Hutchcroft and Rocamora discussed the evolution of Philippine politics across its history.

It
identified the deficiencies in the country's political structure and how historical events shaped the
progress of political parties.

American Period & Japanese Period

Much of the country's political evolution began during the American period. During this time,
William Howard Taft provided political powers to the powerful economic elite of the country as a step
towards strengthening America's hold in its biggest colony. This resulted in the creation of a political-
economic elite and the beginning of the Philippine oligarchy. These selected individuals were given
positions in the provincial government. In 1907, the Nacionalista Party was established under the
leadership of Osmeña and Quezon. The party was pro-independence, which sets it apart from others who
were pro-American. It is an example of an internally mobilized party that rallies supporters behind them
in order to maintain its hold over the government. This kind of setup runs on a patron-servant
relationship, where civil servants are indebted to their patrons for their positions. The Nacionalista Party
monopolized the Commonwealth Republic and the drafting of the new Constitution. This allowed Manuel
Quezon to granted powers similar to that of a governor-general.
During the Japanese period, all political parties were abolished and replaced with the Kalabapi.
The highlight of the brief stay of the Japanese in the country was the establishment of the Huk, an anti-
Japanese army. After the victory against the Japanese, MacArthur labeled this group as enemies of the
state.

Post-independence
After the Philippines was granted independence from the Americans, Manuel Roxas established a
new political party, the Liberals. During Magsaysay’s administration, campaign procedures developed.
Now, the elites had to campaign to non-elites to vote for them. The rise of television and radios caused
elites to venture to media-oriented campaigns. The political country once again shifted during the Marcos
administration. Prior to him, there was no other president to be reelected. He is also notorious for
implementing Martial Law which provided the President power over the three branches of government.
During this time, the presence of the political parties was weakened. Marcos launched his own political
party, the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan.

Post-Martial Law
The 1987 Constitution has restored the system of politics to pre-martial law. It restored the
presidential form of government and revived the political party system. This also included the
reinstatement of the elite clans during the American period. It also added sectoral representation during
elections. The winning party-lists shall occult 20% of the lower house of local government. This brought
new political parties to emerge. While Aquino was focused on political initiatives, Ramos was more
inclined to economic improvements. There was only one political reform drafted during his term which
was a poorly drafted authoritarian constitution. Next was Estrada’s administration, which was brought by
the masses’ rejection of traditional politicians. His term highlights the redistributive programs that only
benefited him and his allies. When Estrada was removed from office, Arroyo became president. Her term
was faced with multiple problems such as the coup and destabilization plots. The main difference
between Arroyo and her predecessors is the people’s support for her administration’s call for charter
change.

This article showed how politics and political parties are influenced by historical events and
people in power. The Philippine political structure has faced multiple revisions throughout history and
only the concept of political parties was not abolished.