NIEVEN L.

HIBAYA AB
PHILIPPINE POL ITICS AND GOVERNANCE: POSSIBILITIES,
PROBLEMS AND ITS DEMOCRATIC REALITIES
UNIT III PRETEST II:
Discuss the implications of predatory politics in the Philippines.

PREDATORY POLITICS IN THE PHILIPPINES

With the efforts of the past administration to implement serious reforms in the

socio-economic aspects of the traditional democratic government, the Philippines

remains to be an underdeveloped country with severe cases of corruption, crime,

poverty, and rebellion. This situation remains a great problem that hinders the

development of the county making the poor the poorest and the elite capitalist the

wealthiest. How could meaningful reforms be implemented where during the election,

voters were bought by politicians who aspire to help the country develop with huge

money of investment, greater than the accumulated salaries during their terms. How

would they get back their investments in the campaign? Do you think their intentions are

pure in helping out the poor with their sweet promises in front of the masses during

campaigns? These premises made others seated in the office to be unresponsive and

inefficient in their positions. It is very sad to note that the middle class and the lower

class don’t have an opportunity to be elected because of the lack of influence, alliances,

and other political machinery especially money.

Politics in the Philippines has been characterized by greedy families who want to

take seats and do nothing for the country's development. The elected officials maybe

not all, but most of them, manipulate everything within the government. The systemic

exploitation of the Filipinos was entrenched in the politics practiced in the country. The
landed class enforced the monopolization of enterprises. Bureaucrats became tools of

corrupt rule. Major provinces and cities were ruled by family dynasties who have selfish

vested interests over the welfare of the people.

On the notion of Sidel (1999), the systemic exploitation of the Filipinos was

entrenched in the politics practiced in the country. The landed class enforced the

monopolization of enterprises. Bureaucrats became tools of corrupt rule. Sidel further

argued that predatory politics achieve the monopoly of economic activities within the

bailiwicks and that business interest and the politics of money are the compositions of it.

The elite capitalist often monopolizes trade and commerce in the country, and a

few only benefitted from it. The capitalist supports the ruling class and in return, the

latter protects the business venture of the capitalist. This relationship is mutualism

wherein both parties benefit from each other, which gives a threat to the pure purpose

of democracy, the welfare of the people.

State formation in the Philippines is the conspiracy between two evil

masterminds: the traditional politician and the oligarchs who continue to subjugate,

abuse, and ultimately exploit the Filipino to the hilt. But one cannot blame the masses.

The poor don’t have a choice but to make their decisions for a short-term benefit, like

receiving favors during elections in exchange for their votes. This explains why elected

politicians are twinned by corrupt practices because they are into vote-buying during

elections. The traditional politician has successfully portrayed that for the masa

(people), it does not matter who rules them. This is also the mindset of the poor voters

that whoever rules them, or whoever is elected, their situations won’t change. At the

root source of it all is the politics of money.