendance of the wealthy to position of power. Think of it as a difference
between “old money and “new money” itself. It is a rarely term that a ruling class
will self- apply. (ex. US and Soviet Russia with select groups of billionaires)
n. Republicanism - a theoretical form of government which refers to a system
where power is vested in the citizenry. A republic is a nation in which the people
hold popular sovereignty through the electoral and legislative processes, as well
as through participation in public and civic life. The Republic was perceived as
the counterbalance to monarchy. This is an approach which is a merged
monarchy and aristocracy with some trappings of democracy. (ex. France during
the time of Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule)
o. Socialism - a form of government in which the people own the primary means
of production. A counterpoint to the competitive nature and unequal proclivities of
capitalism, it has existed in many forms and widely variant degrees of strictness
throughout history and around the world. From small communal societies to
state-level governments that provide encompassing public services such as
universal public health care. The concept of socialism permeates the government
the world over. (ex. Scandinavian nations such as Denmark, Finland, Norway,
Sweden and Iceland)

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 p. Theocracy - a kind of government with specific religious ideology informs the
leadership, laws, and customs of a nation. It is a system of government in which
priets or imams in the name of God or god. Theocracy is just another form of
dictatorship. Furthermore, we test some of the predictions of theory of
dictatorship about the durability of and the source of opposition to the various
regimes on data about papacy. It signifies belief in governance by divine
guidance, a form of a regime in which religion or faith plays the dominant role. It
denotes thus a political unit governed by a deity or by officials thought to be
divinely guided. Religious clergy will typically occupy roles of leadership and in
some instances, the highest office in the nation. (ex. Iran since 1979)
q. Totalitarianism - an authoritarian form of government in which the ruling party
recognizes no limitations whatsoever of its power in the public life or private
rights of its citizens. Power is often vested in the hands of a single figure, an
authority around whom significant propaganda is belt as a way of extending and
retaining uncontested authority. Totalitarian states often employ widespread
surveillance control over mass media, intimidating demonstrations of para-
military or police power and suppression -usually violent- a protest, activism or
political opposition. (ex. Kim Jong-Un’s rule)
r. Tribalism - referring to a form of governance in which there is an absence of
central authority, instead various regional tribes lay claim to different territories,
resources or domains. It implies the possession of a strong cultural or ethnic
identity that separates one member of a group from the members of another
group. Tribalism has endangered the whole nation in disparity and separation. It
has caused nepotism, affected national cohesion and has caused
misunderstanding between people. Aside these effects, there are other negative
effects on marriages, sharing of opinion and even leadership roles. In this
system, trade, commerce and war may occur between different tribes without
involvement or oversight of a unifying structure. (ex. Afghanistan with regional
tribes)

5. State
It is a nation or territory considered as organized political community under one
government. In modern politics, a state is an association which has control over a
geographic area or territory. A state is seen as having three main pieces:
a. Territory - an area of land under the jurisdiction of a ruler or state; a political
unit of a country but is not formally developed into or incorporated into a political
unit of a country that is of equal status to other political units that may often be
referred to by words such as provinces or states.
b. People - human beings making up a territory, a group or assembly or linked by
a common interest-meaning men, women and children. It is a plurality of persons
considered as a whole, as is in the case with an ethnic group, nation or the public
of a polity.

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 c. Government - as already discussed
The state has the following rights, as follows:
a. Rights of Existence and Self- defense- a right to protect states eternal right to
existence. A state as a subject under international law has absolute right of self-defense.
The act of self-defense is justified not only under customary international law but also
under the United Nation charter.
b. Right of Independence- the political right of the majority to exercise the power
within the boundaries of a generally accepted political unit, area or territory. The concept
is most often used in connection with the right of colonies to independence. It is the
freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others.
c. Right of Equality- one of the fundamental rights in the Philippine Constitution. It
includes equality before law, prohibition of discrimination on grounds of race, religion,
gender or case, or birth place. Every citizen from the president to an ordinary individual
is subjected to the same laws.
d. Right of Legation- also known as the right of diplomatic intercourse, refers to
the right of the state to send and receive diplomatic missions which enables a state to
carry on friendly intercourse. It is not natural or inherent right but exists only by common
consent. A diplomatic immunity is a form of legal immunity that ensures that diplomats
are given safe passage and are considered not susceptible to lawsuit or prosecution
under the host country’s laws, although they may still be expelled. Many principles of
diplomatic immunity are now considered to be customary law.

6. Sovereignty
It is a supreme power or authority. In political theory, sovereignty is the ultimate
overseer, or authority in decision making process of the state and in the maintenance of
order. In French or Latin, the term was originally understood to mean the equivalent of
supreme power. The purpose of government is to secure the people’s rights.
Legitimately, sovereign governments derive their just powers from the consent of the
governed. There are five kinds of sovereignty, namely:
a. The Nominal and Real Sovereignty - the nominal and titular forms in which the
authority lies on the name of concerned only, while real sovereignty uses his
powers.
b. The Legal Sovereignty - the conception of sovereignty in terms of law. It refers
to that person or body of persons who by law have the power to issue final
commands.
c. Political Sovereignty - the full right and power of a governing body over itself
without any interference from outside forces or bodies. It is the exercise of power
by the state according to the international law.

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 d. Popular Sovereignty - a controversial doctrine according to which the people of
federal territories should decide for themselves whether their territories would
enter the Union as free or slave states.

7. Legitimacy
It refers to a confirmation to recognized principles or accepted rules or standards,
meaning lawfully begotten. Legitimacy theory posits that organizations continually seek
to ensure that they operate within the bounds or norms of their respective societies. The
term legitimacy denotes a system of government-wherein government denotes a sphere
of influence. This theory is a mechanism that supports organizations in implementing
and developing voluntary social and environmental disclosures in order to fulfill their
social contract that enables the recognition of their objectives and survival in a jumpy
and turbulent environment.
The theory assumes that a corporation does not have any right to operate or
access resources, and is only legitimate when the value system of the corporation is
congruent with that of society.

8. Power
It is a possession or control, authority over others. The ability to act or produce
an effect. In Social Science and Politics, it is the capacity of an individual to influence the
actions, beliefs or behavior of others. There are five types of power, namely:
a. Expert power- a perception that the leader possesses special knowledge or
expertise
b. Referent power- based on the follower’s liking, admiring and identifying with
the leader
c. Reward power- the leader’s capacity to mediate rewards to the followers
d. Legitimate power- someone is in the higher position that has the legitimate
right or authority to control over others
e. Coercive power- the follower’s fear that non-compliance with the leader’s
wishes will lead to punishment
9. Influence
It is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, behavior of
someone or something or the effect of itself. It is also the capacity or power of persons
or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior or
opinion. There are six factors of influence, as follows:
a. Reciprocity-a mutual exchanging of privileges
b. Commitment- putting into charge or entrusting

10
 c. Social Proof- copying the action of others in an attempt to undertake behavior
in a given situation
d. Authority- obeying a person in higher position
e. Liking- giving favorable regard to the other
f. Scarcity- giving importance to deficiency in quantity or number, not plentiful

10. Authority
It is a legitimate power or right to give orders, give decisions and enforce
obedience. It is the power to influence thought or behavior; has the power to control in a
particular, typically political or administrative sphere. The sociologist and philosopher
Max Webber distinguishes the three types of authority:
a. Charismatic authority - involves a type of organization or type of leadership in
which authority derives from the charisma or the compelling charm of a leader.
(ex. Adolf Hitler)
b. Traditional authority - is a form of leadership in which the authority of an
organization or a ruling regime is largely tied to tradition or custom. (ex. Great
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, a position she inherited based on traditional rules of
succession for the monarchy)
c. Rational-Legal authority - is a form of leadership in which the authority of an
organization or a ruling regime is largely tied to legal rationality, legal legitimacy
and bureaucracy.

11. Political Participation

It includes a broad range of activities through which people develop and express
their opinions on the world and how it is governed. It tries to take part in and shape the
decisions that affect their lives.
The forms of political participation are the following:
a. Voting- the most prevalent form of political participation in the Philippines
although many eligible voters do not turn out on elections
b. Expressing opinion- about leaders on issues and policies.
c. Contributing money- for fund raising for a cause campaigns for a cause or for
political party candidates.
d. Running for public office in elections- this kind of PP is sometimes abused,
some run to get more money but not to truly serve for the constituents
e. Protest activity- engages in rally, demonstrations in violent acts

11
12. Political System
In political science, a political system defines the process for making official
government decisions. It is usually compared to the legal system, economic system,
cultural system etc. The theory of political system was conceived by David Easton in
1953. He conceived it as integrating all activities through which social policy is
formulated and executed. In other words, it is a policy making process.

There are three types of political systems that sociologists consider. They are:
a. Authoritarianism - a system characterized by or favoring the principle of blind
obedience to authority
b. Democracy - a system in which the supreme power is held by the people
c. Monarchy - a system wherein one person is holding pre-eminent position or
power
But what is common in the world are:
a. Democracy (Discussed already)
b. Republic - the government remains mostly subject to the governed
c. Monarchy (Discussed already)
d. Communism (Discussed already)
e. Dictatorship - a country governed by absolute authority. Its characteristics are:
1) the ruler rises to power out of conflict; 2) Dictators control all branches of
government and media; 3) controls the population by intimidation, imprisonment,
violence and other human rights abuses, and 4) a cult personality making him
divine.

13. Liberty
It is the freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction and hampering
conditions. It is also the power or right of doing, thinking and speaking according to a
choice. A right or privilege, it is the freedom from captivity, confinement or physical
restraint. John Locke a philosopher, defines liberty as consists of being free from any
superior power on earth. That people are not under the will or lawmaking authority of
others but have only the law of nature for their rule. According to him, the fundamental
natural rights- life, liberty and property to serve that purpose, he reasoned individuals
have both right and duty to preserve their own lights. It has two types, namely:
a. Positive liberty - the possession of the capacity to act upon one’s free will

12
 b. Negative liberty - the freedom from external restraint on one’s action. (ex.
freedom to live, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from violence,
freedom from slavery and property rights)

14. Justice
It is the administration of what is just, what is right. This is a theory started by
John Rawls (1971) in which he attempts to provide a moral theory alternative to
utilitarianism- a doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or if they are for the
benefit of the majority- and that addresses the problem of distributive justice, a socially
distribution of goods in society.
There are three principles of justice, namely:
a. Equity - justness and impartiality
b. Equality - the same measure, quantity, value, quality, degree or status
c. Need - to be in want

The theories of justice include:

a. Utilitarianism (defined above), this theory is propounded by Jeremy Bentham
and John Stuart
b. Contractarianism-a doctrine that moral norms derive their normative force from
the idea of contract or mutual agreement. This theory is sponsored by Thomas
Hobbes and Immanuel Kant.
c. Egalitarianism- a doctrine that all people are equal and deserve equal rights
and opportunities. As a political philosophy, it emphasizes equality and equal
treatment across gender, religion, economic status and political beliefs. Example
is Martin Luther King Jr. the person who fights for civil rights in US.

15. Human Rights

It is understood as moral rights and human rights which is the basic rights and
freedoms of all human beings. It includes the right to life, freedom of thought,
expression and equality before the law. Its historical origin dates back to Persia (539 BC)
when King Cyrus the Great conquered the city of Babylon. He freed all slaves to return
home and declared people to choose their own religion and even maintained racial
equality.
The Magna Carta of 1521 was the historical beginning of human rights. The idea
of human rights rapidly spread from Babylon to many nations specially India, Greece
and eventually Rome where the concept “natural law” arose in observation of the fact
that people tended to follow certain unwritten laws in due course of life. Example is the

13
written pioneer to the human rights documents are the English Bill of Rights of 1689 and
the American Declaration of Independence in 1776 and others.

There are 8 basic human rights or International Bill of Rights namely:

1. The right to equality and freedom from discrimination
2. The right to life, liberty and personal security
3. The freedom from torture and degrading treatment
4. The right to equality before the law
5. The right to a fair trial
6. The right to privacy
7. Freedom of belief and religion
8. Freedom of Opinion

14
References:
Dannug (2003) Politics, Governance and Government with Philippine Constitution. Dannug-
Campanilla. Philippines.
Encyclopedia Britannica. britannica.com
en.wikipedia.org

Assessment
In an essay form, discuss the following:
1. Democracy
2. Government
3. Totalitarianism
4. Communism
5. Authority
To do these, you have to state your topic sentence first and then discuss it in your own words
plus your final or last sentence. Your discussion depends on the topic sentence that you
presented.
For example: PUP Maragondon Branch is a quality school. (Topic sentence)
Ask the question, Why? Then make at least 5 to 8 sentences.
PUP Maragondon Branch (subject like the 1-5 above)
Quality school is the adjective about your subject PUP Maragondon
Branch

15
Note: the topic sentence is a declarative or propositional statement.

LESSON II

BROADENING COMPREHENSION IN POLITICS

The lesson parts are the following:

The Approaches to the Study of Politics

The Ten Images of Politics

Overview

This particular lesson widens discussion on the students understanding of

the study of Politics by arguing on some preliminary steps about and presenting
the various sides in Philippine politics.

Learning Objectives or Expected Outcomes

At the end of the deliberation, the students should be able to:

1. comprehend how politics is being addressed

2. learn more about some images enveloping politics in the Philippines

A. Approaches to the Study of Politics

“An approach to a discipline is the particular viewpoint from which one addresses the
subject (Dannug, 2003).” The term “approach” is defined as, “to move nearer to” or “to make
advances especially for the purpose of creating a desired result.”

16
 To orient us about the study, the book, “Politics, Governance and Government with
Philippine Constitution” may enlighten us which is authored by Dr. Roman R. Dannug, the
former dean of the College of Economics, Finance, Politics, Public Administration and
Governance at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines together with Atty. Marlo B.
Campanilla who taught also at PUP College of Law.

The book cites and classifies six approaches to the study of politics, namely:

1. The Traditional and Historical Approach

In this approach political scientists make some use of history which emphasizes
chronology and historical development of government structures and institutions. It
means that enthusiasts of politics should deal on what is inherited, established or
customary pattern of thought or action during those times and how the beliefs and
customs were handed down by mouth without written instruction. Example-the study of
historical events like wars and revolutions and others.

2. The Scientific and Behavioralist Approach

This 1960’s approach uses science and behavior to correct the perceived
shortcomings of the traditional approach. It uses scientific method by of using the rules
and methods for the pursuit of knowledge involving the finding. First and foremost is
recognizing the problem by stating it, collecting facts through observation, experimenting
and testing of ideas that need to be proven right or wrong. Behaviorism is concerned
with the objective evidence of behavior without reference to conscious experience. The
behavioralist seeks to understand how individuals behave within political institutions and
how informal behavior contributes to policy making. An example is the positive
reinforcement where parents use a reward system when training a toddler. Or the
negative reinforcement, detaining a pupil for more than three times late.

3. The General Theory Approach

This theory explains how some aspects of human behavior or performance is

organized. It does enable us to make predictions about the behavior. The components of
the theory are concepts which are well defined and principles which are assumptions. A
concept is a symbolic representation of an actual thing like, a tree, chair, tables,
computer, distance etc. This approach believes that the quandary (state of doubt) in
politics can, to a large extent be explained by the fact that by themselves, clock model
assumptions which are inappropriate for dealing with the substance of political
phenomena. It maintains that politics is not totally predictable because, since behavior is
involved, there can be no direct cause and effect relationship among all variables. An
example is the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin.

4. The Systems Approach

A system is defined as a group of units so combined to form a whole and to

operate in unison. It is taken as a regular method or order. The systems theory is the
view of organizations as open social systems that interact with their environments in
order to survive. Changing one part of a system may affect others or the whole system.
A system-based approach uses a standardized set of management steps that are

17
 sequential. It can be applied to any major undertaking. These dictate that over-aching
objectives, strategies and tactics are established to promote effective response
management and consistency. An example is baking a cake. If you were to lay-out the
ingredients of a cake, you would not have a cake.

5. The Structural and Functional Approach

A dictionary definition of structure/al is to heap up or build; or arrangement of

relationship of elements as particles, parts or organs in a substance. While function/al is
a means, a variable (as quality trait or measurement) that depends on and varies with
another. The primary concepts within functionalism collective conscience, value
consensus, social order, education, family, crime and deviance and media. Functionalist
sociologists like Parsons and Durkheim have been concerned with the search for
functions and institutions may have in society. The functional approach was developed
by William James in 1890. This idea was an alternative approach to structuralism- a first
paradigm in Psychology. An example is one function of society laws may be to protect
society from violence, while another is to punish criminal behavior or maybe to preserve
public health.

6. The Political Economy Approach

This new political economy approach encourages the discussion of real-world

political economy that is grounded in particular cultural, social and historical details. This
approach combines the ideals of classical political economists and newer analytical
advances in the field of economics and politics. There are three types of political
economy, namely the free market economies, the command economies and the mixed
economies.

a. The free market economies are essentially capitalist economies, businesses

and individuals have to pursue their own economic interests like buying and
selling goods on a competitive market which naturally determines a fair price of
goods and services.

b. The command economies are also known as centrally trained economy

because the central or national government plans the economy. Generally,
communist states have command economies, although China has been moving
recently towards a capitalist economy. An example is that during World War II the
United States largely take control of the American economy forcing businesses to
build tanks, planes and ammunitions instead of a normal consumer goods.

c. The mixed economy combines the elements of free markets and command
economies. Even free market states, the government usually takes some action
to direct the economy. In economic language, this means that most states have
mixed economies. An example is that agricultural subsidies are in a common way
government intervention.

B. The Ten Images of Politics

1. The Boardroom Politics

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 It is in the board room or conference room that this politics is happening. Usually,
the board of directors - who are a team of people elected by corporations, clubs, and
shareholders hold their meetings in their company or club’s rooms. The head of the
board of directors is the Chairperson of the board. They evaluate management
performance, tend to major decisions, declare dividends, create stock option policies
and establish executive compensation packages. This board meeting matters because
they make decisions with important public consequences, make political stand. An
example was the impeachment of former President Joseph Estrada because it was
believed that the Makati Business Club and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and
Industry financed the rallies and demonstrations against Estrada.

2. The Bureaucratic Politics

This politics is played by bureaucrats such as secretaries, directors, chiefs,

chairpersons and staffs of the government bureaucracy. They are not elected individuals
but only appointed yet they are powerful authority holders. Their influences become so
great that elected officials in many times are almost powerless to affect policy. That is
the reason why politicians and some businessmen are jockeying their men into position
in the bureaucracy. These bureaucrats make decisions favoring private business and
political interests. An example is a director of DENR issued a business certification to a
foreign investor allowing him to put up a sauna massage clinic on the vicinity of the
mouth of Taal Volcano.

3. The Congress Politics

A Congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different districts and

senators of the Philippines. The term originally denotes an encounter or meeting of
adversaries during battle from the Latin Congresses. It is the legislative branch in the
government that represents the people and make laws. It shares power with the
Executive branch headed by the president and the Judicial branch manned by the chief
justice. It consists of two bodies- the House of Representatives and the Senate. It has
the power to legislate laws. Constrained by various constituents, legislation affects public
and private interests. It can delay the passage of a bill, sometimes kills the consideration
and passage of the proposed bill even at the committee hearing level. Legislation is
politically beneficial. Lobbying of vested interest representatives is both crucial and
strategic through, “who gets what, when and how” Laswell argues. An example is how
the House is divided- the majority bloc and the minority bloc with different interests.

4. The Chief Executive Politics

This role is played by presidents, governors, city and municipal mayors and even
barangay captains or youth presidents. The implement laws, ordinances or resolutions,
appoint officials serving as staffs. Oftentimes, chief executives possess discretionary
powers that produce beneficial effects to many but detrimental to some few. When the
chief executive talks, everybody listens. An example is when just recently President
Duterte said that we should follow COVID 19 protocols, everybody follows.

5. The Courtroom Politics

19
 Most of the players in this politics are the justices, judges, prosecutors, clerks of
courts and others who in some way or another decide and resolve cases and other
litigations. Court orders and decisions are sometimes done to interest groups and
aggrieved individuals. When judicial decisions or when decisions of courts of law are
sold or influenced based not on merits and evidences, then the courts would have
served no purpose as balancer and equalizer of justice in the settlements of disputes
between litigants. Court decisions can:

a. can put political opponents to jail

b. can delay political or non-political appointments
c. can delay execution of executive and legislative decisions
d. can stop operation of business
e. can decide to reverse or delay decisions previously made

Justice, when bought, when delayed and when influenced is a political injustice.
An example is the issuance of a TRO or Temporary Restraining Order.

6. Multi-Media Politics

When we say media, we are talking about- establishment media, alternative

media and opposition media. The forms of media are newspapers, radio, television,
stage-plays and other media forms. Through these establishments, public opinion is
galvanized or stimulated as if by electric shock. All of these media promote the political
interests and choices of those who own them, who pay them and who use them. Media
can make or unmake a president or a leader for that matter. An example during Marcos
authoritarian rule wherein all media channels except the anti-Marcos Jose Burgos’ “Ang
Malaya” where owned and controlled by Marcos and their cronies.

7. The Faith-Based Politics

This is a politics played by the religious groups. Some of the prominent religious
groups are:

a. El Shaddai of Mike Velarde

b. Jesus is Lord Movement of Bro. Eddie Villanueva
c. Iglesia ni Cristo of Bro. Erano Manalo
d. The Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines
e. The National Council of Churches in the Philippines

Their leaders and members make pronouncements and declarations having

political implications. They take political positions on public issues whenever necessary.
An example is Bro. Mike Velarde who oftentimes invite political candidates at their
religious gatherings.

8. The Game of the Generals

This role is played by military and police generals and their subordinates. They
effect preferences in the political arena. The decision and machinations (act of planning)
of military and police generals are almost always the key factors that change

20
governments and government leaders. An example is the EDSA revolutions 1,2,3 or
even 4 are calculated decisions of military and police bigwigs and their subordinates.

9. The Civil Society Politics

This is the politics of high profiled socio-political engagement and proactive

lobbying of voluntary groups such as non-government organizations, socio-civic
societies, cause-oriented groups, people’s organizations, professional organizations,
cooperatives, development organizations and social class groupings. The most
prominent to have strong political involvement is the Anakbayan, Bayan or Gabriela.

Examples of NGOs

a. IBON Foundation
b. Philippine Center for Journalism
c. Child Hope Asia
d. Habitat for Humanity Philippines
e. Philippine Red Cross

Examples of Cause-Oriented Groups

a. Karapatan Alliance of the Philippines

b. GABRIELA
c. Association of Concerned Teachers
d. BAYAN
e. League of Filipino Students

Examples of Professional Organizations

a. Philippine College of Physicians

b. Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers
c. Philippine Medical Association
d. Philippine Nurses Association
e. Philippine Institute of Public Accountants

Examples of Cooperatives

a. Consumers Coop
b. Producers Coop
c. Workers Coop
d. Credit Unions
e. Retail or Purchasing Coops

Examples of Development Organizations

a. Ateneo Human Rights Center

b. Bangsamoro Development Authority
c. Philippine Development Foundation
d. Center for Art
e. Philippine Center for Population and Development

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 Examples of Social Groups

a. Upper Class (Elite)

b. Upper Middle Class
c. Lower Class
d. Working Class
e. Poor

10. X- Men Politics

The players of this kind of politics are less prominently mentioned, less openly
named and less publicly involved. But they are actively engaged in fixing and managing
self-serving political decisions. Their operations are covert (secret, concealed). These
employ espionage network representing big interests or big corporations. An example is
the one confiscated in Tanza, Cavite by police and military operatives where the bulk of
prohibited drugs are clandestinely concealed. These covert political operators are the
drugs and vices lords who support the career of politicians and bureaucrats who in turn
will provide protection to syndicated crimes. This is the reason why narcotic politics or
narco-politics have made headlines in recent days.

References:

Dannug (2003) Politics, Governance and Government with Philippine Constitution. Dannug-
Campanilla. Philippines
En.wikipedia.org

Assessment

Identify whether the statement is either true or false

1. The traditional approach uses science.

2. To be sustainable is to be contented for the day’s provision.
3. Board-Room politics happens in any office.
4. A Mayor is a bureaucrat.
5. Former President Ferdinand Marcos controlled all the media during his authoritarian rule.
6. Negative reinforcement is scientific and behaviorist approach.
7. Religions are apolitical.
8. X-men people are conspicuous.
9. The covert political operators are the executives.
10. To be efficient means to be open.

22
 LESSON III

REVISITING THE CONCEPT OF GOVERNANCE

The lesson includes:

The Concept of Governance
The Social Forces of Governance
Prescriptions of Good Governance

Overview

The lesson reviews and explains the concept of Governance, the social forces
intervening it and the prescriptions of a good governance.

Learning Objectives

After the deliberations, students are expected to be able to:

1. learn more understanding of the concept.

23
 2. get more focus on how to govern with absolute goodness despite of the
different interfering forces that involves it.

A. The Concept of Governance

It is the process whereby elements of society wield power and authority and influence
and enact policies and decisions concerning public, economic and social development. In
simple words, governance is the term for the way a group of people such as a country do things.
Many groups create a government to decide on how things are done. There are different types
of governance models as follows:

1. The Operational Model - the board manages, governs and performs the work of an
organization.

2. The Collective Model - The board and the staff operate as a team when making
decisions about governance and the work of the organization. Board members may work
with either or both service operations or management functions.

3. The Management Model - the board manages the operations through functional
committees that may or may not have a staff coordinator.

4. Constituent Representational Model - an approach used by publicly elected officials.

Federations or other constituency elected boards have primary responsibility of
balancing the interests of their constituents with the best interest of the organization.

There are four pillars of governance namely:

1. The Board of Directors who are elected by the stakeholders

2. The Management who are in charge of the day to day operations
3. The Internal Auditors who are in charge of the formal examination and verification of
financial accounts of the company.
4. The External Auditors who perform an audit in accordance with specific laws or rules
and are independent of the entity being audited.

B. The Social Forces of Governance

A social force is a consensus on the part of a sufficient number of the members of

society to bring about social action or social change of some sort. The social forces are typical
basic drives or motives, which lead to the fundamental types of association and group
relationship.

There are seven primary sources that shape society, and more importantly affect
governance namely: family, religion, media, arts, entertainment, education, government and
business.

1. The Family - the family influences include interaction patterns, in which parent child
dyads learn to use increasingly intense behavior to coerce other persons into submitting
to their demands.

24
 2. The Religion - a historical and a regulatory force affecting business behavior and
affects business more directly.

3. The Media - as defector of how society works whether printed, electronic or the web
make people informed, educated or entertained. But its danger particularly social media,
it results to cyber bullying, invasion of privacy, identity theft, a child seeing offensive
images and the presence of strangers who may be there to “groom” other members.

4. The Arts - an influencer in society by changing opinions, instilling values and

transmitting experience across space and time. It has the power to shake us in
revelation and rip us from our default mode of seeing.

5. The Entertainment - exposure to some portrayals in TV, movies and other

entertainment media affects perceptions. Example: the portrayal in dramas like crime
drama shows that it’s more likely viewers believe that the police are successful at
lowering crime, use force only when necessary, and that misconduct does not typically
lead to false confession. In contrast, perceptions regarding the frequency of force are
unaffected.

6. The Education - as part of social system, education is both acquisition of knowledge

or art of teaching and learning of values, norms and skills. It reflects and influences the
social and cultural order of which it is a part.

7. The Government - the political direction, control exercised over the action of the
members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies and states. It is responsible
for providing services such as military defense, fire and police departments, roads,
education, social services and environmental protection.

8. The Business - the determiner of the state of competitive environment in which a

firm operates. It determines the level of employment, rate of inflation, rate of interest,
demographic changes, fiscal as well as the monetary policies.

C. The Prescriptions of Good Governance

Good governance is at the heart of a successful business. It is essential for a company

organization to achieve its objectives and drive improvement as well as maintain legal and
ethical standing at the eyes of stakeholders, regulators and the wider community.

Principles of Good Governance

1. Participation, Representation and Fair Conduct of Elections

It means that all concerned citizens should take part in the government
processes and programs by acting their roles. Elections should be conducted fairly and
without bias. It must be observed that participation nowadays is not really good, its
lukewarm. The conduct of elections is always perceived with anomaly and fraud.

2. Responsiveness

25
 One is answerable, reliable and trustworthy who is able to choose for oneself
between right and wrong. He is liable to be called upon to answer one’s acts or
decisions. There is a need for public officials and employees cognizant of their
accountability and punish them for their offenses. It has become a necessity today.

3. Efficiency and Effectiveness

To be effective means to be productive with desired effects without waste. It must

be impressive, striking and always ready for access service and action. As per
observation, this virtue is quite a problem because doing this is sometimes very remote.
There are always “valid” reasons or excuses for doing things without contemplating
whether it’s efficient or effective such as doing projects nationally or locally.

4. Openness and Transparency

For being transparent and open, there is a need for people to be informed of the
decisions made by the state, and it must have some justifications. The documents and
facts are always available or accessible to avoid suspicions of corruptions. Authorities
must be cooperative and generous to attempt to be transparent and not to be hiding
something. Public officials are paid from the people’s taxes.

5. Rule of Law

All people should follow the laws of the land even if sometimes it is hard to
respond or follow. “Dura Lex Sed Lex”. The law is harsh but that is the law. However,
laws should not be weaponize to punish others. Laws are made for peace, order and
safety with rules and regulations as well.

6. Ethical Conduct

To be ethical means to be conforming to the accepted professional standards of

conduct. Ethics is a philosophical discipline dealing with good and evil and with moral
duty to fellowmen. The citizens deserve respect from the government specially the
public officers to be professional enough to be honest and truthful.

7. Competence and Capacity

Competency means fit, capable and qualified with adequate means for
subsistence. A person is competent and capable if he has the necessary ability,
knowledge or skill to do something successfully. Sadly, many people who are given roles
in the government are bankrupt of competence or skill. It may be that screening
meritoriously were not applied because favoritism and closeness become the standard
for accepting them.

8. Innovation and Openness

It is to maintain an open mind to allow us to identify opportunities and to create

innovative solutions. Innovation has two kinds, namely: open innovation and closed
innovation. Open innovation is a business management model for innovation that

26
 promotes collaboration with people and organizations outside the company. Closed
innovation is a group of companies that operate under a self-contained innovative
environment.

9. Sustainability and Long-Term Orientation

Long term sustainability means staying ahead of the curve. Consequently,

understanding these unmet needs and crafting products and services to address them is
crucial to the success of an organization. Long term orientation is when you are focused
on the future. You are willing to delay short-term material or social success or even
short- term emotional gratification in order to prepare for the future. With this kind of
perspective, you value persistence, perseverance, saving and being able to adapt.

10. Sound Financial Management

It is the careful tracking and prudent management of your company’s financial

resources and cash- flow. Without it, information can be wrong or absent, decision
making is flawed and minor issues can become serious problems that put the business
itself at risk. These are four recognized elements of financial management: planning,
controlling, organizing and directing, and lastly, decision making.

11. Human Rights, Cultural Diversity and Social Cohesion

Human rights and freedoms are particularly relevant to people from culturally and
linguistically diverse backgrounds. These include freedom from discrimination on the
basis of race, an adequate standard of living, including food, clothing and housing and
be free and safe from violence. Every culture can pursue its own vision of good life as
long as it doesn’t impinge on the rights of the individuals who exist with that culture.
Others give in simple ways, offering a cup of tea to the municipal workers laboring
tirelessly on local roads in the biting winter chill. These small acts of kindness are an
example of the humanity and social cohesion our societies are capable of.

12. Accountability

It is the fact or condition of being accountable because the lack of it corrodes

public respect. Accountability eliminates the time and effort you spend on distracting
activities and other unproductive behavior. When you make people accountable for their
actions you are effectively teaching them to value their work, when done right, it can
increase your team member’s skill and confidence. An example of accountability is
when an employee admits an error he or she made on a project. When an employee is
given the task of making sure a project goes right and knows he/she will be blamed if it
doesn’t, that employee can also be said of having accountability for the project.

References

en.wikipedia.org

n.a. The Concept and Theories of Governance. ombudsman.gov.ph

27
n.a. Council of Europe Portal. coe.int

Activities/Assessment

Essay writing, one paragraph only in your own words

1. Accountability
2. Rule of Law
3. Education
4. Religion
5. The Traditional Model of Governance

LESSON IV

REVIEWING THE PHILIPPINES AS A NATION

AND AS A STATE

The lesson includes:

The Philippines: Its Land and People

The Philippines as a Nation
The Philippines as a State

Overview

This part tries to put students as Filipinos by imparting them more

information about their own country in a form of discussion and interaction.

Learning Objectives

28
 At the end of the session, it is expected that the students should be able
to:

1. understand more their own country

2. learn to appreciate it.

A. The Philippines: Its Land and People

Located in Southeast Asia between the South China Sea and the Pacific, The
Philippines is composed of more than 7,000 islands. Most of the Filipinos live on the islands of
Luzon and Mindanao which make up of the total land area. The country is prone to frequent
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and typhoons.

As a result of the Spanish and American rule, more than 90 % of the Filipinos are
Christian. 5% of the population is Muslim., residing in the islands closest to the Philippines’
Muslim neighbors to the south, Malaysia and Indonesia. The largest ethnic minority is Chinese,
but many Filipinos can claim Spanish, American, Arab or Indian ancestry due to the country’s
important role in trade throughout history. Although, it has had a turbulent political history, the
Philippines is consistently strong on education. About 93 % of the population is literate, one of
the highest literacy rates in the developing world.

Here are the facts about the Philippines:

Population: 110 million as of 2019

Capital: Manila
Major Languages: Filipino English
Life expectancy: 66 years (men), 73 years (women)
Main Exports: electrical machinery, clothing, food and live animals, chemicals, timber
products
B. The Philippines As A Nation

A nation is a large body of people united by a common descent, history, culture,

language, inhabiting a particular country or territory. In political science, a nation consists of
distinct population of people that are bound together by a common culture, history, and tradition
which are typically concentrated within a specific geographic region.

A Brief Philippine History

The Philippines is a nation. The sovereignty of the Philippines refers to the status of the
Philippines as an independent nation. In June 1898, Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed independence
from Spanish sovereignty and transformed his dictatorial government in to a revolutionary
government.

As a nation, it was founded in 1565. Our country is historically a third world country
based on the reports. The Philippines was ruled under the Mexico based Viceroyalty of New
Spain. After this, the colony was directly governed by Spain. The Spanish rule ended in 1898
with Spain’s defeat in the Spanish-American War. The Philippines then became a territory of the
United States. With the signing of the Treaty on Parish on December 10, 1898, Spain ceded the
Philippines to the United States, thereby beginning the era of American colonization. Following

29
the passage of the Philippine Independence Act in 1934, A Philippine presidential election was
held in 1935 while the Philippines is under US Commonwealth. Manuel Quezon won. The
Japanese occupation of the Philippines occurred between 1942 and 1945 when the Japanese
Imperial Army occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II. The invasion
of the Philippines started on December 8, 1941, ten hours after the attack of Pearl Harbor. The
nation was liberated was liberated on October 20, 1944 by the Commonwealth troops under the
Philippine Commonwealth Army, the Philippine Constabulary and the USAFFE.

After the war in the Philippines, the Commonwealth was restored and a one- year
transitional period in preparation for independence began. Elections followed in April 1946 with
Manuel Roxas winning as the first president of the independent Republic of the Philippines and
Elpidio Quirino winning as the vice president.

Lists of Philippine Presidents

1. Emilio Aguinaldo - the first Philippine Republic (1899)

2. Manuel L. Quezon - the first Commonwealth president (1935)
3. Jose P. Laurel - the puppet de facto president (1942)
4. Sergio Osmena - the second Commonwealth (1944)
5. Manuel Roxas - the first president of the Independent Philippines (1946)
6. Elpidio Quirino (1948)
7. Ramon Magsaysay (1953)
8. Carlos P. Garcia (1957)
9. Diosdado Macapagal (1961)
10. Ferdinand Marcos (1965)
11. Corazon Aquino (1986)
12. Fidel V. Ramos (1992)
13. Joseph Estrada (1998)
14. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001)
15. Benigno Aquino III (2010)
16. Rodrigo Duterte (2016)
C. The Philippines As A State

A State is a nation or territory which is considered as organized political community

under one government. As a concept, a state is a community of persons, more or less
numerous, occupying a definite territory, possessing an organized government and enjoying
independence from external control.

The Philippines, as state, is a democratic republican state with a presidential form of

government. Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from
them. It has three branches of government- the executive, the legislative and the judiciary. The
Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and state. Its goal is to secure the
sovereignty of the state and the integrity of the national territory. The national territory comprises
the Philippine archipelago with all the islands and waters embraced therein and all other
territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its terrestrial,
fluvial and aerial domains. Including its territorial sea, the subsoil. There are 81 provinces at
present, further subdivided into component cities and municipalities.

The Philippines is broken down into supposed federated regions or states as proposed
by former senator Aquilino Pimentel, namely:

30
 1. Northern Luzon
2. Central Luzon
3. Southern Tagalog
4. Metro Manila
5. Bicol
6.MinPArOM
7. Western Visayas
8. Eastern Visayas
9. Central Visayas
10. Northern Mindanao
11. Southern Mindanao
12. Bangsamoro

References

Dannug (2003) Politics, Governance and Government with Philippine Constitution. Dannug-
Campanilla. Philippines.
En.wikipedia.org

Legallanguage.com

Officialgazette.gov.ph

Activities

In 7 paragraphs discuss the concept “The Philippines as a Nation” in your own words.
One paragraph as the introduction, 5 paragraphs for the body and a paragraph for the
conclusion.
LESSON V

RE-EXAMINING THE PHILIPPINE INSTITUTIONS

The lesson includes:

The Meaning of Institutions

The Different Social Institutions

Overview

The lesson discusses and argues the different institutions in the

Philippines and how they fare in the Philippine situation.

Learning Objectives
31
 It is hoped that the students at the end of the session will be able to:

1. be oriented with the different functions of the said institutions.

2. come into realization the importance of these institutions to them.

A. The Meaning of Institution

It is an organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like which are devoted for
the promotion of a particular cause or program, especially one of a public, educational or
charitable character. It is a system for organizing standardized patterns of social behavior. In
other words, it is a group consists of people of people, and an institution consists of action
according to sociologists. There are five basic social institutions, namely: the political, family,
religious, educational and economic institutions.

1. The Political Institutions

They are organizations which create, enforce and apply laws that mediate
conflict, make government policy on the economy and social system, otherwise provide
representation for the populous. They are important because these institutions are
founded for the betterment of people and democracy. They ensure that the laws are
being followed by the citizens of the country. They also ensure that the minority is not
impressed by the majority in the country because the democracy gift the power to the
majority. They include political parties, trade unions and legal courts.

Examples of political parties in the Philippines are:

. Nationalista Party
. Liberal Party
. Lakas-CMD
. PDP Laban
. Nationalist People’s Coalition
. Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino
. Akbayan
. Philippine Democratic Socialist Party

Examples of Trade Unions

. Federation of Free Workers (FFW)
. Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)
. Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO)
. Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)

Examples of Legal Courts

. Supreme Court
. Court of Appeals
. Regional Trial Courts
. Metropolitan Trial Courts
. Municipal Trial Courts

32
2. The Family Institutions

The family is generally regarded as major social institution which is the locus of a
person’s social activity. It is a social unit created by blood, by marriage or adoption and
can be described as nuclear (parents and child) or extended (encompassing other
relatives). The family is considered to be the foundation of social life for most Filipinos.
Observing one’s duties and responsibilities is important in order to correctly respect
others and to ensure harmony among family members. For example, family members
are required to show respect to their elders at all times. The four basic functions of family
are:

a. sexual activity
b. socialization
c. reproduction
d. economic and emotional security

There are seven types of family, namely:

a. Nuclear family
b. Single parent family
c. Extended family
d. Childless family
e. Step family
f. Grandparent family

3. The Religious Institutions

Religious institutions are churches, temples, mosques, and other places of

worship and institutions that exist to support and manage the practice of a specific set of
religious beliefs. The religion has three major functions in society. It provides social
cohesion to:

a. help maintain social solidarity through shared ritual and beliefs

b. enforce religious - based morals and norms to help maintain conformity and
control in society
c. offers meaning and purpose to answer any existential questions.
The major types of religious organization are the church, sect and cult. Two types
of church organizations include ecclesia and denomination. Although the term cult brings
to mind negative connotations, several world religions began as cults, and most of
today’s cults are not violent. There are 12 major religions in the world, they are:

33
 a. Christianity
b. Islam
c. Hinduism
d. Buddhism
e. Sikhism
f. Taoism
g. Judaism
h. Confucianism
i. Bahai
j. Shintoism
k. Jainism
l. Zoroastrianism

The different religions in the Philippines are the Catholic Christianity, the other
Christians like the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Aglipayans), Iglesia ni Cristo, Orthodox
Church and the Protestant Churches, Islam and tribal religion.

4. The Educational Institutions

Educational Institutions are places where people of different ages gain an

education, including preschools, child care, primary-elementary schools, secondary high
schools (junior and senior high schools) and universities. Education is the process of
facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits. It
can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has formative effect
on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. There are many
functions of education few of them are:

a. Transmission of culture
b. Social integration
c. Career selection
d. Techniques of learning skills
e. Socialization
f. Rational thinking
g. Adjustment in society
h. Patriotism

Perhaps the most important function of education is socialization. If children need

to learn the norms, values and skills they need to function in society, then education is a
primary vehicle for such learning.

Example of educational institutions to name a few:

a. University of the Philippines

b. Ateneo de Manila University
c. De La Salle University
d. Polytechnic University of the Philippines
e. University of Santo Tomas

5. The Economic Institutions

34
 They are institutions that focus on understanding the role of the revolutionary
process and the role of institutions in shaping the economic behavior. It refers to two
things: specific agencies or foundations of both government and private devoted to
collecting or studying economic data, or commissioned with the job of supplying a good
or service that is important to the economy of the country. Institutions strongly affect the
economic development of countries and act in society at all levels by determining the
frameworks in which economic exchange occurs. They determine the volume of
interactions available, the benefits from economic exchange ands the form which they
can take. There are different types of basic economic institutions subdivided into and not
really separate:

a. private property
b. free markets
c. competition
d. division and combination of labor
e. social cooperation

Examples of Economic Institutions

1. Specific agencies like the Internal Revenue Service, The US Federal Reserve
or the Internal Revenue Service of United States or Central Bank of the
Philippines

2. Well-established arrangements and structures that are part of the culture or

society such as competitive markets, the banking system, kid’s allowances,
customary tipping and system of property rights.

References

Aric.adb.org

Doj.gov.ph

En.wikipedia.org

Open.lib.umn.edu

Activities/Assessment

35
In two sentences, identify the following in your own words:

1. Political Institutions
2. Family institutions
3. Educational institutions
4. Religious institutions
5. Economic institutions

LESSON VI

ACQUAINTING THE PHILPPINE CITIZENSHIP

AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

This lesson includes:

The Definition of the Concepts - Philippine Citizenship and Social

Movements
The Philippine Citizenship
The Social Movements
36
Overview

This part orients students through discussion and argumentation on how

citizenships are acquired and draw their attention to the Social Movements in the
Philippines.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, it is expected that the students are able to:

1. learn how citizenship in our country are acquired

2. evaluate the plight of the different social movement

A. The Philippine Citizenship

The term citizenship refers to the position or status of being a citizen of a particular
country. It is constituted by three elements- the civil, political and social. There are two primary
sources of citizenship-the birthright citizenship and citizenship by naturalization. Usually,
citizenship is based on circumstances by birth which is automatic but in other cases application
may be required.

There are four requirements namely:

1. Citizenship by birth or “jus sanguinis” in Latin is a right by blood. The legal principle is,
at birth an individual acquires the nationality of his/her parents.

2. Citizenship by “jus soli” or born within a country. The legal principle is that a person’s
nationality at birth is determined by place of birth, that is the territory of a given state or
country.

3. Citizenship by marriage is a process of naturalization which makes a permanent

residence who was once a foreigner to become a citizen.

4. Citizenship by investment is a process of naturalization which involves obtaining a

second citizenship and passport by investing in the economy of a host country.

B. The Social Movements

A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a

particular goal, typically a social or political one. This maybe to carry out resist or undo a social
change. It is a type of group action and may involve individuals, organizations or both. There are
four types of social movements- the redemptive, the reformative, the revolutionary and the
alternative.

The Redemptive social movement is one that seeks total personal transformation and is
typically religious in nature. The spread of Christianity or Catholicism is a prime example of

37
redemptive social movement. Missionaries have spread the religion in the days of the Roman
Empire.

The Reformative social movement is a movement that advocates for minor changes
instead of radical changes. An example is the revolutionary movement which scale down their
demands and agree to share powers with others, by becoming a political party.

The Revolutionary social movement is a specific type of social movement dedicated to

carrying out a revolution. A social movement which is advancing exclusive competing claims to
control of the state or some segment of it. An example is the New People’s Army of the National
Democratic Front.

The Alternative social movement refers to a social movement that seeks limited social
change. It targets a small group of people and a specific behavior and attempt to change the
behavior or individual people to that issue. This movement is typically focused on self-
improvement and limited, specific changes to individual beliefs and behavior. An example is
MADD or Mother Against Drunk Driving. Another is Planned parenthood.

Examples of Social Movements

a. Civil Rights Movement in US

b. Environmental Movement
c. Green Movement
d. LGBTQ+ Rights Movement
e. Labor Movement
f. Feminist Movement
g. Anti-Globalization Movement
h. Vegetarian Movement

References

Courses.lumenlearning.com

En.wikipedia.org

Investipedia.com

Assessment /Activities

Answer with true or false (2 points each)

38
 1. Citizenship by birth is a form of naturalization.
2. Citizenship by investment is automatic.
3. Catholicism is an example of a reformative social movement.
4. Alternative social movement targets a large group of people.
5. “Jus Soli” is a German term.

LESSON VII

ORIENTING THE PHILIPPINE ELECTIONS AND DEMOCRACY

This lesson covers the following parts:

Definition of the Concept of Elections

Relations of Election and Democracy
The Elections in the Philippines

Overview
39
 In this lesson, the parts above are discussed and argued with some
illustrations regarding how democracy works in the Philippine Elections and the
definiteness of electing public officials.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:

1. appreciate the workings of a democratic elections

2. familiarize the exercise of voting as participation in political process

A. Definition of the Concept of Elections

Elections, as political processes, are the formal process of selecting a person for public
office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting. Elections are based on the
many variations in electoral systems but the most systems are the first -past-the -post voting,
the two-round (runoff) system, proportional representation and ranked voting. Some electoral
systems, such as mixed systems attempt to combine the benefits of non-proportional and
professional systems.

The study of elections is called Psephology, from the Greek, “psephos” meaning pebble,
is a branch of political science, the quantitative analysis of elections and balloting. As such,
psephology attempts to scientifically explicate elections. Its first written use was in 1952.

B. The Relations of Elections and Democracy

As a litmus test for democracy, elections bring into the fore the power of the ballot and
the sanctity of the vote. The nature of democracy is that elected officials are accountable to the
people and they must return to the voters at prescribed intervals to seek their mandate to
continue in the office. For that reason, most democratic constitutions provide that elections are
held at fixed regular interval.

The Philippines is a republic with a presidential form of government wherein power is

equally divided in its three branches - the executive, the legislative and the judicial. The
government seeks to act in the best interest of its citizens through the system of check and
balance. It becomes democracy in 1898 when the leaders of the revolution declared the
country’s sovereign state and proclaimed the first Republic of the Philippines, the first
constitutional democracy in Asia.

Elections are good for democracy and so with its political processes which are pivotal to
the quality of the Country’s governance. It either greatly advances or sets back a country’s long-
term democratic development. Elections keep a democratic country function, as they give
people the right to select their own government.

The Elections in the Philippines

40
 The elections in the Philippines are of several types, namely:

a. The Fixed-term elections - the national and local elections are held on the 2 nd Monday
of May every third year starting the year 1992. The presidential and vice- presidential
elections are held every six years.

b. Special elections - those that were supposed to be held on election day but were
delayed, and those held after an office has become vacant,

The terms of office o the president, vice-president and senators are elected for six-year
term.

The congressmen or representatives, governors, vice governors, provincial board

members, mayors, vice mayors, councilors of city and town, barangay officials including
the youth are elected to serve for a three-year term.

The Commission on Elections is the principal government agency tasked by the

Constitution to enforce and administer all laws and regulations concerning the conduct of
regular and special elections.

The National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) is the election watchdog in the
Philippines.

References:

Britannica.com

En.wikipedia.org

Assessment/ Activities

41
Essay Writing. Discuss the following in a paragraph form following the experience in writing a
propositional essay.

1.. Elections

2. Relation of Elections and Democracy

LESSON VIII

42
 UNDERSTANDING THE MARGINALIZED GROUPS

The lesson covers the following:

The Meaning of Marginalized Groups

The Marginalized Sectors in the Philippines
The Bangsamoro as Marginalized Sector
The Women as Marginalized Sector
The Indigenous Peoples (IPs) as Marginalized

Overview

This part of the lesson discusses and argues the different marginalized
groups and sectors that are perceived irregular in the radar of government
concerns.

Learning Objectives

The expected outcome is that students should be able to:

1. understand their plight

2. be aware of their existence

A. The Meaning of Marginalized Groups and Marginalized Sectors

The difference between groups and sectors is that groups are a number of people or
things that are located close together or are considered or classed together. Groups are also
collection of individuals who have relations to one another that make them interdependent to
some significant degree. The term groups also refer to a class of social entities, having in
common the property of interdependence among their constituent members.

On the other hand, sectors mean the area of the economy in which businesses share
the same or a related product or service. It can also be thought of as an industry or market that
shares common operating characteristics. Why are the groups or sectors considered
marginalized?

B. The Marginalized Groups

Marginalization is to render or treat as marginal; to remove from the center or

mainstream or to force individual or minority group to the periphery of a dominant social group
to belittle, depreciate, discount or dismiss.

Examples of the Marginalized Groups

43
 1. Senior Citizens
2. Racial or Cultural minorities
3. Military combat veterans
4. Persons of below average intelligence
5. Hearing, visually and physically challenged persons
6. Persons with serious and persistent mental illness
7. Persons with cognitive impairment
8. LGBT+

C. The Marginalized Sectors

A sector is an area in the economy in which businesses share the same of the related
product or service. It can also be thought of as industry or market that shares common
characteristics. Dividing an economy into different sectors allows for more in depth-analysis of
the economy as a whole.

Examples of Marginalized Sectors

a. Artisanal Fisherfolks
b. Farmers and Landless Rural Workers
c. Urban Poor
d. Indigenous Peoples
e. Formal labor and Migrant Workers
f. Workers in the Informal Sectors
g. Women
h. Children
i. Youth and Students
j. Persons with Disabilities
k. Victims of Disasters and Calamities
l. Non-Government Organizations
m. Cooperatives

D. The Bangsamoro as Marginalized

Established in 1989, The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was created as a

way of the government to address the decades-old conflict prompted by social injustices against
the Bangsamoro. Years of its establishment, peace and development seemed to be impossible
as the region lags behind in almost all development index and the number of conflicts that took
place has left the scars and deep wounds to its people. However recently, there is a renewed
hope in the region. The installment of peace and order, infrastructure development, robust
business sector and good governance could transform the region from being the poorest into
one of the country’s pride.

ARMM is covered with vast land and rich natural resources where majority of it are
untapped and not well- developed due to various factors. This is evident in the region’s slow
economic growth which usually posted a dismal negative 0.04 growth rate in 2015 and years
before it.

44
 The major culprit could be pinned down to decades old armed conflict and poverty which
grow hand in hand. A hungry person may easily be persuaded to join in a private army that
promises monetary gains and protection. On the other hand, armed conflicts cause severe
economic and social displacement. This situation in turn results in long- term poverty and
deprivation from essential social services such as adequate schooling and health care and
drives the population to sell their valuables or go into deeper debt to meet basic needs.

The region is still the poorest in the country with poverty incidence of 53.4 % in 2015.
Investment was low due to its poor peace and infrastructure development.

E. The Women as Marginalized Sector

The Magna Carta of Women defines the marginalized sectors as those who belong to
the basic, disadvantaged or vulnerable groups who are mostly living in poverty and have little or
no access to land and other resources, basic social and economic services such as health care,
education, water, sanitation and employment.

My research on line takes me to the question of whether the women are marginalized
and here are their answers:

Roby Klein of Washington University said: “There continue to be sexist men running
academic medical centers do not publicly recognize women faculty for their scientific
contributions, provide financial support for their programs and do not include them in new
initiatives. This is especially true for women faculty who defend themselves against
mistreatment, as they are deemed unlikable and untrustworthy despite all the evidence to the
contrary.”

Another one a Len Leonid Mizrah commented: “Most women are mothers. My mom
gave me unconditional love and support and most of the people have the same story. Yes, I
think women should have more attention and love within families, and given all equal rights and
support within societies they live.

Still another two: “Respect of women is of utmost importance” said Raid M. Al-Ani of the
University of Anbar. Jose Puncochar of technical University of Ostrava opined: I think so in
some societies, especially in Africa where tradition and culture forbid women to run shoulders
with men. It is impeccable that some women in some communities in Africa are belittle in
relevance to developmental issues.”

But in the Philippine experience, I can still feel or see some gender bias but something is
improving regarding the treatment to women. I can perceive some equal footing of men with
women in business or the corporate ladder.

F. The Indigenous Peoples or the IPs as Marginalized

Indigenous people represent about 5% of the world’s population. They are often
marginalized and face discrimination in country’s legal systems, leaving them more vulnerable
to violence and abuse. The Philippines has many different Ips. The term indigenous means
produced, living or growing naturally in a particular region.

45
 The Ips in the Philippines are broadly categorized by the geographic area from which
they reside. They are the following:

1. The Igorots of the Northern Mountains of Luzon

The term Igorot comes from the Spanish term-Ygollotes. The tribes are as follows:
Ifugao, Bontoc, Kankanay, Ibaloi, Kalinga, Tinguian, Isneg, Gaddang, longot, and
Negrito

2. The Mangyan in the Central Islands of Visayas

The Indigenous peoples in the Visayas are the Mangyan people. They are
theTadyawan, Tagbanua, Palawano, Molbog and Kagayanan. The Visayans are-
Aklanon, Boholano, Capiznon, Cebuano, Cuyunon, Eskaya, Hiligaynon, Karayoa,
Masbateno, Porohanon, Romblomanon, Suludnon, Waray and Ati.

3. The Lumads in the Southern Islands of Mindanao

Most of the Lumads in Mindanao are living in Southern Bukidnon composed of two tribes
spread in different parts of Bukidnon. The Higaonons comprise the majority of the
Manobos, Tigwahanon, Bukidnon, Umayamnon, Matigsalog and Talanding. There are
tribal groups spread in Mindanao- the Tiboli, Bilaan, Ata, Bagobo, Banwaon, Dibabawon,
Kalagan, Mamanwa, Mandaya, Mangguwangan, Mansak, Subanen, Tagakaulo, Tiduray
and Ubo.

The Lumads are non-Muslim or non-Christian although the orientation of their cultural
developments appears to be towards Muslim groups, according to F. Landa Jocano, the
Filipino cultural anthropologist. Lumad culture is rich and diverse with wide range of
languages.

Last year, President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to bomb the schools of indigenous
Lumad people in the mountain areas of Southern Mindanao for allegedly teaching
communism to the students.

References:

46
britannica.com
open.lib.umn.edu
researchgate.net
uis.unesco.org

Assessment/ Activities

True or False

1. The Bangsamoro is a marginalized sector.

2. The Lumads are found in Southern Mindanao.
3. The marginalized sectors refer to a class or social entities.
4. Groups and sectors are similar in nature.
5. The marginalized groups are collection of individuals who have no relation to one another.
6.Senior citizen are marginalized.
7. Human rights are exclusive.
8. The word Igorot is a Latin term which means Ygolottes.
9. The Mangyans are found exclusively in Mindoro.
10. The Lumads are Christians.

LESSON IX

47
 INTERPRETING THE CONTEMPORARY ISSUE

The lesson includes:

The Contemporary Issues

The Democratic Erosion of the Philippines

Overview

This part discusses and argues the burning issues confronting the
Philippines and the erosion of the democratic values in our country.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. grasp what is really happening in our government

2. conscientiously study the situation

The Contemporary Issues

They are issues which have political, economic, social, historic and geographic
components. They are important because studying the current events help students to
understand the importance of people, events and issues in the news. Stimulating the students to
explore, they learn more about the news and pay attention to the news they see and hear
outside of school. There are two issues that were emerging as observed in the Philippines- the
polarization of people and the appearance of illiberal democracy.

The Democratic Erosion in the Philippines

The term “erosion” refers to a situation wherein there is a diminishing or destruction of

democratic values in some degrees. Democracy is gradually wearing out or eaten out.
Democratic erosion begins when the values, institutions and characteristics of democracy are
challenged. As a republic and presidential form of government, it should seek to act in the best
interest of its citizens through this system and check and balance. Stephen Levitsky and Daniel
Ziblat, both Harvard University professors write about how democracies deteriorate into
authoritarianism. In their book “How Democracies Die” makes us reflect on our own situation.

1. Polarization of the Philippines - if the state is being polarized, it means that there is a
breaking up into opposing groups. That’s why there is an expression, “if you are not with
us, you are against us.” Our politics has a perception that you either belong to a “Dilaw”
(yellow) camp or to a DDS (Die Hard Duterte Supporter). Dilaw is considered as the
opposition while DDS is pro-government. Theoretically speaking, there is a tendency of
present dispensation to engage in the “divide and rule” policy, the country is in the brink

48
 of democratic collapse due to political extremism- another school of thought that
explains behavioral, decisional and associational patterns. It is concerning those who put
into action the political thought and construct of political thinkers and leaders without
having to consider the political context and the reality in their epoch (period). They have
the tendency to remain:

a. Dogmatist- being positive in stating matters of opinion especially unwarranted or

arrogant

b. Fundamentalist-being adherent to a set of basic principles

c. Demagogue- appealing to the emotion and prejudices of people in order to gain

political power

2. The Illiberal democracy - posited by Richard Heydarian, a Philippine Daily Inquirer

columnist in which he mentioned that the Philippines is in a state of illiberal democracy.
He added that the three decades after the downfall of former President Ferdinand
Marcos dictatorship, the specter of authoritarianism is once again haunting the
Philippines, one of Asia’s oldest democracies. He further argued that on November,
marking the birthday of Filipino revolutionary leader Andres Bonifacio, thousands of
Pres. Duterte’s leaders took the streets of Manila calling for the installation of a
“revolutionary government.”

Organized by Duterte’s Society groups, they support the suspension of existing

democratic constitution in favor of an imperial presidency.

References:

Britannica.com

Democractic-erosion.com

Jstor.org

Merriam-webster.com

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Assessment/Activities

In your own words, essay the topic “Erosion of Democracy in the Philippines.”

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