11 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Philippine Politics
and Governance
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
The Meaning of Politics
Subject Name: Philippine Politics and Governance-Grade 11
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 1 – Module 1: The Meaning of Politics
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education

Secretary: Leonor Magtolis Briones
Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

Development Team of the Module

JOSEPH ANTHONY P. SOLITARIO
Writers:
Joevan W. Alcala
Editors:
Gemma F. Depositario, Ed.D.
Reviewers:
Typesetter
Illustrator:
Henry T. Dayot
Layout Artist:

Management Team: Senen Priscillo P. Paulin, CESO VRosela R. Abiera Fay C.

Luarez, TM, Ed.D., Ph.D.Maricel S. Rasid Adolf P. Aguilar, Ed.D.Elmar L. Cabrera
Nilita L. Ragay, Ed.D.
Carmelita A. Alcala, Ed.D.

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Philippine
Politics and
Governance
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
The Meaning of Politics
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Philippine Politics and Governance-Grade 11 Alternative

Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on The Meaning of Politics.

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by

educators both from public and private institutions to assist you, the
teacher or facilitator in helping the learners meet the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum while overcoming their personal, social, and economic
constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and
independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore,
this also aims to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while
taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.
In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing
them to manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to
encourage and assist the learners as they do the tasks included in the
module.

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For the learner:

Welcome to the Philippine Politics and Governance-Grade 11 Alternative

Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on The Meaning of Politics!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and
time. You will be engaged in the different activities that are found in this
learning resource which in turn helps you become an active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

This will give you an idea of the skills or

competencies you are expected to learn in
What I Need to Know the module.

This part includes an activity that aims to

check what you already know about the
What I Know lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this
module.
This is a brief drill or review to help you link
the current lesson with the previous one.
What’s In

In this portion, the new lesson will be

introduced to you in various ways; a story, a
What’s New song, a poem, a problem opener, an activity
or a situation.
This section provides a brief discussion of
the lesson. This aims to help you discover
What is It and understand new concepts and skills.

This comprises activities for independent

practice to solidify your understanding and
What’s More skills of the topic. You may check the
answers to the exercises using the Answer
Key at the end of the module.
This includes questions or blank
sentence/paragraph to be filled in to process
What I Have Learned
what you learned from the lesson.
This section provides an activity which will
help you transfer your new knowledge or
What I Can Do skill into real life situations or concerns.
This is a task which aims to evaluate your
level of mastery in achieving the learning
Assessment

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 competency.
In this portion, another activity will be given
to you to enrich your knowledge or skill of
Additional Activities the lesson learned.
This contains answers to all activities in the
Answer Key module.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in

developing this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any
part of the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the
exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other
activities included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your
answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through
with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do
not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind
that you are not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful

learning and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies.
Remove all worries because You can do it!

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 What I Need to Know

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCY:

Explain the concept, relationship and importance of politics, governance and

government.

The Meaning of
Politics
This material uncovers the meaning/ structure of politics, an activity that involves the interaction of p

This is relevant to the learners because politics is visible in our community and most of the time we f

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

Explain the concept, relationship and importance of politics, governance and government;
Clip photos showing political deeds; and
Demonstrate patriotism in improving Philippine politics by being a role model and a law abiding citiz

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 What I Know

Direction: Read each question carefully. Choose one question and write your
answers in your notebook.

1. What is politics?
What’s In
2. What makes social action a political one?
3. What is your opinion about actors or actresses who run for a position
in politics?
This module will enable you to learn more about politics and governance in a
more detailed Criteria/
perspective since
Rubric it wasintackled
to guide broadly
answering in your Junior High subjects.
the question.
The concepts of Politics and Governance were merely discussed in a simplified
manner which were based only on the context of general competencies. With this
Organization/stand--
module, you will be 10able to gain a -more concrete understanding of the
Structure
aforementioned topic because
10 Total it will delve on the organized process underlying the
complexities that are involved in art of governance.
TEXTWIZT CHALLENGE. Arrange the jumbled letters into a word based on the
definition given in each item. Write your answers in your notebook
1. NANCEREVOG - The term used specifically to describe changes in the nature
and role of the state following the public-sector reforms.
2. SCITILOP - The activities associated with the governance of a country or other
area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or
hoping to achieve power.
3. LOCIAS - relating to society or its organization
4. MEGVERONNT - the governing body of a nation, state, or community.

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5. TANONI - a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or
language, inhabiting a particular country or territory.

What’s New

Defining Politics

1. “What is politics?”

―Politics is an activity that involves the interaction of people whose

relationship is characterized by conflict and cooperation, and come together to solve
such disagreements through binding solutions.‖ (Heywood, 2013, History of Politics)

“What makes social interactions a political one?”

Any form of social interaction that involves the art of government, public
affairs, compromise and consensus, or power and distribution of resources is
political.

Politics is thus inextricably linked to the phenomena of conflict and

cooperation. The existence of rival opinions, different wants, competing needs and
opposing interests guarantees disagreement about the rules under which people
live. According to Hannah Arendt, political power acts in a concert. However, people
recognize that, in order to influence these rules or ensure that they are upheld, they
must work with others.

The word ‗politics‘ is derived from polis, meaning literally ‗city-state‘. Ancient
Greek society was divided into a collection of independent city-states, each of which
possessed its own system of government. The largest and most influential of these
city-states was Athens, often portrayed as the cradle of democratic government. In
this light, politics can be understood to refer to the affairs of the polis – in effect,
‗what concerns the polis‘. The modern form of this definition is therefore ‗what
concerns the state‘. This view of politics is clearly evident in the everyday use of the
term: people are said to be ‗in politics‘ when they hold public office, or to be
‗entering politics‘ when they seek to do so.

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 What is It

Politics and Governance in the Philippines

Politics - denotes a social activity which underlies the creation of maintenance and
amendment of social norms and rules. It is also the art and science of the
government concerning the realm of public affairs or the state.
Governance - is the exercise of power/authority by political leader for the well-being
of their country‘s citizens or subject. It also refers to the manner of
steering/governing and or directing and controlling a group of people or the state.

BASIC CONCEPT OF POLITICS

1. ORDER – is the central to the study of politics because it shows different

components of human society.

STRUCTURES OF ORDER

A. COMMUNITY – is one of social order which refers to the association of

individual who shares a common identity.
B. GOVERNMENT – is the higher level of social order that exist primarily for the
maintenance and perpetuation of the community.
C. STATE – is the largest social order today and in which the term politics
originally derived.

2. POWER – the main source of reign of the Government and the possession to
govern or rule the state.
3. JUSTICE – the process of legalizing and penalizing the abuse of political
power and power to rule. Justice is in effect if the government gives what
people need, protect and respect their rights, and put the common good over
and above the personal interest of the leaders.

TWO APPROACHES to the STUDY of POLITICS

 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY – It is the traditional approach in which the

primary goal is to understand the essence or the truth about politics.
 POLITICAL SCIENCE – It is the empirical/objective approach in which it
places little emphasis on abstract and normative question and concentrates
on a dispassionate and objective of the realities of politics.

The importance of studying governance includes the people, most specially

the citizens who will be aware of the need for good governance. Consequently, such
awareness should encourage them to take action. For the achievement of continued

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empowerment and sustainable development, they have to learn how to fight for their
rights through proper awareness on how the Philippine Governance works.

PROCESSES AND ACTORS IN GOVERNANCE

Decision-Making - refers to the process by which a person or group of persons,

guided by socio-political structures, arriving at a decision involving their individual
and communal needs and wants.

Implementation - is the process that logically follows the decision.

Actors and Structures

An actor - is a sector or group or institution that participates in the process of

decision-making and implementation.
A structure - refers to an organization or mechanism that formally or informally
guides the decision-making process and sets into the motion the different actors and
apparatuses in the implementation process.

Informal Actors and Bad Governance – Their influence is felt more clearly in local
governments, such as organized crime syndicates and powerful families, and in rural
and urban areas. Most often than not, these actors are the cause of corruption, in
that legitimate government objectives are distorted by their illegal and private
interests. Worse, they manipulate government officials and agencies, and cause
widespread yet organized violence in the community. In urban and rural areas, for
example, the rich and powerful families control the economy by controlling the local
government officials. They bring about a controlled environment so that decisions
must always favor them.

INDICATORS OF GOOD GOVERNANCE

1. Participation – is the active involvement of all affected and interested parties in

the decision-making process. Participation is one of the strengths of Philippine
governance. The 1987 Philippine Constitution contains provisions dealing with
relational and inter-sectoral governance. The Local Government Act of 1989 was
borne out of the need for decentralization in Philippine governance. As such, these
and other related legislations may be considered as normative standards for good
governance.
2. Rule of Law – in this indicator, democracy becomes essential. It demands that
the people and the civil society render habitual obedience to the law. It also
demands that the government acts within the limits of the powers and functions
which are prescribed by the law. In the Philippines however, this needs proper
implementation and reformation particularly among the law making body. Despite
being one of the oldest democracies in the region, it ranked last among seven
indexed Asian countries according to the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index.
Generally, the reasons for ranking last are ―lack of respect for law,‖ ―pervasive and
systemic corruption in the government,‖ and ―circumvention of the law.‖ Lack of

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respect for law is generally caused by distrust on the integrity of law enforcement
agencies.
3. Effectiveness and Efficiency – this indicator requires that actors meet the needs
of the society for effective governance. This means that the valuable resources are
utilized, without wasting or underutilizing any of them. Enhancement and
standardization of the quality of public service delivery consistent with international
standards, professionalization of bureaucracy should be observed while efforts must
be made in order to attain effectiveness and efficiency in Philippine governance. The
Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 (ARTA), for instance, was passed to require the setting
up of Citizen‘s Charter for a simplified procedure and to facilitate governmental
transactions. Also, many government departments and agencies pursued a
rationalization program to check excessive and redundant staffing.
4. Transparency – this indicator means that people are open to information
regarding decision-making process and the implementation of the same. In legal
terms, it means that information on matters of public concern are made available to
the citizens or those who will be directly affected. It also means that transactions
involving public interests must be fully disclosed and made accessible to the people.
Efforts were made in pursuit of transparency in Philippine governance and as far as
the government sector is concerned, the current administration, consistent with its
drive of curbing corruption, promotes honesty and integrity in public service. It has
currently passed the Freedom of Information Bill and other related legislations, as
well as intensified people‘s engagement in local governance. Transparency in
budget and disbursements are, however, still far from being substantially
implemented.
5. Responsiveness - means that institutions and processes serve all stakeholders
in a timely and appropriate manner. It also means that actors and structures of
governance easily give genuine expression to the will or desire of the people. Some
of the important efforts made to attain responsive governance in the Philippines are
decentralization, creation of citizen‘s charter in all frontline agencies (as required by
ARTA), and gender sensitivity programs. First, through decentralization, local
governments, which are more proximate to their constituents, serve more promptly
the people, who in turn become more involved in decision-making. Second, every
government agency now has it Citizen‘s Charter, which provides time frames for
every step in attaining frontline services. Agencies now must also respond to written
queries sent by the stakeholders or interested parties within a period of ten days,
otherwise there will be delayed service. However, this aspect of governance still
remains to be one of the causes for the decline of public‘s confidence in the public
sector. Although the ARTA has been passed, there is still so much delay in public
service delivery. The failure of the government agencies to explain the charters to
the stakeholders is one of the main reasons why there is still delay.
6. Equity and Inclusiveness - means that all the members of the society, especially
the most vulnerable ones or the grassroots level, must be taken into consideration in

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policy-making. Social equity, as an example, refers to a kind of justice that gives
more opportunity to the less fortunate members of the society. The Philippine
Government has done extensive efforts in promoting equity and inclusiveness. The
Constitution makes it as one of its state policies the promotion of social justice.
Pursuant to this, the Congress has enacted social legislations like the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law which aims at freeing the farmer tenants from
the bondage of the soil.
7. Consensus Oriented - Governance is consensus oriented when decisions are
made after taking into consideration the different viewpoints of the actors of the
society. Among the things done by the Philippines in promoting a consensus
oriented governance are: (1) creation of a wide-based of representation in the
Congress; (2) a two-tiered legislature or bicameralism which subjects legislation to
the evaluation of national and district legislators; and (3) necessity of public hearings
or consultations of various governmental policies and actions.
8. Accountability - means answerability or responsibility for one‘s action. It is based
on the principle that every person or group is responsible for their actions most
especially when their acts affect public interest. Accountability comes in various
forms: political, hierarchical, and managerial accountability. Political accountability
refers to the accountability of public officials to the people they represent.
Hierarchical accountability refers to the ordered accountability of the various
agencies and their respective officers and personnel in relation to their program
objectives. Managerial accountability refers to employee accountability based on
organization and individual performance.
The Philippines for instance, in the recent years had endeavoured to comply
with the requirements of accountability. It had taken action to initiate political
accountability so as to hold answerable erring public officials involved in graft and
corruption and for acts contrary to the mandate of the constitution. It had also
strengthened parliamentary scrutiny through legislative investigations and creation of
special committees exercising oversight functions. The Office of the Ombudsman,
considered as the public watchdog, has become consistently active in investigating
and prosecuting graft and plunders cases. Citizen‘s Charter, as required by ARTA,
was also an important tool in promoting professional public service values.
CURRENT STATE OF GOVERNANCE IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippines is plagued by bad governance. Based on the six dimensions

of governance in the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI), it ranks in the lower
half of the percentile. In 2010-2011, the Philippines ranked only 85th in the Global
Competitive Index (GCI), lagging behind most of its Southeast Asian neighbors. The
decline of trust on the actors of governance and the consequential poor economic
condition were brought about by the systemic corruption among and between public
officials and private organizations. In 2013, it ranked 94th among 177 countries in
the Corruption Perception Index. Among the key institutions in the Philippines

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perceived to be most corrupt based on the Global Corruption Index are ―political
parties,‖ ―judiciary,‖ ―police,‖ ―public officials and civil servants,‖ and ―legislature.‖
This means all branches of the Philippine government are now challenged.

What’s More

Task4:
Activity 2: Clip A Photo

Cut at least 5 photos from newspapers, books, pamphlets, etc. which shows
involvement in political activities. Create a caption of these photos.

Task 5:
Activity 3: Individual

Answer the following questions in your notebook.

1. How can Philippine politics be improved?
2. As a student, what is your role for its improvement?

Criteria/ Rubric :
Organization------------15
Structure 10
Total 25

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 What I Have Learned

Instruction: Make journal to manifest your understanding about the topic. You can start it by
following the format below. Write it in your notebook.

I will apply

What I Can Do

Task 1:
Instructions: Read the following statements. Write “political” if it shows political
actions and ―not political‖ if it shows otherwise. Write the answer in your notebook.

Statements:
1.
Having I awill apply
haircut.
2.
Joining a protest rally or
3.
Runni demonstration. ng for an
5.4.Campaigning
electiveapost.
candidate for a political party.

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 6. Swimming at the beach.
7. The Philippine government filing an arbitration case against China.
8. Signing up for Facebook account.
9. Indigenous people protesting against mining activities.
10. The Philippine Congress passing a law.

Assessment

Quiz. True or False. Write T if the statement is true and F if it is false on your
activity notebook.

1. Politics is about governing.

2. Joining a rally, protest or demonstration is a political activity.
3. Politics is NOT a social interaction.
4.Any form of social interaction that involves the art of government, public affairs,
compromise and consensus, or power and distribution of resources is political.
5. Politics is the authoritative allocation of values for a society.
6. Politics is ―who gets what, when, and how?‖

Additional Acti vi t ies

Create a Schematic Diagram using the following concepts of politics:

Community Government State Power Justice

Rubrics:
Organization 10 pts
Creativity 5pts.
Interpretation 5 pts
Total: 20pts

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 Answer Key

Quiz. True or False.

1. True
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. True

Task 1:

Political Actions
* Joining a protest rally or demonstration
* Running for an elective post
*Campaigning a candidate for a political party
* The Philippine government filing an arbitration case against
China
* Indigenous people protesting against mining activities
*The Philippine Congress passing a
law Not Political Actions
* having a haircut
*swimming at the beach

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References

 Philippine Politics and Governance, p. 2

 Defining Politics, p.2, 3
 https://www.macmillanihe.com/resources/samplechapters/9780230363373_sa
mple.pdf
 www.tamayaosbc.wordpress.comwww.global_competitiveness_report2015-
2016 www.global_competitiveness_report2016-2017

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For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Schools Division of Negros Oriental Kagawasan, Avenue, D

Tel #: (035) 225 2376 / 541 1117
Email Address: Website: lrmds.depednodis.net