Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: Grade 11/12
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 6– UCSP Subject Teacher: Kimberson P. Alacyang

POLITICAL AND LEADERSHIP STRUCTURES

I. TOPICS:

1. Introduction to Social and political structures (Types of political organizations)

2. Types of Authority and Legitimacy
3. The State and its four elements
4. Government and its forms

II. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Through discussion and the module, the learners are able to:

1. Analyze social and political structures

2. Differentiate the types of political organizations and authority and legitimacy.
3. Distinguish between a state and a nation.
4. Define state and Identify the 4 elements of states including its forms, manifestations and
qualifications.
5. Define government and identify its forms.

III. INTRODUCTION

Can you imagine life without leaders or governments? You may wonder if that scenario is
even possible. In this module, you will learn how other societies organize their political lives that may
be distinct from what you are aware of. This module is divided into four (4) main parts. The first part
discusses the types of political organizations created by humans. The second part discusses the types
of authority and legitimacy present in human societies that allow for the rise of leaders. The third part
discusses the State and it’s four (4) elements (people, territory, government and sovereignty) which
technically pertains on how a state is defined and differentiated from other related concepts, how is
it created or originated and how it manifests its duties and responsibilities to the citizen. The last part
discusses the government and its forms which pertains on the meaning, functions and duties of the
government to the political community. Ultimately, an activity will follow on the very last part of this
module.
Note: Please read and understand the entire module first before answering the activity.
IV. DISCUSSION:
PART 1. Introduction to Social and Political Organizations (Types of Political Organizations)
• Political organization – is any entity that is participating in a political process. Elman Service
(1962), a political anthropologist, identified four (4) types of sociopolitical organizations
which are identified based on their economic orientation.
• Types of Political Organizations:
A. Bands – is the least complex form of political organization, as it has neither a rigid form
of governance nor a structured form of leadership. A band typically consists of 20-50
individuals who are usually related to one another by virtue of kinship. Furthermore, this
society is chiefly is chiefly based on foraging, which is also known as hunting and
gathering.
B. Tribes – is a political organization that consist of segmentary lineages. This type of kinship
relation is marked by loyalty per family cluster or segment. Tribes are less mobile than
bands, as their form of economic subsistence requires a degree of settlement. Most tribes
are horticulture or pastoral society.
C. Chiefdoms – the ancient Mayans were known for complex and elaborate political
system that incorporated religion, kinship, and politics. The Mayan political organization is
an example of a chiefdom, as it embodied its characteristics that include a political
leader with an advisory council, a leader who exercises power that is based on
legitimacy, and the existence of social stratification.
D. States and Nations - State level political systems first appeared in societies with large-
scale intensive agriculture. They began as chiefdoms and then evolved into more
 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: Grade 11/12
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 6– UCSP Subject Teacher: Kimberson P. Alacyang

centralized, authoritarian kingdoms when their populations grew into tens of thousands of
people. While chiefdoms are societies in which everyone is ranked relative to the chief,
states are socially stratified into largely distinct classes in terms of wealth, power, and
prestige.
Note: For further comparative studies. Search on: Bands, Tribes, Chiefdoms, and States
Typology based on the typology in Elman R. Service's (1962) Primitive Social Organization: An
Evolutionary Perspective

PART 2. Types of Authority and Legitimacy

• The extent of a leader’s power relies on how much his or her followers accord him or her
with it. This leads to a discussion on the reasons that leads rise and how they maintain
power over individuals.
• According to Max Weber, a 20th century sociologist, every leader has some form of
justifications as to why he or she should be accorded with such power. He organized
these reasons into three categories of legitimacy of authority: legal, traditional and
charismatic.
1. Legal Authority – is achieved by a leader through the process of following established
codes and procedures governing the allocation and distribution of power and
resources within society. They are either elected or appointed and they follow what is
written in the constitution (e.g. Duterte → follows and implements the 1987 Constitution).
2. Traditional Authority – is a form of leadership legitimacy that highlights the right of a
leader to rule based on the inheritance of the title. People under the leadership of a
ruler with traditional authority accept the latter’s exercise of power as it has been the
status quo in the society since their forefathers. E.g. Rule of Monarchs.
3. Charismatic Authority – creates a type of leadership that is based on personal
attachment of the subordinates to the ruler whose characteristics, experiences, or even
skills are believed to be extraordinary, or maybe even supernatural. Due to this, most of
the ruler’s followers are devoted to him or her without regard as to whether the
authority of the ruler is accepted within the legal framework of the society.
E.g. Nelson Mandela (During the Apartheid in South Africa 1948-1990’s).

PART 3. The State and it’s four (4) elements

1. Distinction between a State and a Nation
State (Synonymous to COUNTRY)
- It is a community of persons (1.
people) more or less numerous,
permanently occupying a definite
portion of (2) territory,
independent of external control,
and possessing an organized (3)
government to which the great
body of inhabitants render
habitual obedience (4.
sovereignty).
Note: It simply means that the absence
of any of these elements will not make
a state a state.
- A political concept; membership
in a state is called citizenship.
Cannot be controlled by other
countries (external) since it has
legitimate authority to control himself.
E.g. Bullying of China in the West
Nation
- is a population having a common language
and literature, a common tradition and history,
common customs, and a common
consciousness of rights and wrongs, inhabiting a
territory of a geographic unity. A society of men
is said to constitute a nation when they feel
conscious of their common racial or cultural or
sentimental solidarity among themselves. In sum,
a nation exists where its component atoms
believe it to be a nation.
- An ethnic/cultural concept; membership in a
nation is called Nationality
- Note: You may change your citizenship but not
your Nationality (See Article 4 of the Philippine
Constitution).
May or may not be controlled by external control
(foreign countries). In our Philippine history
especially during the Spanish and American
occupation, the Philippines is still considered as a
 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: Grade 11/12
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 6– UCSP Subject Teacher: Kimberson P. Alacyang

Philippine sea depicts a violation and “Nation” vying the facts that it has only composed
endangers the sovereignty of the of people and territory but without legitimate
Philippines as a sovereign state and to government and sovereignty.
decide on what to do on its own
resources provided in our national
patrimony.
Consists of different races One race or origin
• “A single state may consist of one or more nations or people
e.g. 1 State = Philippines; Nations = Ilocano, Bisaya, Muslim, Igorot, etc.
• and conversely, a single nation may be made up of several states.”
E.g. 1 Nation = Arab nations; States = Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, etc.
• What is a nation-state? "It is one where the great majority are conscious of a common identity
and share the same culture". The nation state is an ideal in which cultural boundaries match
up with political ones. (e.g. South Korea, Iceland, Japan, and Portugal)

2. ORIGIN OF THE STATE

a. Divine Right Theory – holds that the state is of divine creation and the ruler is
ordained by God to govern the people
b. Necessity or force theory – maintains that states must have been created through
force
c. Paternalistic theory – attributes the origin of states to the enlargement of the family
d. Social Contract theory – asserts that the early states must have been formed by
deliberate and voluntary compact among people to form a government of their
own.
• DOCTRINE OF PARENS PATRIAE
- Literally, parens patriae means father of the country. This doctrine has been defined as the
inherent power and authority of the state to provide protection to the persons and
property of the persons non-sui juris. Non-sui juris persons are those who lack the legal
capacity to act on his own behalf like the child or the insane persons.
3. THE THREE (3) INHERENT POWERS OF THE STATE
• A state is a very powerful entity. Even from the earliest history, the state commands
supreme authority to enforce its will upon the people. These powers are inherent in nature
and the foundation of its existence. No state can exist without these powers, because it
through these powers that state derive its authority.
a. Eminent Domain – the power of the state or of those to whom the power is
delegated to take or expropriate private property for public use upon payment of
just compensation.
Conditions for or limitations of the exercise of eminent domain:
i. Existence of public use
ii. Payment of just compensation
iii. Observance of due process of law in the taking
b) Police Power – the power of the state to enact laws or regulations in relation to
persons and property
Basis of police power:
i. The welfare of the people is the supreme law (salus populi est suprema lex)
ii. So use your own so as not to injure another’s property (sic utere tuo ut alienum
non laedas)
iii. Illustrations of police power (Public health, Public morals, Public safety, and
General welfare and convenience)
c) Power of taxation –the power of the state to impose charge or burden upon persons
or property or property rights for the use and support of the government.
4. THE FOUR ELEMENTS OF STATE
a) People - are the inhabitants of the state. It is the entire body of those citizens of the state who
are vested with political power for political purposes. There is no specific number of people
required in order that a state be considered as one.
 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: Grade 11/12
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 6– UCSP Subject Teacher: Kimberson P. Alacyang

• However, it is important that the number must be numerous enough to be self-

sufficient and to defend themselves and small enough to be administered. To date,
the smallest state in terms of population is Vatican City with 826 citizens, who are
mostly clerics and some Swiss guards. On the other hand, China is the largest state
with 1.3 billion population. Philippine population as of 2016: 102,250,133 (12th in the
world)
b) Territory - is a fixed area or surface of the earth where the inhabitants of a state live and where
they maintain a government of their own.
• There are three components of territory: a) the land mass otherwise known as the
terrestrial domain, b) the internal and external waters, which make up the maritime and
fluvial domain; and c) the air space above the land and waters, which is called the aerial
domain.
• For the sake of practicality, a territory must neither be too big as to be difficult to
administer and defend nor too small as to be unable to provide for the needs of the
population. The smallest state is Vatican City. It spreads across 0.17 square miles or .43
square kilometer. It would actually fit in Rizal Park in Manila. The biggest state is Russia
with its total land area of 6,592.735 square miles.
• A state may increase or decrease its territory by the acquisition of further territory
through either (a) discovery and occupation; or (b) conquest; or (c) accretion; or (d)
prescription; or (e) cession through gift, exchange, or purchase. It may decrease
through its loss. The increase or decrease does not affect the personality of the state.
What is important is there still exists a portion of its territory as an abode for its people.
o For your information. The scope of the Philippine territory is found in Article I of
the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

c) Government - It refers to the agency through which the will of the state is formulated, expressed
and carried out. (See part 4 for an in-depth discussion of government)
Question: Can a state exist without government? “A state cannot exist without a
government (since you cannot call it as a state if one element is missing), but it is possible
to have a government without a state (situate the separatist movements or the rebels who
wants to create their own government separate from the established Philippine
government).”
d) Sovereignty – is referred to as the supreme, absolute and uncontrollable power by which any
state is governed. It has two manifestations:
a. INTERNAL SOVEREIGNTY - The power of the state to command, and enforce obedience
to its will from the people, within its territorial jurisdiction;
b. EXTERNAL SOVEREIGNTY - The power of the state to carry out its activity without
interference from other states. External sovereignty is often referred to as independence.
PART 4. Government and its forms.
a. Difference between Government and Governance
GOVERNMENT GOVERNANCE
Government is a group of people who rule or run the Is the exercise of power/ authority by
administration of a country. In other words, it may be said political leader for the well-being at
that a government is the body of representatives that their country’s citizens or subject.
governs and controls the state at a given time. Government - Refers to the manner of
is the medium through which the power of the state is steering/ governing and or directing
employed. and controlling a group of people/ the
• Comes from the Greek word “kybernan” which means state.
“to control/to steer”.
b. Functions of Government
There are two functions of government: constituent and ministrant.
• Constituent functions - are those which constitute the very bonds of society and are compulsory in
nature. Examples are keeping of order and providing for the protection of persons and property;
the fixing of the legal relations between man and wife, etc.
 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: Grade 11/12
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 6– UCSP Subject Teacher: Kimberson P. Alacyang

• Ministrant functions - are those that are undertaken only by way of advancing the general interests
of society and are merely optional. Examples are public works, public education, public charity,
health and safety regulations and regulations of trade and industry.

c. Forms of Government
A. ARISTOTLE'S FORMS OF GOVERNMENT
• Aristotle, a Greek philosopher and student of Plato, classified government into three. They
are:
1.government based on rule by the one
a. Monarchy - is a form of government in which only a single ruler governs. The monarch rules
for the benefit of the people.
b. Tyranny. He rules for his own benefits and ego, accumulates wealth and satisfies his lust for
power. Such a ruler is not legitimate and the people has the right and the duty to remove him
in power.
2. government based on rule by the few
c. Aristocracy – It Is defined from the Greek etymology, aristo which means best and kratia or
kratus, rule. In essence, therefore, aristocracy is a government by the “best” members of the
community.
d. Oligarchy - The wealthy few in the government or the oligarchs, believe that the most
important requisites to the claim of power are wealth, good social position and education.
They use the government to economic empires for themselves and for their families.
3. government based on rule by the many.
e. DEMOCRACY – “power of the people”, political power is exercised by a majority of the
people, “A government of the people, by the people and for the people”
Democracy is derived from the Greek word demos, which means people’ and kratia or kratos,
which means rule.
• 2 TYPES:
a. Direct Democracy – One in which the will of the state is formulated or expressed directly
and immediately through the people in a mass meeting or primary assembly. (e.g. Ancient
Athens.
b. Indirect Democracy – one in which the will of the State is formulated and expressed through
the agency of a relatively small and select body of persons chosen by the people to act as
their representatives. (e.g. Philippines today)
f. MOBOCRACY – “In transition Government”
• Mob – disorganized kind of crowd that causes instability. Over the years, the Aristotle's polity
became synonymous with representative government or democracy and his perverse form of
polity was renamed as mob rule or anarchy.

B. As to extent of powers exercised by the central or national government

a. Unitary Government – the control of national and local affairs is exercised by the central or
national government (e.g. Philippines)
b. Federal Government – the powers of government are divided between two sets of organs,
one for national affairs and the other for local affairs (e.g. USA)
C. Forms of Government as to the relationship between the executive and the legislative branches of
government:
➢ a. Parliamentary – the state confers upon the legislature the power to terminate the tenure of
office of the real executive, fusion between executive and legislative branches of government
and the legislature selects the executive. (e.g. Japan)
b. Presidential – the state makes the executive constituionally independent of the legislative
(e.g. Philippines)
D. According to LEGITIMACY
1. DE JURE - (government of law) is an organized government of a state which has the general
support of the people.
2. DE FACTO - (government of fact) is a government which actually exercises power or control
but without legal title.
 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: Grade 11/12
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 6– UCSP Subject Teacher: Kimberson P. Alacyang

V. ACTIVITY 6: 1 whole (written)/ bond paper (printed)

A. What about thinking/inventing new form of government? Think of any forms of government
according to etymologist approach by using the different forms of government in the module as your
model. Then explain it by completing the table below. Just think of one (1) form of government only.
An example is provided below. (10 points)
Form of Description Aristotle’s Centralization Distribution of Powers Legitimacy
government form of of powers
government
E.g. A form of Ruled by few Unitary Model Parliamentary Model De Facto -
Covidocracy government – ruled by few – The control – The rulers are not Majority of
that is doctors who of health subject to election the citizens
exclusively enjoys their affairs is but through recognizes
ruled by the powers by exercised appointment. They the
front liners means of exclusively by will enjoy their stay in legitimacy
combating passing the the national power as long as they of the
a disease licensure government have strong government
brought by examination. headed by confidence coming since it is for
the the from the people. their health
Covidiots Department The Executive branch benefit.
(anyone of Health. will be headed by the
who violates doctors, the
quarantine Legislative branch will
procedures be ruled by the nurses
set by the and the Judiciary
Covidlican branch will be
government. represented by the
lawyers.
Rubrics:
Content Knowledge 5 points
Consistency of Thought & Application 5 points
Organization of Thought 2 points
Clarity & Writing Style 3 points
Total 15 points
B. In this current health issue/situation here in the Philippines, how does the Philippine government
exercise police power effectively. Explain and provide examples of current situation/s by using
constitutional basis/evidences that will support your answer. (5 points)
C. Give a reaction and relate it to the current situation of the Philippine society:
Do you agree? “The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For
in all the states of created beings, capable of laws, where there is no law there is no freedom”. (John
Locke). (5 points)
Rubrics for B and C:
Content Knowledge 3 points
Consistency of Thought & Application 2 points
Total 5 points each
VI. REFERENCES:
• Aguilar, M., et al. (2016) Society, Culture and Politics. Quezon City: The Phoenix Publishing
House Inc.
• Alejandria-Gonzalez, M. (2019) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics Module. Second
Edition. Makati City: DIWA LEARNING SYSTEMS INC.
• Carlos.et al., Politics and Governance, Manila: REX Book Store. 2010
• De Leon, H. Philippine Constitution. REX Book Store. 2014
• Melegrito et. al., Philippine Politics and Governance, Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.
2016
• https://www2.palomar.edu/anthro/political/pol_3.htm