PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

● Globalization – refers to the increasing independence of markets and production

in different countries through trade in goods and services, cross-border flow of
capital, and exchange of technology.
● Governance - refer to the rules, procedures, and formal organizations of
government and informal institutions
● Government – is a formal institutions through which group of people is ruled or
governed.
● Ideology – is a coherent set of ideas that provide the basis for organized political
action.

Different Ideologies

● Anarchists - oppose the state

⮚ Advocate for the abortion of its accompanying institutions of government

and law believing that a more natural and spontaneous social order will
develop.
⮚ For them the state is evil and oppressive in its own right and therefore
should be overthrown.
● Socialists - support collectivism and fulfilment as members of the community.

● Liberals - favor openness, debate, and self-determination.

⮚ Marked by their belief in the supreme importance of the individuals and

their commitment to individual freedom.
⮚ The central and defining principle is that of individual liberty or freedom,
that is individuals natural right.
● Conservatives - emphasize tradition, hierarchy, and authority.

⮚ They depend traditions, values, practices, and institutions that have

survived the test of history as accumulated wisdom of the past and a
source of a sense of identity for a both the society and the individual.
● Fascists - do not have identifiable core principles or ideas
 ⮚ They are “anti-rational, anti-liberal, anti-conservative, anti- capitalist, anti-
bourgeois, and anti-communist.
● Nation – refers to the body of people bound together with shared values and
traditions in a particular territory (psycho cultural concept)
● State – legally constituted entity which provides its citizens protection both from
internal and external insecurity and aggression.
Element of the State

● People – refers to those whom the state is obliged to protect and provide services

● Government – refers to the formal institutions through which people are ruled.

● Sovereignty – refers to the absolute or supreme exercise of powe

● Territory – refers to the well-defined physical and geographic boundaries wherein

the state reigns

● Politics - The activities associated with a governance of a country or other area.

⮚ From Greek word politika – affairs of the cities

Approaches in understanding politics:

● Arena approach – defines where politics happen (limits politics to the state or
formal institution)
● Process approach – defines how politics happen (role and interaction of both
formal and informal institutions.
● Power - The capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the
course of events

Three Faces of Power

● A Decision-making as a power –the powerful are able to get what they want,
others comply with what they want and make others behave accordingly.
● Agenda-setting as a power - the powerful are those who are able set the
agenda for the decision-making process.
● Preference-shaping as power- the powerful of those who are capable of
subverting actual or real interests of those over whom power is exercised

● Authoritarianism – Principe of blind submission to authority, as opposed to

individual freedom of thought and action. Challenges
● Authoritarianism form of government – Characterized by highly concentrated
and centralized government power maintained by political repression and the
exclusion of potential challengers.
● Colonialism – controlled by one power over dependent area of people.

● Democracy – system of government by the whole population or all eligible

members of a state through elected representatives
● Dictatorship – absolute authority in any sphere

● Oligarchy – government by the few

● Spanish rule - Starts when Ferdinand Magellan came in 1521 and lasted until the
Philippine Revolution in 1898
● American rule – US acquired the Philippines from Spain with the signing of the
Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898 lasted until US recognition of Philippine
independence in July 4,1946
● Japanese Rule – Japan occupied the Philippines December 8 1941 after the
attack in Pearl Harbor, until the surrender of Japanese in 1944

Development of Philippine Democracy (6 Constitutions and 3 Organic Acts)

● 1899 Malolos Constitution of the first Philippine Republic, the first Asian
democracy to be established during Philippine Revolution.
● President McKinley’s Instruction to the Second Philippine Commission,
establishing civil government, local governments, and civil liberties of the
Filipinos

● The US Philippine Bill of 1902, served as organic act of the Philippine

Government until August 1916, which authorized the establishment of
Philippine Assembly in 1907

● The Jones Law that enlarge the Filipino self-rule by the establishment of all-
Filipino Philippine Legislature, and promised independence following the
establishment of a stable government by the Filipino

● The Tydings McDuffie law the led for promulgation of the 1935 Philippine
Constitution for the Commonwealth, and the Republic of the Philippines,
ratified by the Filipino electorate.

● The 1943 Constitution of the “Philippine Republic” under the Japanese

occupation

● 1973 Marcos Constitution Adopted under President Ferdinand Marcos

authoritarian rule for 13 years.

● 1986 Aquino Freedom Constitution under which President Corazon Aquino

ruled in the year following the EDSA Revolution.

● 1987 Constitution, defining the institutions, functions, and purposes of Filipino

democracy and under which President Corazon Aquino led the government and
the nation in re-establishing Filipino democracy.

● Re-democratization – process involving the withdrawal of the military from

position of government and the subsequent installation of democratically elected
● Unicameralism – government with one legislative house or chamber
● Bicameralism - government structure involving two legislative bodies that are
separate in deliberation from one another
● Principles of separation of powers – Fundamental organizing principle of the
Philippine system of government.
⮚ Classifies the power of government into three and distributes these among
three branches of the government.
Branches and Power of the Government

● Legislative Branch – Law making

● Executive Branch - Law execution

● Judicial power – Law interpretation and application

● Veto power - The power of the President to refuse to approve a bill or joint
resolution and thus prevent its enactment into law
● Checks-and-balances – a system built in by the constitution in order to prevent
any branch of government from abusing its power and dominating over the two
other branches.
● Constitution – the law determining the fundamental political principle of the
government.
● Impeachment- a charge of misconduct made against the holder of a public office.

● Judicial Independence – judges are not subject to pressure or influence and are
free to make impartial decision based solely on fact and law
● Judicial Review – the power of the courts to test the validity of the executive and
legislative act in light of their conformity with the constitution
● Parliamentary System- democratic form of government in which party with the
greatest representation on parliament forms the government, its leader becoming
prime minister or chancellor.
● Pseudoparliamentary system – an abnormal and anomalous situation in
parliamentary system happen during Ferdinand Marcos Administration from June
1978 – June 1981
● Presidential System - a form of government in which the head is a president
● Decentralization – the transfer of authority and responsibility for public functions
from the central government to subordinate
● Devolution – delegation of power to lower level by central government to local or
regional administration.
● Good Governance – Political and institutional processes and outcomes that are
necessary to achieve the goals of development.
● Local Governance – authority to determine and execute measures within a
restricted area inside and smaller than a whole state.
● Local government - constitute the foundation of the entire structure of the
government; these are provinces, municipalities, cities, and barangays. 
● RA 7610 Local Government Code of 1991 - This Code establishes the system
and defines powers of provincial, city, municipal and barangay governments in the
Philippines.
● Unitary Government -. A single central entity holds all power and authority. A
system that has a strong central government that controls what subnational
governments do
● Local Government Units (LGUs) – Political subdivision of the republic at the
provincial, city, municipal, or Barangay level.

Layers of Local Government

● National or Central Government - level of government that has extensive

political and territorial authority over an entire nation or territory

● Province - Largest local administrative Unit headed by a governor.

● Municipalities – Subordinates to the provincial government

● City – classified as either component (those under a province's jurisdiction) or

independent component city (Highly urbanized)
● Barangay – Smallest local Government unit

● Civil Society - Politically active popular sector of the society

● Four Sectors of the Philippine Civil Society

⮚ Business Sector

⮚ Churches

⮚ Mass Media Enterprises

⮚ Peoples Organizations and Nongovernmental Organizations

● Elections - Serve as a device for filling an office through choices made by

designated body of people: the electorate

● Plebiscite – A popular vote regarding the soundness of a law proposed by a law

making body

● Referendum – popular conducted to determine the electorate’s view on proposed

permanent changes to the state’s political structures

● Recall – A constitutional measure that empowers the citizen to officially removed

a local official, even before completion of his/her term

● Initiative - the methods by which a given percentage of electorate may officially

propose a law in order to:
⮚ Propose changes in constitution,

⮚ Enact a peace of national legislation, and

⮚ Pass local ordinance

● Electoral System - Set of rules and procedures that govern the conduct of
elections.

● Nongovernmental organization (NGOs) - Private, non-profit and no

membership organizations formed by providing welfare and development services
to the poor

● Direct Election - elected by direct vote of registered vote

● First – past – the – post voting system - The winner in a multi candidate
contest is the candidate who obtains the most number of votes regardless of the
proportion to total votes.

● Single-member district Magnitude

⮚ The entire country is one ”electoral district”

⮚ From this district is elected one chief executive

⮚ The chief executive office “unitary” or “monocratic”

⮚ There is one possible winner and only one office to be filled.

● Candidate-based voting - The central focus of electoral contestation is on

personalities rather than party platform and/ or affiliation.

NGO’s Various Roles in Democratizing Politics and Governance

⮚ Organizers

⮚ Advocates/Interest Group

⮚ Mediators

⮚ Delivers
● People’s organization (PO)- Local, non-profit, membership-based associations
that organize members in support of collective welfare goals.

● Party-list system – Mechanism of proportional representation (PR) in election of

representative of the House of Representative. R.A. 7941 Party List System Act

● Political Party

⮚ Refers to an organized group of citizen advocating an ideology or platform,

principles, and policies for general conduct of government and which, as the
most immediate means of securing their adoption, regulatory nominates and
supports its leaders and members as candidates for public office.

● Sectoral Party

⮚ Refers to an organized group of citizen belonging to any of the sectors like

labor, peasant, fisher folks, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities,
handicapped, youth. Professionals… whose principal advocacy pertains to
the special interest and concerns of their sectors

● Functions of Political Parties

⮚ Mobilized the voters during election

⮚ Organized public opinion on issues that affect the general public

⮚ Act as conduit between the voters/people and the government

⮚ Reinforce a sense of identity or belongingness

● Social Movement - collective challenges by people with common purpose and in

solidarity sustained interaction with elites, opponents and authorities.
● Citizen – an inhabitant of particular town or country

● Citizenship - a position or status of being citizen of a particular country

● Jus Sanguinis - idetermined citizenship or acquired by the nationality o etnicity

of one or both parents
● Jus Solis - determined citizenship or acquired based on place birth

Classification of citizens according to self-environment orientations

● Self-centered citizens are those who are inclined to treat their own needs as far
more important than those of society.
● Altruistic citizens are opposite of self-centered, they have an incremental
approach to societal problems, or ideological citizens who act on the basis of an
inflexible image of what societal life ought to be.
● Apathetic citizens are sceptical of politics in general, or what they can do as
citizens and give little significance either to their own society’s needs
● Democratic citizens

− Citizen who deeply invested in the realization of both their own and society’s
needs
− They recognize the process and goals of the larger collectivises to which they
belong

Different Perspective on or Models of Citizenship

● Aristotelian-Republican on Citizenship

− Defines the citizen as “one who either takes or is subject to decision”

− Associative element of citizenship, citizen must be integrated into the political

collectively
− This is to develop their own personal identity within the framework of common
traditions and recognized political institutions.
− Based on this perspective plays a role in the formation of consensus towards
government
● Lockean-Liberal Perspective

− The juridical status of the citizen is based on and legitimized by the state.
− The citizen contributes to the states through certain rights or obligation like voting
and taxes, in return the state guarantees individual rights and equal treatment to
all of its citizens
− The citizens exercise their power if they know how to use their rights for their own
welfare and if they know how to exercise their influence on those who made
decisions.
● Democratic Deliberation Perspective

− Upholds the Lockean-Liberal’s rights discourse and the Aristotelian-Republican’s

associative elements of citizenship.
− It emphasizes the rights discourse especially about how we ought to relate to one
another as human beings, and about the things we should or we should not do to
each other regardless of time and space.

● Civic Virtues – the character of a good participant in a system of government

Four type of Civic Virtue

● General Virtues: courage, law-abidingness, loyalty

● Social Virtues: independence, open-mindedness

● Economic Virtues: work ethic, capacity to delay self-gratification, adoptability to

economic and technological change
● Political Virtues: Capacity to discern and respect the right of others, willingness
to demand only what can paid for, ability to evaluate the performance of those in
office, willingness to engage in public discourse.

● Democratic citizenship – citizen who are informed about their rights,

responsibilities and duties and it helps them to realise that they can have
influence and make a difference.
● Political culture – refers to the set of attitudes, values, beliefs, and orientations
which influence people’s perception of politics
● Parochial political culture – dominated by people who has limited knowledge
about their national political system
● Subject Political Culture – people who are informed about the political system
and aware of how government policies affect their lives
● Youth development - growing and developing the skills and connections young
people need to take part in society and reach their potential.
● National Youth Commission (NYC) the policy-making and coordinating body of
all youth-related institutions, programs, projects and activities of the government.

ELEMENTS OF THE STATE

● People - Element of the state that refers to those whom the state is obliged to
protect and provide services
● Government - Element of the state that refers to the formal institutions through
which people are ruled.
● Sovereignty - Element of the state that refers to the absolute or supreme exercise
of power
● Territory - Element of the state that refers to the well-defined physical and
geographic boundaries wherein the state reigns

ARTICLES IN 1987 PHILIPPINE CONSTITITUTION

● Article I - National Territory

● Article II - Declaration of Principles and State Policy

● Article III – Bill of Rights

● Article IV - Citizenship

● Article V - Suffrage

● Article VI - Legislative Department

● Article VII – Executive Department

● Article VIII - Judicial Department

● Article IX – Constitutional Commissions

 ● Article X – Local Government

● Article XI section 2 - Impeachable positions

● Article XII – National Economy and Patrimony

● Article XIII – Social Justice and Human Rights

● Article XIV - Education

● Article XV - Family

Special power of a President

⮚ Executive Clemency

⮚ Commander in chief of all Arm Forces

⮚ Diplomatic Power

Power of a President

⮚ Veto power

⮚ Integrative power

⮚ Deligate decree authority

PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

Ferdinand Marcos - Philippine president for twenty one years
Benigno Aquino III - Philippines first bachelors’ president of the Philippines
Ramon Magsaysay Seventh president of the Philippines, also known as man of the
masses
Corazon Aquino - Elevent h president of the Philippines
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo - Vice President of the Philippines who ascended to the
presidency after President Estrada outsted in the second Edsa Revolution
Manuel L. Quezon - Commonwealth President
Jose Laurel Sr. - President of a puppet republic
Family who holds the presidential position in the Philippines twice
 ● Aquino’s

● Macapagal

● Marcos’s

SENATORS OF THE PHILIPPINE

Juan Miguel Zubiri - Senate president of eighteenth congress
Vicente Sotto III - Senate President of seventeenth Congress
Miriam Defensor Santiago - Former senator of the Philippines, and also became a
member of International Criminal Court.
Alexander G. Gesmundo - Current Chief Justice of Supreme Court of the Philippines
6 years - years of office for the President under 1987 Constitution
14 Associates - Judiciary branch is composed of how many associate justices?
Shari’a Courts - Courts where the Code of Muslim Personal Laws in the Philippines is
being enforced.
Until the age of 75 - Terms of office for the Chief justice and its associates
Renato Corona - Chief justice of Supreme Court who impeached on December, 12
2011
Alexander G. Gesmundo - Current Chief Juctice of Supreme court of the Philippines
Ma. Lourdes Sereno – Supreme Court Chief Justice in 2012 - 2018
Sandiganbayan - The anti-graft court in the Philippines
Impeachable Positions

⮚ President

⮚ Ombudsman

⮚ Vice President

⮚ Chief Justice

⮚ Constitutional Commission (Civil Service Commission, Commission on Elections,

Commission on Audit)
House of Representatives - Has the exclusive power to initiate all cases of
impeachment
24 Senators - The upper house is composed of how many senators?
6 years/term, and has 2 consecutive terms - Maximum term of office for the member
of the Upper House
At least 25 years old requirement to run as member of House of Representatives
3 years/term, up to 3 Consecutive term Maximum term for the member of the Lower
House
Auguste Comte -Father of Sociology
Assassination of Ninoy Aquino Situation that accelerated the downfall of Marcos
authoritarian rule.
Political Dynasty - Characterized as families that have established their political and
economic dominance in a province with coordinates efforts to move to national
government
Fat Dynasty - Dynasties having more than two family member occupying (sabay-
sabay) government offices.
Thin Dynasty Dynasty having member succeed (sunod-sunod) each other in
government offices
Political Dynasty - Article II section 26 of 1987 Constitution states about
Municipal Trial Courts - Courts that can be found in Municipalities
Metropolitan Trial Courts - Courts based on Metro Manila
Regional Trial Courts - Formerly known as Courts of First Instance
Courts of Appeals - Court that reviews decision and resolution in administrative cases
of the Ombudsman
Barangay Captain Heads of Legislative assembly of Sangguniang Barangay.
Mayor Heads of the municipal legislative council Sangguniang Panlunsod
Governor - Heads of the provincial Legislative Assembly or the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan
20 Regions - Philippines is composed of how many administrative regions?
Two-third - Based on the Constitution what is the majority vote needed in the House of
Representative in making a decision
Qorum - Refers to a certain number of a governing body be present at a given meeting
for a body to exercise a powers
Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth - Annual document that all
government workers in the Philippines, this is for the promotion of transfarency, full
disclosure, and the preservation of integrity in civil service.
Names for EDSA

● Avenida 19 de Junio (1954)

● Highway 54 (1950)

● Epipanio de los Santos Avenue (1959)

To uphold the quality of public service - For which are the state policies on “equal
access to opportunities for public service and prohibition of political dynasties” and
“strengthening the merit and rewards system” intended?
The constitution states that the GOVERNMENT shall give the support in rearing the
youth for civic efficiency and development or moral character. .
Underwood-Simmons Act - law that set a full free trade policy abolishing the quota
limitations on Philippine exports to the United States
Police power - power of the state may be exercised by public service corporations
Power of the purse - power to propose all appropriation, revenue, or tariff bills, bills of
local application or tariff bills
Anti-poverty programs - are programs implemented for the welfare of the less
fortunate in society.
Social differentiation -To which is stratification most closely related?
Through culture - achieve the highest form of institutionalized social life
Proclamation 1081 - The late President Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines
under the state of Martial Law through which of the following laws?
Senate President Under the constitution, in case of the President and the Vice-
President’s death, the one who shall act as the President
Autonomous region - established to provide Muslim communities greater share in
development
Opposition Party - will legally serve as a shadow government to fiscalize the ruling
democratic administration.
ARMM - the only region in the Philippines that has its own government as decided by
its people?
.
LGUs greater of revenue - Reason given by the Duterte administration for the
proposed change to federal form of government?
Chief Justice of Judiciary - Appointed by the President with the consent of
Commission on Appointment
Removing the presidential term limit - Which was highly controversial issue in the
1973 Constitution?
Conflict of interest - referred to when a public official or employee is a member of a
board, an officer, or a substantial stockholder of a private corporation or owner or has a
substantial interest in a business, and the interest of such corporation or business, or
his rights or duties therein, may be opposed to or affected by the faithful performance
of official duty
Result of EDSA 2 in the Philippines - Became known worldwide for its People Power
Revolution
President - Who may extend the proclamation of martial law or suspension of the
privilege of the writ of habeas corpus?
Vatican - Which is the smallest state in the world today in point of its small population?
“bill of attainder”- A law that inflicts punishment without judicial trial.
Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act - law was passed on August 1909 by the U.S. Congress
established a partial free trade in the Philippines
Checks and balances The constitutional safeguard which prevents abuse of power by
any of the three branches of government is
The republic proclaimed in Malolos – first Philippine Republic
The Philippine Executive Commission - first government during the Japanese
occupation
Elections - is political processes in political science
Bicameral - The concept of combining the Senate and House of Representatives into
single body through constitutional reform will make the legislature
Pardon - Act of grace proceeding from the power entrusted to the President of the
Philippines
Assassination of Ninoy Aquino Situation that accelerated the downfall of Marcos
authoritarian rule.
Political Dynasty - Characterized as families that have established their political and
economic dominance in a province with coordinates efforts to move to national
government
Fat Dynasty - Dynasties having more than two family member occupying (sabay-
sabay) government offices.
Thin Dynasty Dynasty having member succeed (sunod-sunod) each other in
government offices
Political Dynasty - Article II section 26 of 1987 Constitution states about
Municipal Trial Courts - Courts that can be found in Municipalities
Metropolitan Trial Courts - Courts based on Metero Manila
Rigional Trial Courts - Formerly known as Courts of First Instance
Courts of Appeals - Court that reviews decision and resolution in administrative cases
of the Ombudsman
Barangay Captain Heads of Legislative assembly of Sangguniang Barangay.
Mayor Heads of the municipal legislative council Sangguniang Panlunsod
Governor - Heads of the provincial Legislative Assembly or the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan
21 Regions - Philippines is composed of how many administrative regions?
Two-third - Based on the Constitution what is the majority vote needed in the House
of Representative in making a decision
Qorum - Refers to a certain number of a governing body be present at a given
meeting for a body to exercise a powers
Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth - Annual document that all
government workers in the Philippines, this is for the promotion of transfarency, full
disclosure, and the preservation of integrity in civil service.
Maharlika Highway - The following are given name for EDSA except for

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
DOST - Government agency that lead the country’s scientific and technological efforts
geared toward maximum economic and social benefit.
DPWH - Government agency that provide and manage quality infrastructure facilities
and services responsive to the needs of the Filipino people.
COA - Philippine supreme state audit institution with the power, authority, and duty to
examine, audit, and settle accounts pertaining to the revenue and receipts of
expenditures.
NDRRMC - Government agency in charge on disaster preparedness programs,
disaster operations, and rehabilitations.
DSWD - Government agency mandated to develop, implement and coordinate social
protection, and poverty reduction, solutions for and with the poor, vulnerable and
disadvantaged
POEA - Government agency that facilitate the generation and preservation of decent
jobs for Filipino migrant workers and promote their protection.
DICT - Government agency that ensure sustainable growth in Philippine information
communication technology
BIR - Government agency mandated by law to assess and collect all national internal
revenue, taxes, fees, and charges and to enforce all forfeitures, penalties and fines
DOT - Government agency mandated to encourage, promote, and develop tourism as
a major socio-economic activity to generate foreign currency
DTI - Government agency that provide protection to consumers through consumer
education and information dissemination programs
DOF - Government agency that formulates revenue policies that will ensure funding of
critical government programs and promote welfare among our people
DBM - Government agency that ensures the efficient and sound utilization of
government funds and revenue.
DILG - Government agency that promotes peace and order, ensure public safety, and
strengthen local government capability to effectively deliver basic sevices to citizenry
DND - Government agency is tasked to guard the country against external and internal
threats to national peace and security.
DFA - Government agency that manage political and economic relations in different
regions and pursue Philippine interests in multilateral organization
DepED - Government agency to ensure compliance with standards of quality basic
education by assessing, monitoring and evaluating, the region and school division
performances.
PNP - Government agency that review, formulate, and recommend human right
policies & programs including administrative and legal measures on human rights
CHED - Government agency in charged with promoting relevant and quality higher
education, and ensuring access to quality higher education
DENR - Government agency responsible for conservation management, and
development of the country’s environment, and ensure the proper use of resources
DOJ - Government agency that serves government’s prosecution arms and
administers the government’s criminal justice
PSA - Government agency commit to deliver relevant and reliable statistics, efficient
civil registrationservices and inclusive identification system to our clients and
stakeholders.
BSP - Government agency that is responsible to formulate policy in the areas of
money, banking, and credit with the primary objective of preserving price stability.
PAGASA - Government agency that monitor analyse and forecast tropical cyclone
PHIVOLCS Government agency mandated to mitigate disaster that may arise from
volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunami, and other related geotectonic phenomena