The Philippines’ Bureaucratic Model

An Evaluati on by: Jericho Daniel O. Dabu AB- Politi cal Science （月の都市だぶ）

In the following years since I have my eyes opened to the Political System of the country I reside
in, the all so glorious Philippines. I started to notice patterns and called them by names such as, the
Capitalistic Government, and the Rich only government. But now I’ve been able to understand the Three
models of Bureaucratic Models, and the Philippines seems to fit one of it very well. Starting this by
stating what bureaucratic model the Philippines uses is quite an essential detail to this evaluation of the
Philippines’ bureaucratic model.

I hereby state for the reader that the bureaucratic model that the Philippines is using is focused
on land and political power disputes between the Politicians that run this country. In the guise of having
a Lethargic bureaucratic model, the Philippines’ bureaucratic model is based on competition of Political
power and influence against each other. Where one must have more political power and influence than
your fellow politicians that guides this country’s future. Like how the common people say “Yayaman ka
sa Pulitika” And thus proven right, since the people tend to see it that the Politicians hold the power and
money. Clearly the bureaucratic model that the Philippines’ is using is the Acquisitive Model, in the guise
of a Weberian model.

To prove this, let us first break down the façade that the Philippine bureaucracy is using to hide
it’s expansionistic tendencies and competitive nature. The Weberian model is clearly seen through the
dozens and hundreds of specialized agency for specific aspects of the Government or bureaucracy. An
example is DEPED dividing it’s jurisdiction from the Secretary, to the Two departments focusing on the
College and Universities, and General Education from Elementary to Highschool. Further dividing it to
Regional, to Provincial, And etc. That goes as well to many departments of the Bureaucracy of the
Philippines. But remember, this is only a façade being used to hide the fact that competition is in the air.

Now going back to the saying “Yayaman ka sa Pulitika” , the people tend to believe this as fact
even thought the money came from the people. And thus chairs for being in the Bureaucracy or just
being near a person who is seated in the Bureaucracy is fought like it is the most decorated chair than
the Pope’s throne in the Vatican. People tend to believe that this chair is made out of solid gold, and
thus must be fought to the death by the politicians that wish to sit upon that chair. To the people, being
in the bureaucracy, is like winning the Lottery a million times over. And this has shown how the
politicians want to expand their influence. Being seated means you are at a High chair, where everyone
knows you, and everyone would love you. And being known means money, to the people it is a gold
mine meant to be drained by them. The politicians elected to seat on these chairs only cares to have
more influence so things go their way, they’ll have the power to move people for their own benefits.
The only thing stopping them is that they do not have the power to move mountains. More influence,
the higher you can get in these facade Hierarchal systems the Philippines is using. And the more high up
you go, the more control on the funds you have. The more funds, the better the money to pocket.

A good example of this is the dispute between the two political names that are present in
Zambales, which is Ebdane and the Konghuns. Once were allies to rise in the ladders of the system are
now enemies, trying to ruin each other’s name for the sake of influence and power, and more ladders to
climb. The drive they have is for their own benefits from being in a seat made of gold. A seat so
comfortable, one would love to get the much better one. A higher seat, means more control over the
funds, and more money to pocket. A competition of Influence and power, no one should be above the
other in their war. The power the seat gives them, the seat the people provided for them. Thus, they
have a competition in property as well, since more property means more income from the use of that
property to be paid by the Private sectors. They have influence over the land, the land the people should
be using but are used by immigrants for their own sake and country. For the wad of money they can get
when the lend these lands to the immigrants, the two political names in Zambales are trying to bring
each other down, so one could overtake the other in power and influence.

Another example is Senator Cynthia Villar, that became a running joke where she like to
compete with other politicians over jurisdiction over land and how it should be used. Instead of it being
use for Roads, or public services, she started making Subdivisions. And obviously, the common people
caught it with where she only does this for her own benefit. Where the land should be of the people, for
the people, and by the people. And yet she benefits from it alone. Where land that could be used for
agriculture and given to the backbone of the country, which are the farmers, are now used for Homes
for the rich. And the poor stays the poor.

And this goes to show that the Philippines only holds a façade of having a Weberian model. The political
tug of war going inside the bureaucracy of the Philippine government is highly noticeable to the point
that it is made fun of the people, and where a lot of Politicians are having their names stained by their
obvious plans to gain power and influence. Siding with the higher ups, destroying the names of other
politicians, and even monopolizing the bureaucracy is a common thing in the Philippine bureaucracy.
Where hitmen are hired to kill the opposing politicians because of an altercation in the funds,
jurisdiction over a land, or just influence. The Philippines is a Expansionistic, Competitive, Acquisitive
Model, a Bureaucracy of the Power Hungry.