Political Party

DEVELOPMENT COURSE

March 1 - April 10, 2021

Constitutional
Underpinnings
of Genuine
Political Parties
1987 Constitution
 
Article II
 
SECTION 1. The Philippines is a democratic and
republican State. Sovereignty resides in the
people and all government authority
emanates from them.
 
SECTION 4. The prime duty of the Government
is to serve and protect the people.
 
ARTICLE IX
C. The Commission on Elections

SECTION 6. A free and open party system shall be

allowed to evolve according to the free choice of the
people, subject to the provisions of this Article.

SECTION 10. Bona fide candidates for any public

office shall be free from any form of harassment and
discrimination.
SEC. 4. Electoral System. – The Bangsamoro Government shall
adopt an electoral system which shall be consistent with
national election laws, allow democratic participation,
encourage the formation of genuinely principled political
parties, and ensure accountability.
Context of
Political Party
Formation in
the BARMM
DISINFORMATION

The dictionary definition of disinformation is “false information

deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of
rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the
truth”. This is to be distinguished from “misinformation” which is
defined simply as “incorrect or misleading information”. Both are
obviously bad for democracy but it is the element of nefarious
intent which makes disinformation the more fatal of the two.
Disinformation is a dangerous threat to democracy because information
plays such a huge part in democratic consolidation, particularly in ensuring
free and fair elections. Elections being a complex decision-making process
regularly undertaken by a polity necessarily involves a reflective and rational
public discourse about pressing issues and the viable policies to address
them.

Disinformation in social media can indeed make election discourse hostile

and toxic. Generally, the objective of a modern disinformation campaign is
to pollute the public space to achieve a political outcome. Part of this modus
operandi is to sow division among people by stoking emotions and
prejudices with respect to a politically or socially charged issue.
Session Break
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Article 19

1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without

interference.

2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression;

this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and
impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of
frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of
art, or through any other media of his choice.
Article 25

Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity, without any of the
distinctions mentioned in article 2 and without unreasonable
restrictions:

(a) To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through

freely chosen representatives;

(b) To vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall

be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot,
guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors;

(c) To have access, on general terms of equality, to public service in his

country.
The 1987 Constitution in Article III,
Section 4 prescribes that, “No law shall
be passed abridging the freedom of
speech, of expression, or of the press, or
the right of the people peaceably to
assemble and petition the government
for redress of grievances.”
In the case of ABS-CBN vs Comelec, the Supreme Court ruled:

“The freedom of expression is a means of

assuring individual self-fulfillment, of
attaining the truth, of securing
participation by the people in social and
political decision-making, and of maintaining
the balance between stability and change.
“It represents a profound commitment to
the principle that debates on public
issues should be uninhibited, robust, and
wide open. It means more than the right
to approve existing political beliefs or
economic arrangements, to lend support
to official measures, or to take refuge in
the existing climate of opinion on any of
public consequence. And paraphrasing
the eminent Justice Oliver Wendell
Holmes, we stress that the freedom
encompasses the thought we hate, no
less than the thought we agree with.”
If disinformation takes control of the BARMM parliamentary elections,
then it is very possible that the fractures in the region will get magnified.
The infected political discourse could then focus on the differences that
has plagued the region for so long, instead of galvanizing the polity
towards the bright prospect of a shared prosperity promised by the BOL.
The election would then be a winner-take-all proposition just like in the
national level. The Bangsamoro Parliament could then end up being a
mere clone of the House of Representatives, a chamber of dynastic
interests. If this is the case, then the new regional government could
become another “failed experiment”.

-Yusingco, Michael Henry, Social Media, Disinformation, and the 2022 BARMM
Parliamentary Elections (January 10, 2021). ASOG Working Paper 21-002, Available at SSRN:
https://ssrn.com/abstract=3763264
“Furthermore, while parliamentarians are expected to be passionate in
advocating for their constituencies, they must not lose sight of the fact that
their duty is to improve the lives of the whole and not just a few. Therefore,
pushing for a legislative agenda should not be done through “buncombe
speeches” or discourse intended only to rile up base supporters in total
disregard of the common good. Again, it is worth noting that given the
history of ethnic and political rivalries in the BARMM, parliamentarians with a
myopic view of their mission will likely compromise the ability of the
Bangsamoro Parliament to deliver the goods, so to speak, to everyone in the
region.”

-Yusingco, Michael Henry, Deliberative Democracy and the Bangsamoro Parliament

(February 23, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=
Reflection Questions:

1) Is there robust public discourse in the

BARMM?

2) Name 3 problems BARMM political parties

must prioritize?

Share answers to myusingco@ateneo.edu.

THANK YOU
FOR ATTENDING TODAY'S SESSION