THE STUDY OF POLITICAL
As such, it deals with
SCIENCE
Meaning of political
science.
Reduced to its simplest terms,
political science is the
systematic study of the state
and government. The word
"political" is derived from the
Greek word polis, meaning a
city, or what today would be
the equivalent of sovereign
state; the word "science"
comes from the Latin word
scire, "to know."
1. The science of politics,
therefore, has, as its
formal object, a basic
knowledge and
understanding of the
state and of the
principles and ideals
which underlie its
organization and
activities.
2. It is primarily concerned
with the association of
human beings into a
"body politic," or a
political community (one
organized under
government and law).
3.
those relations among
men and groups which
are subject to control by
the state, with the
relations of men and
groups to the state itself,
and with the relations of
the state to other states.
Interrelationship with other
branches of learning.
 No precise and definitive
boundaries can be
placed a round a subject
as comprehensive as
political science. It
shares many points of
common interest with
other social disciplines.
1. History. -The bond
between the political
scientist and the
historian is obvious in the
observation that "history
is past politics and
politics present history.”
The political scientist
frequently adopts a
"historical approach" and
employs knowledge of
the past when h e s eek
s t o interpret present
and probable
 developments in political
phenomena.
2. Economics. - Until late in
the 19th century, political
science and economics
(the study of the
production, distribution,
and conservation, and
consumption of wealth
were coupled under the
name “political
economy.” Today, these
fields are jointly
concerned with the fact
that economic conditions
affect the organization,
development, and
activities of states, which
in turn modify or even
prescribe economic
conditions. The political
scientist regularly adopts
an "economic approach"
when seeking to interpret
such matter s as "public
financial policies'' and
government regulation of
business.
3. Geography. - Geopolitics
(a science concerned
with the study of the
influences of physical
factors such as
population pressures,
sources of raw materials,
geography, etc., upon
domestic and foreign
politics) indicates one
approach which a
political scientist
frequently must adopt to
help explain such
phenomena as the early
growth of democracy in
Great Britain and the
United States and its
retarded growth in
certain Continental
Europe, and the rise of
authoritarian
governments in
developing countries.
4. Sociology and
anthropology. - The
political scientist, the
sociologist (who
specializes in the study
of "society as a whole"),
and the anthropologist
(who studies ''mankind''
in relation to physical,
social, and cultural
development) are all
deeply concerned with
the origins and nature of
social
control and
governmental authority,
with the abiding
influences of race and
 culture upon society, and
with the patterns of
collective human
behavior.
5. Psychology. - The
political scientist as well
as the psychologist
promote studies of the
mental and emotional
processes motivating the
political behavior of
individuals and groups.
One of the many topics
which the political
scientist handles from a
"psychological approach"
is that of public opinion,
pressure groups, and
propaganda.
6. Philosophy. - The
concepts and doctrines
of Plato, Aristotle and
Locke (and other
universal thinkers about
the state) are important
to the specialist in
academic philosophy
and also to the political
scientist. These concepts
arc the underlying forces
in the framing of
constitutions and laws.
The political scientist
considers the branch of
philosophy called ethics,
too, when he
contemplates the moral
background of proposed
changes in social
legislation.
7. Statistics and Logic. -The
political theorist must
possess a broad
scientific background
and a knowledge of
current political
problems, and he must
employ scientific
methods in gathering
and evaluating data and
in drawing conclusions.
These involve a proper
application of statistical
procedures for the
quantitative
measurement of social
phenomena and of
logical procedures for the
analysis of reasoning.
 Jurisprudence. --This
branch of public law is
concerned with the
analysis of existing legal
systems and also with
the ethical, historical,
sociological, and
psychological
foundations of law. A
comprehension of the
nature of law (whether
 the ''natural law" or the
''divine law") and of
statutes enacted by
legislatures is
indispensable to the
political theorist.
Law and state are
inseparable. All states
proclaim laws, effective
within their jurisdictions,
and enforce them
through a system of
penalties or sanctions.
To maintain a full
understanding of the
facts of political life, the
political scientist has to
combine the legal with
the extra-legal
viewpoints.
Function and importance of
political science.
1. The function of political
science is to discover the
principles that should be
adhered to in public
affairs and to study the
operations of
government in order to
demonstrate what is
good, to criticize what is
bad or inefficient, and to
suggest improvements.
2. Its findings and
conclusions may be of
immense practical u se
to constitution-makers,
legislators, executives,
and judges who need
models or norms that ca
n be applied to
immediate situations.
Again, they may be of
immense practical use to
individuals who seek to
understand the state in
which they live.
3. The study of political
science deals also with
problems of social
welfare, governmental
economic programs,
international cooperation,
and a wide range of
other matters that are
urgent concern to public
officials and to private
citizens. 
Goal in the study of political
science courses.
Why should the university or
college student study political
science? What good will it do
him or her, in later life. Will it
help in getting a job in "getting
a head"? Are political science
courses ''practical" (i.e.,
vocational)?
1. Education for citizenship.
- In answer, it should be
ma de clear that the
primary objective of the
political science
curriculum is education
for citizenship. The
preparation of students
for careers in politics,
law, teaching, the civil
service, and the foreign-
service (though vitally
important) is secondary
to the task of equipping
them to discharge the
obligations of democratic
citizenship, which grow
constantly heavier in the
modern world.
2. Essential parts of liberal 3. Knowledge and
education. - Most
political science courses
should be viewed as
essential parts of liberal
education, bearing no
materialistic price tag
and promising no job
security. Such shop-worn
adjectives as "practical"
and "cultural" have no
relevance here.
Intelligent, responsible
citizenship can save
democracy; ignorance
and negligence can lose
it.
Democracy has practical
advantages which no
one can appraise in
monetary terms. Just
how much is freedom
worth? The oft-repeated
but seldom
comprehended
quotation, "eternal
vigilance is the price of
liberty," requires
amendment. Study, in
formation, and
understanding of the
complexities of modern
government and politics
are necessary as eternal
vigilance.
understanding of'
government. - Political
science seeks to gather
and impart this
knowledge and
understanding. The
"good" citizen who
behaves himself and
votes regularly is no
longer enough. He must
also be the citizen who
knows the answers. He
must know how his
 government really
operates, what interests
and forces are behind
particular policies, what
the results of such
policies are likely to be,
what his rights and
obligations are, who his
elected representatives
are, and what they stand
for.
CONCEPTS OF STATE AND
GOVERNMENT
Meaning of state
 A state is a community of
persons more or less
numerous, permanently  Reputedly the smallest
occupying a definite
portion of territory,
having a government of
their own to which the
great body of inhabitants
render obedience, and
enjoying freedom from
external control.
 The Philippines is a
state.
Elements of state
 The modern state has
four (4) essential
elements. These are:
1. People. - This refers to
the mass of population
living within the state.
Without people there can
be no functionaries to
govern and no subjects
to be governed. There is
no requirement as to the
number of people that
should compose a state.
But it should be neither
too small nor too large:
small enough to be well-
governed and large
enough to be self-
sufficing.
state in point of
population is the Vatican.
Its estimated 500
citizens, mainly clerics
and some Swiss guards,
are ruled by the Pope.
The island Republic of
Nauru has a total
population of only about
9,000. China is the
largest state in point of
population placed at
more than one billion.
2. Territory. - It includes not
only the fixed portion of
land over which the
jurisdiction of the state
extends (territorial
domain), but also the
rivers and lakes therein,
a certain area of the sea
which abuts upon its
coasts (fluvial and
maritime domain) and
the air space above it.
Thus, the domain of the
state may be described
as terrestrial, fluvial,
maritime and aerial.
 The smallest state in
point of territory is
Vatican, located just
outside the western
boundary of Rome with
an area of only 0.17
square mile or 0.44
square kilometer. It
would fit in Rizal Park in
Manila. The Republic of
Nauru has an area of
about eight (8) square
miles or 20 square
kilometers. The former
Soviet Union was t h e
largest state in point of
territory with its total land
area of about 8,599, 776
square or 22, 273, 410
square kilometers.
Canada, has an area of
3,849,674 square miles
or about 9, 970,610
square kilometers which
covers a surface nearly
as large as Europe.
 The Philippines has a
total land area of about
115,813 square miles or
about 299,955 square
kilometers.
3. Government. - It refers to
the agency through
which the will of the state
is formulated, expressed
and carried out.
 The word is sometimes
used to refer to the
person or aggregate of
those persons in whose
hands are placed for the
time being the function of
political control. This
"body of men" is usually
spoken of as
"administration.” The
ordinary citizens of a
country are a part of the
 state, but are not part of
the government; and
4. Sovereignty - The term
may be defined as the
supreme power of the
state to command and
enforce obedience to its
will from people within its
jurisdiction and
corollarily, to have
freedom from foreign
control. It has, therefore,
two manifestations:
 Internal Sovereignty - It
is the supreme or
absolute power of a state
to enforce its will on the
people within its territory.
 External Sovereignty -
means independence of
a state from control by
any other state. It is the
power of an independent
state to control and direct
its external affairs such
as the authority to enter
into treaties with other
states, to wage war, and
to receive and send
diplomatic missions. It is
often referred to as
independence.
These internal and external
aspects of sovereignty are not
absolutely true in practice
because of the development
of international relations and
consequently, of international
law.
Origin of states.
There are several theories
concerning the origin of state.
Some of them are:
 Divine right theory. - It
holds that the state is of
divine creation and the
ruler is ordained by God
to govern the people.
Reference has been
made by advocates of
this theory to the laws
which Moses received at
Mount Sinai;
 Necessity or forced
theory. - It maintains that
states must have been
created through force by
some great warriors who
imposed their will upon
the weak;
 Paternalistic theory. - It
attributes the origin of
states to the
 enlargement of the family
which remained under
the authority of the father
or mother. By natural
stages, the family grew
into a clan, then
developed into a tribe
which broadened into a
nation, and the nation
became a state; and
 Social contract theory. -
It asserts that the early
states must have been
formed by deliberate and
voluntary compact
among the people to
form a society and
organize government for
their common good. This
theory justifies the right
of the people to revolt
against a bad ruler.
 It is not known exactly
which of the above
theories is the correct
one. History, however,
has shown that the
elements of all the
theories have played an
important part in the
formation and
development of states.
Purpose and Necessity of
Government
 Advancement of public
welfare. – Government
exists and should
continue to exist for the
benefit of people
governed. It is necessary
for (a) the protection of
society and its members,
the security of persons
and property, the
administration of justice,
the preservation of the
state from external
dangers, dealings of the
state with foreign powers
(constituent functions);
and (b) advancement of
the physical, economic,
social and cultural well-
being of the people
(ministrant functions).
 Consequence of
absence. – It is obvious
that without an organized
structure of government,
anarchy and disorder,
and a general feeling of
fear and insecurity will
prevail in society,
progress and
 development will not be
possible, and values
taken for granted in a
free modern society such
as truth, freedom, justice,
equality, rule of law, and
human dignity can never
be enjoyed.
Forms of Government
The principal forms are the
following:
(1) As to number of persons
exercising sovereign powers:
(a) Monarchy. It is a type of
government in which the
supreme and final authority is
in the hands of a single
person without regard to the
source of his/her election or
the nature or duration of his
tenure. Monarchies are further
classified into two:
(1) Absolute monarchy in
which the ruler rules by divine
right; and
(2) Limited monarchy in which
the ruler rules in accordance
with a constitution
(b) Aristocracy. It is a type of
government in which political
power is exercised by a few
privileged class
(c) Democracy. It is a type of
government in which political
power is exercised by the
majority of people. Democratic
governments are further
classified into:
(1) Direct or pure democracy
in which the will of the state is
formulated or expressed
directly and immediately
through the people in mass
meeting or primary assembly
rather than through the
medium of delegates or
representatives chosen to act
for them; and
(2) Indirect, representative, or
republican democracy 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.
(2) As to extent of powers
exercised by the central or
national government:
(a) Unitary government. It is a
type of government in which
the control of national and
local affairs is exercised by
the central or national
government; and
(b) Federal government. It is a
type of government in which
the powers government are
divided between two (2) sets
of organs, one for national
affairs and the other for local
affairs, each organ being
supreme within its own
sphere.
(3) As to relationship between
the executive and the
legislative branches of
government:
(a) Parliamentary. It is a type
of government in which the
state confers upon the
legislature the power to
terminate the tenure of office
of the real executive; and
(b) Presidential. It is a type of
government in which the state
makes the executive
constitutionally independent of
the legislature as regards his
tenure and to a large extent
as regards his policies and
acts, and furnishes him with
sufficient powers to prevent
the legislature from trenching
upon the sphere marked out
by the constitution as
executive independence and
prerogative.
Concept of Constitution
Meaning of Constitution.
The term constitution refers to
the body of rules and
principles in accordance with
which the powers of
sovereignty is regularly
exercised. It covers both
written and unwritten
constitution.
With particular reference to
the Constitution of the
Philippines, it may be defined
as that written instrument by
which the fundamental powers
of the government are
established, limited and
defined and by which these
powers are distributed to the
several departments or
branches for their safe and
useful exercise for the benefit
of the people.
Nature, Purpose and Function
of Constitution.
(1) It serves as the supreme
or fundamental law. The
constitution is the charter
creating the government. It
has the status of a supreme or
fundamental law as it speaks
for the entire people for whom
it derives its claim to
obedience.
(2) Establishes basic
framework and underlying
principles of government. The
constitution is also referred to
as organic law or basic law
being or relating to the law by
virtue of which the
government exists as such.
(3) Design to protect the basic
rights of the people. The
constitution is primarily
designed to preserve and
protect the rights of individuals
against the arbitrary actions of
those in authority.
Kinds of Constitution
Constitutions are classified
as follows:
(1) As to their origin and
history:
(a) Conventional or enacted. It
is a type of constitution which
was enacted by a constituent
assembly or granted by a
monarch to his subjects.
(b) Cumulative or evolved. It is
a type of constitution which is
a product of growth or a long
period of development
originating in customs,
traditions, judicial decisions
rather than from a deliberate
and formal enactment.
(2) As to their form:
(a) Written. It is a type of
constitution which has been
given definite written form at a
particular time
(b) Unwritten. It is a type of
constitution which is entirely
the product of political
evolution, consisting largely of
mass customs, usages and
judicial decisions together with
a smaller body of statutory
enactments of a fundamental
charter, usually bearing
different dates.
(3) As to manner of amending
them:
(a) Rigid or inelastic. It is a
type of constitution regarded
with special sanctity which
cannot be amended or altered
except by some special
machinery.
(b) Flexible or elastic. It is a
type of constitution which
possesses no higher legal
authority than ordinary laws
and which may be altered in
the same way as other laws.
Requisites of a Good Written
Constitution
(1) As to form, a good written
constitution should be:
(a) Brief. If a constitution is too
detailed, it would lose the
advantage of a fundamental
law which in a few provisions
outlines the structure of the
government of the whole state
and the rights of citizens;
(b) Broad. The statement of
powers and functions of
government, and of the
relations between governing
body and the governed,
requires that it be as
comprehensive as possible;
and
(c) Definite. The applications
of its provisions to concrete
situations may prove unduly
difficult if not impossible. Any
vagueness which may lead to
opposing interpretations of
essential features may cause
incalculable harm.
(2) As to contents, it should
contain at least three sets of
provisions:
(a) The constitution of
government. The provisions
which deals with the
framework of government, its
structures and powers, and
defining the electorate;
(b) The constitution of liberty.
The provisions which set forth
the fundamental rights of the
people and imposing certain
limitations on the powers of
the government as a means of
securing the enjoyment of
these rights; and
(c) The constitution of
sovereignty. The provisions
that outline the mode or
procedure for amending or
revising the constitution.
The 1987 Constitution.
(1) Framing and ratification. -
The 1987 Constitution was
drafted by a Constitutional
Commission created under
Article V of Proclamation No.3
issued on March 25, 1986
which promulgated the
Provisional Constitution or
"Freedom Constitution"
following the installation of a
revolutionary government
"through a direct exercise of
the power of the Filipino
people."
(a) Pursuant to Proclamation
No. 3, the President
promulgated on April 23, 1986
Proclamation No. 9, the "Law
Governing the Constitutional
Commission of 1986," "to
organize the Constitutional
Commission, to provide for
the details of its operation and
establish the procedure for the
ratification or rejection of the
proposed new Constitution."
Under the Proclamation, the
Constitutional Commission
"shall be composed of not
more than fifty (50) national,
regional, and sectoral
representatives who shall be
appointed by the President."
As constituted, the
Commission was composed
only of forty-eight (48)
members- forty-two (42) men
and six (6) women, with a
preponderance of lawyers -
because of the withdrawal of
an opposition appointee and
non-acceptance by the Iglesia
ni Kristo of the President’s
offer to submit a nominee.
(b) The Constitutional
Commission, which marked
the fourth exercise in the
writing of a basic charter in
Philippine history since the
Malolos Constitution at the
turn of the century, convened
on June 2, 1986 at the
Batasang Pambansa Building
in Diliman, Quezon City. With
the Malolos Constitution of
1898, the 1935 Constitution,
and the 1973 Constitution as
"working drafts," the
Commission in addition to
committee discussions, public
hearings, and plenary
sessions, conducted public
consultations in different parts
of the country.
(c) The proposed new
Constitution was approved by
the Constitutional Commission
on the night of Sunday,
October 12, 1986, culminating
133 days of work, by a vote of
44-2. A Commissioner signed
subsequently by affixing his
thumbmark at his sickbed on
October 14, 1986 so that he
actually voted in favor of the
draft. Another Commissioner
had resigned earlier. The two
Commissioners5~ who
dissented also signed "to
express their dissent and to
symbolize their four (4)
months of participation in
drawing up the new
Constitution."
(d) The Constitutional
Commission held its final
session in the morning of
October 15, 1986 to sign the
109-page draft consisting of a
preamble, 18 Articles, 321
Sections and about 2,000
words – after which, on the
same day, it presented to the
President the original copies
in English and Filipino. It was
ratified by the people in the
plebiscite held on February 2,
1987. It superseded the
Provisional Constitution which
had abrogated the 1973
Charter.
(2) Merits and demerits of an
appointive framing body. -
Admittedly, there were some
merits or advantages in
delegating the drawing up of
the new charter to an
appointed Constitutional
Commission rather than to an
elected Constitutional
Convention.
(a) For one, the Constitutional
Commission was not
expensive and time-
consuming, as was our
experience with the 1971
Constitutional Convention and
it was thus practical because
the country could not then
afford the cost of electing
delegates because of lack of
funds, and time was of the
essence in view of the
instability inherent in a
revolutionary government and
the need to accelerate the
restoration to full constitutional
democracy.
(b) However, the strongest
and most fundamental
argument propounded against
this method is that an
appointive body is susceptible
to the charge of lack of
independence and the
suspicion of pressure and
even manipulation by the
appointing power. The writing
of a Constitution as the
highest expression of the
people’s "ideals and
aspirations" to serve the
country for generation s to
come is a political exercise of
transcendental importance in
a republican democracy and,
therefore, only those directly
elected and empowered by
the people must been trusted
with the task to discharge this
grave and solemn
responsibility.
(3) Need to cure defect in the
Constitution. - To have a truly
democratic and constitutional
government, it is absolutely
necessary that the
Constitution be initially drafted
by duly elected members of a
representative constituent
assembly or convention and
later on approved by the
people in a plebiscite. Some
see the need to straighten out
the present Constitution which
was drafted by n on-elective
commissioners and ratified
under the authority of a
revolutionary government.
The theory is posited that
having it amended by elected
delegates and having
constitutional amendments
ratified under the democratic
government, we will have now
cured any defect in its
formulation and ratification.
Basic principles underlying the
new Constitution.
The 1987 Constitution is
founded upon certain
fundamental principles of
government which have
become part and parcel of our
cherished democratic heritage
as a people. A knowledge of
these principles is, therefore,
essential to a proper
understanding of our organic
law.
Among these principles as
contained in the new
Constitution are the following:
(1) Recognition of the aid of
Almighty God (see
Preamble.);
(2) Sovereignty of the people
(see Art. II, Sec. 1.);
(3) Renunciation of war as an
instrument of national policy
(see Ibid., Sec. 2.);
(4) Supremacy of civilian
authority over the military (see
Ibid., Sec. 3.);
(5) Separation of church and
State (see Ibid. Sec. 6.);
(6) Recognition of the
importance of the family as a
basic social institution and of
the vital role of the youth in
nation-building (see Ibid.
Secs. 12, 13; Art. XV.);
(7) Guarantee of human rights
(see Art. III, Secs. 1-22.);
(8) Government through
suffrage (see Art. V. Sec. 1.);
(9) Separation of powers (see
Art. VI, Sec. L );
(10 ) Independence of the
judiciary (see Art. VIII, Sec.
1.);
(11) Guarantee of local
autonomy (see Art. X Sec. 2.);
(12) High sense of public
service morality and
accountability of public
officers (see Art XI , Sec. 1.);
(13) Nationalization of natural
resources and certain private
enterprises affected with
public intere1;t (see Art. Xll,
Secs.. 2, 3, 17, 18.);
(14) Non-suability of the State
(see Art. XVI, Sec. 3.);
(15) Rule of the majority; and
(16) Government of laws and
not of men.