PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES LECTURE

LESSON 1
1. POLITICS
 It is both the art and science of government actions that create policies or laws that
affect citizens like us.
 It is derived from the Greek work polis which means city-state, a small independent
self-contained political society.
 It is the activity of the people where they create, preserve, and amend laws under
which they live.
 Power - the ability to achieve a desired outcome. The capacity or ability to direct or
influence the behavior of others or the course of events.
 According to Laswell (1935), "politics is the process of who gets what, when and
how."
 It is the process of allocating scarce resources, where the elite or the mass compete
over scarce resources, i.e., wealth, status, and power, through democratic means
(election) or by force.
 GOVERNANCE
o It focuses on the actions and activities by which the government directly influences our
lives.
2. POLITICAL SCIENCE
 It is the branch of the social sciences that deals with the study of politics.
 It deals with systems of government and the analysis of political activity, political
behavior, and political theories and practices.
 As a social science, it follows scientific methodology in the investigation and study of
human behavior in relation to political activities and developments.
 It draws upon the fields of:
 o Economics
o Law
o Sociology
o History
o Anthropology
o Public Administration
o Public Policy
o National Politics
o International Relations
o Comparative Politics
o Psychology
o Political Organization
o Political Theory
 It studies the:
o Allocation and transfer of power in decision-making and the;
o Roles and systems of governance including governments and international
organizations political behavior and public policies.

FIELDS OF STUDY AND BRANCHES OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

A. PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

B. COMPARATIVE POLITICS
 It compares and analyzes the various types of constitutions, political actors,
legislature, and associated fields among countries, as well as within a single
country over a period.
C. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
 It deals with the political-economic interaction between nation- states as well as
intergovernmental and transnational organizations.
D. POLITICAL THEORY
  It is concerned with the study of the ideas and contributions of classical thinkers
such as Chanakya, Aristotle, Niccolò Machiavelli, Cicero, Plato, and many others.
E. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
 It is the study of the implementation of government policy and public service.
F. PUBLIC LAW
 is a field of law that studies the relationship between the government and
citizens.
G. POLITICAL METHODOLOGY
 It is the branch of political science that uses quantitative methods to describe
and define political phenomena.

POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Political ideology – system of beliefs how a society should function, behave, operate. Mga
paniniwala na somehow related sa policies.

A. LIBERALISM
 is a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties,
democracy, and free enterprise.
 It limits authority through the enshrinement of rights.
 Liberalism for everyone is called liberal democracy.
B. SOCIALISM
 It a political and economic system in which property and the means of
production are owned in common, typically controlled by the state or
government.
 It is based on the idea that common or public ownership of resources and means
of production leads to a more equal society.
 It is a political philosophy and movement encompassing a wide range of
economic and social systems which are characterized by social ownership of the
means of production, as opposed to private ownership.
 Emphasizing community and social equality.
  Social movements
o Collective challenges based on same purposes based on solidarity.
o A loosely organized but sustained campaign in support of a social goal,
typically either the implementation or the prevention of a change in
society's structure or values.

C. CONSERVATISM
 It is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to
preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values.
 The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and
civilization in which it appears.

LESSON 2

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STATE AND NATION?

1. STATE
 It is an association of people characterized by formal institutions of government,
including laws; permanent territorial boundaries; and sovereignty (political
independence). Where A nation is a group of people with a common language,
history, culture, and (usually) geographic territory. Nationalism patriotic feelings
and efforts State focus on state, sovereignty, citizen, and government
 It is a community of person permanently occupying a portion of territory. Air,
water or land external control possessing a government, habitual obedience talks
about sovereignty napapasunod yung mga tao. Hindi pwedeng puro lalake or
babae.

The following includes a state:

 A. CITIZEN - a legally recognized subject or national of a state or commonwealth, either
native or naturalized.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CITIZEN AND CITIZENSHIP

a) Citizens - members of society who possesses rights and possibilities. These are the
inhabitants of the state.
b) Citizenship - an identification of an individual based on the legal status, member of
political community. It is personal or permanent in character and gained by meeting the
legal requirements of a national, state, or local government.

TYPES OF CITIZENSHIP/MODES OF ACQUIRING CITIZENSHIP IN THE PHILIPPINES

I. Citizenship by Family (Jus Sanguinis) – The Philippines adheres to the principle

of jus sanguinis, which recognizes citizenship based on parental lineage. If you
can provide the necessary documentation to establish your Filipino mother's
citizenship, you can be recognized as a Filipino citizen.
II. Citizenship by Birth (Jus Soli) – a person acquires the citizenship of the state of
his birth, regardless of the citizenship of the parents. It is a citizenship based on
the place or soil of one's birth. On the other hand, in jus sanguine, a person
acquires the citizenship of his or her parents, regardless of where he is born.
OTHER TYPES OF CITIZENSHIP:
III. Citizenship by Marriage (Jus Matrimonii) - Known legally as jus matrimonii,
becoming a naturalized citizen by marrying an individual with citizenship has
become common practice since it was introduced in the wake of the Second
World War.
IV. Citizenship by Investment or Economic Citizenship - Economic citizenship by
investment offers individuals and families the opportunity to become citizens in
their country in exchange for a significant financial investment. Applicants will
become citizens of their chosen economic citizenship upon investing.
 V. Citizenship by Honorary Conferment - the type of citizenship conferred to an
alien by another country probably because the recipient has distinguished
himself in a manner commendable to the awarding country.
B. 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 seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves,
and other submarine areas. The waters around, between, and connecting the
islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breadth and dimensions, form part
of the internal waters of the Philippines.
C. GOVERNMENT

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOVERNANCE AND GOVERNMENT?

a.) Government – “Agency of the State”. It is the governing body of a nation, state, or
community. It is the name given to the entity exercising that authority. Authority can
most simply define as legitimate power. Whereas power is the ability to influence the
behavior of others, authority is the right to do so.
b.) Governance – various ways through which social life is coordinated

BUREAUCRACY IN GOVERNMENT

 It is compost of different departments and bureaus which is used in the

Philippines, maraming dinadaan. Nagtatagal hindi agad natutulungan yung mga
tao. It is the administrative machinery of the state. DPWD, DBM, DOH, etc.
Different agencies, constitutional commissions, hindi concentrated yung power
sa isa lang.
 The "bureaucracy" usually refers to the departments, bureaus and offices
subordinated to the executive branch of government, NEDA.
  A bureaucracy is a form of work organization. The historical meaning of the term
refers to a body of non-elected government officials but is nowadays understood
as an administrative system used by corporations and public institutions.
DECENTRALIZATION
 The Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991 solidified Philippine government's
commitment to decentralization by creating local government units (LGUs) that
would help attain national goals by providing “a more responsive and
accountable local government structure instituted through a system of
decentralization.
 Hindi lang isa isang power hindi centralize iniispread yung power, it is delegated
to different departments, LGU where they can run their own affairs, own sources
of revenue, pwedeng magbuwis meron mga local taxes. They want to raise funds,
ibabalik is government structure.
 The transfer of responsibility to the lower levels of government, the process of
shifting control from one main group to several smaller ones.
POLITICAL PARTY
 It is organized for the purpose of winning political power. By election or
appointment.
 Multi-party system - the Philippines has a multi-party system with numerous
political parties, in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power
alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments for
political expediency and convenience.
 Proportional Representation - in the context of voting systems, PR means that
each representative in an assembly is elected by a roughly equal number of
voters. In the common case of electoral systems that only allow a choice of
parties, the seats are allocated in proportion to the vote share each party
receives. Elected based on the total point in their electoral part. May formula na
complicated kung paano kinukuha yung percentage. Maximum 3, kapag
nakakuha ng 2% makakakuha ka ng seat.
REVOLUTIONS IN PHILIPPINES

A. Edsa People Power Revolution 1 - The 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution gathered
millions of Filipinos from all walks of life to march along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue
(EDSA), the main artery of Metro Manila, to end the dictatorship of President Ferdinand
E. Marcos and begin a new era marked by true freedom and democracy. General Fabian,
most trusted in time of martial law, and senator Enrile.
o Longest term
o Exercise of the people’s revolution
o It overthrows the whole government
o Extra constitutional, hindi nakalagay sa revolution, pagaaklas ng bayan laban sa
namumuno.
B. EDSA 2 - The Second EDSA Revolution, also known as the Second People Power
Revolution, EDSA 2001, or EDSA II, was a political protest from January 17–20, 2001
which peacefully overthrew the government of Joseph Estrada.
o People’s freedom of speech, assembly and, expression
o Petition to government of redress
o Here, only president was removed from office.
o Intraconsitutional, nakalagay sa constitution na pwedeng gawin.
PARTS OF GOVERNMENT
A. EXECUTIVE
 Responsible for the implementation of law.
 The Executive branch is composed of the President and the Vice President
who are elected by direct popular vote and serve a term of six years. The
Constitution grants the President authority to appoint his Cabinet. These
departments form a large portion of the country’s bureaucracy. Also includes
Mayor, and Governors.
B. LEGISLATIVE OR LEGISLATURE
  The Legislative branch is authorized to make laws, alter, and repeal them
through the power vested in the Philippine Congress. This institution is
divided into the Senate and the House of Representatives.
 Congress of the Philippines (Upper House) includes Senators.
 House of Representatives (Lower House) includes representatives from
districts (congressman) and party-list (Representatives).
C. JUDICIARY
 The Judicial branch holds the power to settle controversies involving rights
that are legally demandable and enforceable. This branch determines
whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack
or excess of jurisdiction on the part and instrumentality of the government. It
is made up of a Supreme Court and lower courts.

CONSTITUTION OF THE PHILIPPINES

 1987 Constitution
 1986 Provisional "Freedom" Constitution
 1973 Constitution
 1943 Constitution (Constitution During the Japanese Occupation)
 1935 Constitution
 1899 Constitution
 The Constitution expressly grants the Supreme Court the power of Judicial Review as the
power to declare a treaty, international or executive agreement, law, presidential decree,
proclamation, order, instruction, ordinance, or regulation unconstitutional.
 All other law must conform, and highest officials must adhere. Lahat ng pinasa na law ng
congress, dapat compatible and in harmony sa constitution natin.
These are courts provided by the constitution:
A. Court of Appeals who review cases in lower courts.
B. Court of Tax Appeals
C. Supreme Court (Highest Court)
D. Municipal Trial Court
E. Metropolitan Trial Court. All those cases decided by those courts maybe appealed and
elevated to court of appeals and final is the supreme court.
F. Regional Trial Court

CONSITUTIONAL CONVENTION, AMENDMENT, AND REVISION

A. Constitutional Convention (political meeting)

 A meeting of delegates to adopt a new constitution or revise an existing
constitution.
B. Charter change (Changing the constitution)
a. Constitutional Amendment, adding, deleting, or reducing the principle involved,
isolated or piece will change part by part lang basic principle.
b. Constitutional Revision, rewriting of the whole instrument by altering the
substantial entirety.
SELF-EXECUTING
 A constitutional provision is "self-executing" if the judiciary can enforce the
provision without the aid of a legislative enactment.

CONSTITUTION OF GOVERNMENT, LIBERTY, AND SOVEREIGHNTY

A. Government – The Philippines is governed as a unitary state under a presidential

representative and democratic constitutional republic in which the president functions
as both the head of state and the head of government of the country within a pluriform
multi-party system. Buong structure noong government.
B. Liberty - No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of
law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.
C. Sovereignty - The Philippines is a democratic and republican State. Sovereignty resides
in the people and all government authority emanates from them.
 TYPES OF GOVERNMENT

1. DEMOCRACY
 The Philippines is a democratic and republican state. Where rulers are held
responsible and elected by people.
 A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a
state, typically through elected representatives.
 Elections – Every 3 years ang election except in the national (6 years), it is a
democratic process of political recruitment and transferring of government
determination.
TYPES OF DEMOCRACY
A. Parliamentary Democracy - The head of state is different from the head of government. In
the United Kingdom, the head of state is the monarch, who serves a primarily ceremonial
role, and the head of government is the prime minister. Executive power is exercised by the
House of Commons and House of Commons on behalf of the monarch to represent the
people. The people vote for members of parliament in elections, and the party with the
most representatives appoints the prime minister.
B. Presidential Democracy - The United States is an example of a presidential democracy.
There are three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. The president is
the head of the executive branch of government and the head of state. The people elect
the president as well as the representatives in the Senate and House of Representatives,
which make up the legislative branch. Only the judicial branch is not elected by the people;
instead, they are chosen by the president.
C. Direct Democracy - Switzerland is a unique example of direct democracy in practice and
has been since 1846. Unlike other democracies, in a direct democracy electorate may
determine policy without legislative representatives, as opposed to electing representatives
as proxies. For example, any citizen can challenge a law passed by parliament or propose an
amendment to the constitution, and a referendum is mandatory to make changes to the
constitution.
2. AUTHORITARIAN
  In an authoritarian regime, the government has total control. Authoritarian
regimes have typically earned this control by forceful means. While this seems
pretty cut and dried, it is anything but. Authoritarian regimes aren’t always easy
to recognize. They might still hold elections and have branches of government,
but only a small group holds the power.
 Authoritarian regimes can be monarchies or various forms of government
including communism, socialism and fascism.
3. MONARCHY
 In Monarchy, one family rules, and their title is passed down through the
generations. However, much like a democracy, who is in charge isn’t totally cut
and dried. In an absolute monarchy, the king or ruler is in control of all the
government. The more common constitutional monarchy has a royal family, but
they serve mostly as ceremonial figures. Examples of monarchies that exist
today include:
A. Constitutional Monarchy - In the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth is the figurehead
monarch, but parliament has most government control.
B. Absolute Monarchy - Vatican City is not only its own country, it's also a monarchy where
one figure, the pope, rules as soverei
4. OLIGARCHY
 Similar to a monarchy, an oligarchy places power with a few people or families,
typically a country’s wealthy elite. Unlike aristocracy, oligarchy is not necessarily
dependent on noble birth, but on wealth or those who are deemed most
“capable” of ruling. The term is derived from the Greek words for "few" (óligon)
and "rule" (arkho).

There are multiple types of oligarchies, including autocracy (one dictator rules over everything),
plutocracy (rule by the wealthy), stratocracy (rule by the military), and theocracy (rule by
religion). Some historical and current examples of oligarchies include:

A. Autocracy - Russia has had an oligarchy for centuries, beginning in the 15th century and
continuing to the modern day. The wealthy elite have long wielded undue influence in
 government. In particular, the Russian czars positioned themselves as autocrats and later
on after the revelation and rise of the Soviet Union, dictators like Vladimir Lenin and
Joseph Stalin also took on autocratic roles.
B. Plutocracy - City-states like Athens and Sparta in Ancient Greece were ruled by wealthy
men who shared king-like power, which they used to enrich themselves at the expense
of the common people.
C. Stratocracy - Following numerous wars and gradual expansion, a stratocratic system
developed over time in Ancient Rome. After the Marian reforms in 107 B.C., the military
became the de facto political power as loyalty transferred from the Senate to the
generals.
D. Theocracy - Modern Iran has a mixed theocratic government where there is a supreme
leader, president and several councils, but the laws of the constitution and justice in the
state are based on Islamic law.
5. TOTALITARIAN
 When you think of a totalitarian government, it takes absolute power to the
extreme. These leaders control not only the government but also the personal
lives of their people. Citizens have no say in government, and the totalitarian
regime is 100% in charge. This type of government is forceful and extreme and
can come in the form of fascism, socialism or communism.
6. ANARCHY
 Anarchy isn’t a type of government; it’s actually the absence of one. In an
anarchist society, a central governing body doesn’t exist. Many times, anarchy
will take center stage when a government collapses.
7. ARISTOCRACY
 In an aristocracy, the wealthy or noble hold the power. These privileged few
leaders make up the ruling class or elite. Historically, Ancient Greece had an
aristocratic government. A modern example is the royal family in the U.K., which
has an aristocracy known as the peerage as well as a monarchy.
8. DICTATORSHIP
 Typically, a dictatorship goes hand-in-hand with an authoritarian and totalitarian
government. In this government form, a dictator rules. They typically assert
 their authority using military power, which is called a military dictatorship. There
have been many dictatorships throughout history. Famous examples include
Joseph Stalin’s rule of the Soviet Union, Saddam Hussein’s rule of Iraq and North
Korea.
9. THEOCRACY
 Types of governments are about who rules. In a theocracy, the ruler is God or a
deity. The creation of laws comes from religious texts, scriptures and spiritual
leaders. A theocracy also mixes with other types of governments. For example,
Iran is an Islamic democracy, and the Vatican government is dictated by the
Christian religion and pope.
10. TRIBALISM
 Indigenous tribes around the globe use a form of government called tribalism.
In this form of government, you follow the dictates and rules of your tribe,
which is made of specific people groups or those with the same ideals. There
can be a council of elders making decisions, but not always. Each tribe is unique.
While tribalism is becoming less and less common, tribes in Africa still use this
form of government.
11. FEDERALISM
 It is all about dividing power. Not only does the government have central power,
but local states or regions also have their own specific powers. For example, in
the U.S. the federal government is the central power, but the individual states all
have their own regional and state governing laws. This means state laws might
be different in California than they are in Tennessee.
12. REPUBLICANISM
 Many times, you see “Republic of” this or that country. When something is a
true republic as in republicanism, it means the citizens have the power. They
have the voting power and the power to make changes in their government.
Now, republicanism can get quite confusing because it typically goes hand-in-
hand with federalism and theocracy.
 13. CAPITALISM
 While capitalism is actually a type of economy, many times, it works to drive a
government and political power. In capitalism, the government doesn’t run the
economy; instead, private-ownership corporations and businesses do. While the
U.S. is a mixed economy, many would consider it capitalistic. Other examples
include Switzerland and Hong Kong.
14. COMMUNISM
 China is probably one of the most famous historical examples of a communist
government. Communism is a theory created by Karl Marx where everything is
publicly owned rather than privately like in capitalism. It’s an attempt to create a
classless society, but it typically happens through a violent revolution. Beyond
China, communist examples include the Soviet Union, Vietnam and Laos.

D.SOVEREIGNTY

 It is a political concept that refers to dominant power or supreme authority. In a

monarchy, supreme power resides in the "sovereign", or king. In modern
democracies, sovereign power rests with the people and is exercised through
representative bodies such as Congress or Parliament.
 In political science, sovereignty is usually defined as the most essential attribute
of the state in the form of its complete self-sufficiency in the frames of a certain
territory, that is its supremacy in the domestic policy and independence in the
foreign one.

OTHER TERMINILOGIES

A. Globalization – processes where social relations become relink to territorial geography

as the world become a single place. For businesses.
B. Search for this term. With the ability or create binding rules as well as the parameters of
rules using force.
C. Theory - systematic representation of knowledge. A supposition or a system of ideas
intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent
of the thing to be explained.
D. Political Law - deals w organization organs of the state define its relationship with its
relationship with the citizen.