POS 100

S.Y. 2019-2020
Intersession

Grading System
 Group Reports 25%
 Midterm Exam 20%
 Individual Reports 20%
 Class Participation 15%
 Final Exam 20%

Politics and Governance Defined

(June 17, 2019)
 Politics
o Using strategy to get power
o It’s everywhere (e.g. school, church, family, etc.)
o Involves production, allocation, and use of decision-powers among large groups
of ____
 Governance
o How you use that power
o To rule by right of authority
o To exercise the function of government
o To exercise sovereign authority
 State vs. Nation
o State – a politically unified people etc, it’s independent
o Nation – smth
 Fundamental Powers of the State
o You can use power to SERVE or for SELF
o Police power
 Positive examples: checkpoints, asserting itself in issue with China,
intimidating Ateneans without search warrant, extortion
 Checkpoints are legal as long as they are
o In right places
o All polices/military manning must have a nameplate
o Any part of body should not be inside the car and they
cannot open the glove compartment (can put drugs there)
 Negative examples: PNoy using police power to stop GMA from leaving
the country
 We surrender police power to the government with the hopes of them
using it to serve, but we also have rights to protect ourselves from it (e.g.
need a warrant before ka mahuli)
o Taxation
 We pay taxes to the government for
  Social security/Services (health, education, pension)
 Infrastructure
 Salary of government officials
 Taxable income
 [(Total income – Php exemptions) x __ of excess] + Php __
 Allowed additional exemption of 25k for each dependent (not
exceeding 4), premium for health and hospitalization insurance
(2.4k per year), and personal exemption (50k)
 Given I earn 2,600,000, is single and have no children
o [(Total income – 50,000 – 500,000) x 32% of excess] +
Php125,000
o 2,600,000 – 50,000 (personal exemption) = 2,550,000
o 2,550,000 – 500,000 = 2,050,000
o 2,050,000 * 0.32 = 656,000
o 656,000 + 125,000 = 781,000
 Unless you double check if you paid accurately, they will never tell you
o Eminent Domain
 It’s a fundamental power of the state. Government has all the right
 Getting private property for public use only, but the private owner
should be justly compensated (mostly in monetary form)
 If they don’t, then they go to court
 Urban smth smth Law
 If I’m an informal settler in the land of a business woman, and the
latter wants to use my land to build a mall, she will have to find
me a new land/place with water, etc.
 Four Constituent Elements of State
o People
o Territory
o Government
o Sovereign Authority
 Rights and Obligations of the State
Right Description
To exist as a The state can use force to protect and preserve itself against anybody
sovereign and that threatens it
independent
political entity  Was the right of Iraq violated when USA and Britain invaded it last
March 2006?
To property and The state has an absolute right over everything within its territory
domain
 what about private property?
Of jurisdiction The right of the state to exercise its authority over all persons and
things within its territory
 What about human rights of individuals?
 Of The state has the right to deal with other state for mutual help,
intercourse/relations cooperation, and welfare
with other states
 Can it deal with just any state?
 Doctrine of State as PARENS PATRIAE
o Parens Patriae means parent/guardian
o The state is the parent/guardian of the country
o The US Supreme Court opined that the “This prerogative of parens patriae is
inherent in the supreme power of every State.”
o The state has the power of guardianship over persons who are unable to take
care/protect themselves
 Doctrine of State Immunity from Suit
o Basis: there can be no legal right against the authority
o [insert stuff]
 Fundamental Powers of the State

Paper due this Friday (June 28)

 Relate it to: what you’ve learned in class so far, relate it to government, relate it to your
own experience
 React on it, worth 10 points
 10 page max, double space

Winning an election
 Appeal to the poor (composed of 90%)
 Almost half of the registered voters in the country are aged 17-34 (youth sector)
 1% of class AB are used for campaign funds
 Middle class are the employees—they are the ones who pay taxes (9%)

Midterm Guide Question (Q8):

1. Why have we never had a majority president since 1987?
2. How can we ensure a majority president? (e.g. multiparty—divide the votes. This means
majority does not like you)
a. Two-tiered voting system (in Europe)
b. Bipartisan (in US)
c. **If you’re a Philippine senator and you see that 11 million voted for you, would
you want just two parties?
i. How to change the system: change the law or a revolution

*Machine stopped dagdag-bawas for a while because from the barangay machines, it goes
directly to the top (it avoids the movement of ballots)
 In dagdag-bawas, as ballots are getting transported, the tallies are changed using
correction tape
  It’s expensive because you have to pay people on the ground to do the job for you
*in 2019 elections, the 7 hour delay defeated the purpose of transparency
*maybe elections is not uninformed, but misleading

 Choosing government leaders in national and local levels

o Media
o Sectoral groups (farmers, fisherfolks, urban poor)
o Religious groups (El Shaddai, INC)
o Political Parties (LAKAS, NPC, KBL, PMP)
o Citizens (18+ and above)
o NGOs
o Civic groups (environmentalists, consumers)
o Private groups business, etc.
 Why give money to the candidates?
o It’ll help them with their business (e.g. Ramon Ang’s plan to build an airport)
 Every second of Monday (every 3 years) is the elections day, but they start campaigning
right after elections day (epal posters every month)
 Philippine elections is not about issues, but about relationships
o Otso Diretso lost because they were so focused on issues
o “pa-meriyenda ka naman!”
o MAYBE Vico Sotto won because 1) name recall, 2) face value, 3) represented an
alternative to a lot of bawal (e.g. own coding system)
o Day or two days before elections is the most worrisome because most of the
vote-buying happens here

Backtrack in History:
- 1978, we had a parliamentary elections. Cesar Virata was the PM
- 1983, Ninoy Aquino was assassinated
- *Cardinal Sin talked to Laurel and Cory and said Cory should run
- *The day before elections, Cardinal Sin had a pastoral letter: get the money, vote your
conscience
o To make sure that di saying pera nila, they used carbon copy to check if they
voted for them talaga then that’s when they get the other half of the money
- Feb. 7 1986, snap elections (Marcos vs. Cory)
- 1992, they had a new modus operandi, only 1 spoiled sampled ballot
- 1995, the village leader approaches the candidate and asks for money for a “wholesale”
vote. If candidate gets x votes, he’ll give money
- 1998, COMELEC discovered that vote buying is easier because they could easily capture
their votes and show as proof
- Nov 2009, Maguindanao Massacre
o Ampatuans were no longer sure they would win, thus the brutality
- 2010, automated elections so machines had safeguards
 o 3-4 days before elections, there will be a dry run
o In 2019, safeguards were down
o **Transparency cannot be delayed, unless someone wants to manipulate it

(June 27, 2019)

 ARMM has a separate count of votes because they are autonomous
 Leni Robredo’s victory was phenomenal because the grassroots machineries (i.e.
farmers, fisherfolks) were the ones who campaigned for her
o Unlike Otso Diretso who campaigned mostly in social media + didn’t have
enough resources
 Trillanes won despite being in jail and no money. How?
o Lambasted GMA everyday  strong media presence
o Cheat everyone else but not those in kabaro

How to Win an Election

 Running in an election is really about marketing
 Philippine politics is very relational; they have to know you first
o Erap won over Devenetia because despite his vices, the poor could not relate
with Devenetia who was too rich
 9 things to consider
o Intention (good or bad)
o Qualifications
 Filipino citizenship/registered voter/1 year residency/read and write and
age requirements (21 for LGU officials/25 for HOR/35 for Senate, etc.)
o Values (basic moral and spiritual tenets)
o Personality (intrinsic or externally friendly)
o Reputation (dossiers of opponents)
o Support mechanism (family, parties, campaign teams)
o Finances (own money and external sources; party/friends)
o Fitness (health, exhaustion, etc.)
o Chances of winning
 Musts to win (Q9 and Q5)
o Good and marketable candidate
 Duterte was because Davao had good reputation
o A bailiwick or at least areas that can be penetrated
 Duterte had Mindanao, and was able to penetrate Luzon
o A decent pool of resources
o Affiliation with the right people or organizations
 Not necessarily, but Duterte was like all the anti-dilawan, follow me
o A well-planned strategy
 Duterte announced his candidacy late
o A machinery
 Why sir lost
 o People can’t relate with “magis”
o Too wordy flyers  people don’t read!
 Enrile: Gusto ko happy ka
o Abstract platform
o Bad packaging
o Lack of connection (we can’t easily relate to him)
o Filipinos, especially the poor, have a culture of
 Utang na loob
 Dependence

Governance
(July 2, 2019)
 To rule by right of authority  to exercise the functions of government or to rule by
right of sovereignty
 Cultural Aspects of Philippine Governance (Q10)
o Personalistic Politics
 Filipino society is collectivist, family-oriented, and person-oriented
 Personal connections influences political configuration
 Political relationship equated with personal relationships
o The Ties That Bind
 Customary to vote for one’s relative or even acquaintance
 Family plays an important role
 Political clans are prominent in Philippine politics
o Personal Approach to Politics
 A good politician is a good friend
 Talks to politicians about personal matters as well
 Filipinos are sensitive to shows of ATTENTION
 Shaking of hands, touching, is perceived as personal closeness
 Visibility is important
 Sharing humor is perceived as personal
o Lack of Professionalism
 Saying no is an offense
 Personalan and Tampuhan
 Results in turncoatism
o Perceived Political Utility of Shame
 Hiya works best with a good leaders. People will feel shame of doing bad
 Hiya can also make people compromise or do special favors for certain
groups
 Hiya obliges people to take care of their leader’s expenses
 Delicadeza makes one honor his/her word
o Pakikisama in the Halls of Power
 Takes place when a person does something beyond the call of duty
 Usually when one is invited to run in a party or is given resources
  Pressures public officials to give in to politically connected people
o Power of Informal Personal Connections
o Machismo
 Manifested in the widespread use of guns and goons
 Male politicians can have mistresses without being censured
 Government is still run by males and many political practices are male
centered
 Women politicians are frequently derided as knowing nothing
 E.g. Duterte spotted in Red District won’t be a national issue compared to
if it’s PNoy
 Philosophies of Government (Q7)
o Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan)
 Thinks that humans are wild beasts
 E.g. Duterte
o John Locke (Two Treatises of Government)
 Man is reasonable and tolerant; focuses on good side of people
 E.g. PNoy and Obama
o St. Augustine (The City of God)
 You have no right to rebel against government because government is
representative of God
 E.g. Spanish Era
o Niccolo Machiavelli (The Prince)
 New ruler must know when and where to judiciously apply a great
amount of force and that he should not fear repercussions of ruling with
an iron fist
 Must also be virtuous and vigilant to the highest level, know when to
punish and when to reward
 E.g Marcos (1972-1979)
o Karl Marx (Communist Manifesto)
 Capitalism is an oppressive force that is characterized by dictatorship of
the bourgeoisies
 Ideally it’s good, but history has spoken that it has always failed
 Communism killed motivation, and eventually economy failed
 Politically it’s good, but economically it’s not
 You cannot force people to work without incentive
 China became politically communist but economically capitalist
 E.g. North Korea
 Forms of Government (Q11)
o As to legitimacy
 De jure – a government which has been established in accordance with
its Constitution and enjoys the general support of the people
  De facto – a government which is not established in a accordance with
the Constitution of the State and is maintained against the rightful and
legitimate government (based on use of words, coup d’état)
 *Cory Aquino’s government is de facto. Legally, whether there
was cheating/not, Marcos won and was the one proclaimed by
Congress. However, Cory was established after the failed coup
d’états
o Failed because: 1) political dynasties persisted, 2) oligarchs
were back (no focus on poverty alleviation)
 For sir, coup de tats are not a good idea because if someone gets
power by force, the rest will follow  Banana Republic
o As to the extent of power
 Unitary – where control of the national and local affairs is exercised by
the central government
 Manila is the one who collect the taxes
 Federal – Where the government has two sets of organs, one organ takes
care of the local affairs while the other takes care of the national affairs
 Why does Davao want Federal? For so long, Manila has been
getting products from Davao to sustain itself, so Davao feels
exploited
 Local government will be the ones to collect the taxes and give its
contribution to the national government
 Local government can develop without being reliant on Manila
  Ideally, this is good, but given our situation right now, most
likely political families will get a stronghold given our number of
dynasties
o Relationship of Legislative and Executive Branch
 Presidential – where the President in the head of the state as well as
head of government and the executive is independent from legislative
 You have 3 branches
 Parliamentary – Where the President is the head of state who holds a
position of “no responsibility” while the Prime Minister is head of
government, and where the executive is under the legislative chosen by
the legislative
 Executive and legislative become one  can easily pass laws, but
their only check is the judiciary and less balance
 Functions of Government
o Safety and security (that’s why we have police power)
o Ministrant (giving service or aid) or optional functions
 *Why Erap losing seat may be considered de facto
o Reasons when president can be taken out of office
 If he dies
 If he resigns
  Permanent incapacity  this was what they said because his cabinet
secretaries resigned… but he could’ve assigned new ones?
 If he is impeached  but Erap wasn’t impeached. There was a case, but it
did not push through
 Good Governance Responsibilities in PARTNERS
o P - articipatory
o A - ccountable
o R - ule of Law
 West Philippine Sea
o T - ransparent
o N - vironmental
o E - fficient and Effective
 No good roads
 Efficient: maximize resources
 Effective: outcome
o R - elevance
o S – ustainable

(July 4, 2019)
 Government is so used to SOP that the only way to become efficient is by being
innovative
 Good governance is to convince people to change things

(July 5, 2019)
 Fishermen vs. China Update: It’s the Filipino’s fault because they had no enough lights
 Bato: shit happens
 Manila’s water is a problem because Manila is under sea level
 No to high rise building (sustainabil-ity because you kill a culture when you take their
heritage out)
 More businesses, more tax and job opportunities

Constitution
(July 9, 2019)
 The Constitution is supreme
 Duterte wants Charter Change towards Parliamentary so that the President can go on
 STATE:
o Territory (1-2)
o People (2-5)
o Government (6-11)
 Article X: Accountability
 In Manila, taxes and fees are about 6 million, but Erap’s term
spent 10 million  he must be accountable!
  *Government funds come from taxes and local/foreign loans.
Most likely they will reduce the debt through taxes
o Sovereignty (12-17)
Introduction to the Constitution
(July 10, 2019)

 Quo Warranto – justices can decide against Chief Justice

 Article 9 – Constitutional Bodies should be independent of the 3 branches
o Commission on Audit: guards the taxes
o Civil Service Commission: protects government employees
o Commission on Elections: guard the votes
o *They are all appointed by the President. However, they cannot be fired by
them; only impeached by the legislative branch
 Article 10 – Local Government Units
o