What have I learned so far

pp. 140

1. What is an election for?

- Elections is a formal process of selecting a leader for a specific position in the country.

2. What functions do elections serve in political systems?

- Recruiting political leaders

- Making governments
- Providing representation
- Influencing policy
- Education voters
- Building legacy
- Strengthening elites

3. Do you think the functions of elections are reflected in the case of the Philippines? Explain
your answer.

- I think it’s yes, especially the last part where is very common in the Philippines there’s many
political policies that Philippines didn’t obey which is makes our politics like a joke. Because
some politician wants to be in position to have a power, to manipulate to be rich with peoples’
taxes.

pp. 149

How do you think can a specific electoral system effects politics and governance in a country?

- Specific electoral system affects politics and governance of a country by setting a rules and
instructions on how the process of electing candidate for a position. This helps the country to
have an organized election and criteria on how voting should be done and what are the
qualifications to be a candidate.

pp. 152

1. How do political parties differ from the other groups (e.g., interest groups, civil society
organizations, and social movements)?
- They adopt a broad issue focus and address major areas of government policy
- They aim to exercise government power by winning seats in the government
- They are formally organized bodies with “card carrying” membership.
- They are united by shared political preferences and ideology identity to varying degrees.

2. What are some of the functions of political parties?

- Representation
- Elite formation and recruitment
- Goal formulation
- Interest articulation and aggregation
- Socialization mobilization
 - Organization of government

pp. 160

What are the events and possible factors that have led to the current electoral and party
system in the Philippines? Why do you think these events are important catalysts in this
respect?

Japanese Occupation – The war overshadowed the constitutional amendments of 1940 and the
reelection of Quezon as Commonwealth president and Osmeña as vice president.

Postwar/ Independence period – From 1946 – 1971 16 national and local elections were
conducted. Postwar war politics was defined by an indistinct two-party system, with NP and
Liberal Party (LP) competing.

Martial Law Period – The start of martial rule signaled an end to the country’s long experiment
with Western-style democracy.

Reflect upon

pp. 141

1. What will people get in casting their votes during elections?

- They would be able to have the power to choose who they think is the best person to lead
the nation, if they cast their votes they can be at peace that they made a stand or an action
towards choosing the right leaders.

2. Do you think you can change the course of the Philippines political and economic landscape
through elections? Explain your answer.

- In my opinion, any individual with the right to vote for one's country has the ability to change
the course of their country's political and economic landscape by voting (for the lesser evil) as
they say politics is politics, which is why, voting is more than a right nowadays specially for
countries that are yet to develop, it is not just a right but also a responsibility for the citizens
now and the future generations

pp. 152

What do you think did Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America (1835) mean when he
said, "In politics, shared hatreds are almost always the basis of the friendships"? How does
this apply in Philippine politics?

- I think it is about the rages and hatred of both people for a specific person. This apply to
Philippines because some political candidate gets along with each other because they hate a
specific person. Example is when Duterte and Bongbong Marcos formed a team to defeat Leni
Robredo in president position. Because they both hate Leni and doesn’t want her to be the
president. So they team up and do everything to win the position.

pp. 161
 What do you think would have it like to be a politician and a citizen during the Martial Law
years?

- If I would be a politician/citizen during Martial Law, I would definitely be critical and strict
pertaining to following rules and protocols that the government declared. As the history told,
one wrong move could spare your freedom even your family's life. Marcos is a well-known
dictator and the citizen must follow all the given mandatories which then resulted to the
Philippines achieving progress and great success but also destroyed humanity.

Beyond walls

pp. 158

1. How has the current electoral and party system developed?

- It developed in the Asia-Pacific region. This was exacerbated during the period of Marcos’
authoritarian rule as a democratic election were briefly replaced by demonstrations elections
held under duress.
2. What can be considered as important driving factors behind the development of the current
systems?
3. Has the Philippine party system always been multiparty? What are the changes in the
Philippine party system, if there are any? What factors can be accountable for the move
toward a multiparty system?

pp. 166

1. What laws or institutions govern the conduct of elections in the Philippines

- Election Code of 1985 (Batas Pambansa Bilang 881)
- Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160)
2. What institutional reforms have been done to solve or address the issues in the Philippines
elections and party politics? Are these sufficient? What else should be done?
- Electoral reforms are aimed at addressing to solve this issue however, it also requires
rethinking of the established political institutions in the Philippines.
3. What is the future of elections and party politics in the Philippines given the problems and
prospect of institutional reform?
-