IV- IMPLICATIONS TO THE PHILIPPINES

This chapter contains the differences of the political system of Switzerland and the
Philippines. Moreover this chapter will also discuss the strength and weaknesses of the political
system of the two countries. Also, what are the things that Philippines can adopt, learn and avoid from
the political and government system of Switzerland.

A. Compare and Contrast

Switzerland is known for its famous and unique political system which is the direct
democracy. Direct democracy basically people can participate directly in politics and everyone can
help to decide how the state, the Canton’s and the communities are organized. The main advantage of
this political system is that it gives 2/3 citizens lot of power in decision-making every so often several
times a year they can take decisions not on who runs the country alone but also on concrete proposals.
The disadvantage of this system is that probably makes decision-making slower and there’s a lot of
political actors involved: the parliamentary administration, the government, the interest groups, and
the people. It is unclear at the end who’s has been responsible. On the other hand, Philippines have the
indirect democracy or representative democracy wherein Filipino people elect representatives or
officials to make and vote on laws, policies, and other matters of government on their behalf. The
advantage of this system it is efficient because it can save more time and money; it is empowering
wherein people will vote a representative that will make their voice heard by the national government
and if those representatives failed to meet their expectations they can change their vote to the next
election. The disadvantage of this system is that it can attract corruption in the same manner it is not
always trustworthy because the officials that has been elected are not always reflect to the will of its
people likewise in the current situation of the Philippines; wherein elected officials are only focusing
for their personal interests rather than the interests of its constituents. When it terms of the
government system of the two countries they also differ to each other. Switzerland have a Federal
form of government while the Philippines have a unitary form of government.

B. What to adopt, learn and avoid?

In the country with direct democracy one of the most aspect that Philippines will learn is that
the practice of the government being transparent to its people. The will of the people is always at
topmost priority because the people are involved directly in terms on the decision-making. It has more
cooperative work between the people and the government. Also, every citizen in the state is
responsible for taking actions that gives development to their quality of life. Moreover the other thing
that Philippines can adopt is the well-organized health care system in Switzerland. Unlike
Switzerland, the health care system in the Philippines is the most neglected by the government.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) a healthcare system can be determined as “well-
functioning” if it provides impartial and full access to quality healthcare, and it should be regardless
whether a country might reach the point of its bankruptcy, it should protect its people without any
condition in return. Healthcare quality in the Philippines is too low, to the point that it does not
meet these set standards. These only prove that the Philippines have a poor health care system.

Aside from all of the things that Philippines can learn and adopt from the Switzerland like
other countries in the world Switzerland also experienced shortcomings that Philippines must avoid.
In Switzerland it have shortcomings for instance, the lack of the constitutional court in party financing
which is not transparent and in the weak participation in public votes and elections on average, it is
said that only two out of five legitimate voters are eligible to actually cast their votes. Despite some
deficiencies Switzerland’s direct democracy is unique. Switzerland is the only system where direct
democracy plays such an important role in decision-making at the national level when the vote on
issues determine the political agenda to a great degree, also it makes decision-making process of the
country way less predictable because at the end it is the people that are going to decide and not just
the elites.

Moreover, in the past sections of this narrative it has been outlined that Switzerland is in a
Federal system of Government, and thus it makes one of the things Philippines should avoid to adopt.
Philippines is already a divided archipelagic region, parting it more on 18 states may end destructing
its socioeconomic and ethno political tragically. Other than that, this system can only proliferate the
number of Political Dynasties in the country, According to academic studies cited by the Forbes,
around 178 so-called "political dynasties" – those politicians who are related by blood – control about
73 out of 81 provinces all over the country. They also control up to 70% of the legislature, thus they
seem likely to remove any proposed restrictions on the proliferation of political dynasties. A Federal
form of Government only makes them a new form of colony to take their existence as superior, or
even above anyone. Political Dynasties closed the doors for new and fresh candidates to run for a
position, and eventually might hindrance the progress of change. It doesn’t end here; also Federalism
might end in disaster, as not all the provinces in the Philippines are capable of raising their own taxes.
According to Forbes, The vast majority of provinces, which will be submerged into new federal
states, lack the basic administrative capacity for generating revenue. Not to mention the duplication of
taxes might lead to a further stress and burden due the form of bureaucracy of the peripheral regions
under a federal arrangement. Under this system, the richer states will dominate the economic race, and
the poorer will merged down the competition even more. Let’s take as an example, the rich coastal
state of California and New York, and the southern and mid-western states, on the other, has barely
narrowed after two centuries of federalist experience. It is not true that Federalism is suited in the
Philippines, it will only proliferate the inequality.

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