Senior High School

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Philippine Politics and

Governance
Quarter 1 – Module 1
Concept, Relationship, and Importance
of Politics, Governance and
Government
(Part I)

Sandra Mae Dulay Calpito

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 The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use this 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 Pre Test before moving on to the other activities included in
this 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.
7. If you encounter 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. You can do it!

Aristotle once said that Man by nature is a political animal. Individuals are
inherently social. This makes us different from animals, we rely so much with social
interaction for us to continue to exist. As we interact with others, often times, conflict
might arise. Our individual differences sometimes result to disagreement. It is
because, somebody if not all wants to rule. And in order to rule a certain community.
One must be powerful.
One classic example is the Filipino family. The father makes decision for his
family. The members do follow. In this instance, the question of who decides for the
family is by itself a function of politics. Therefore, we cannot deviate ourselves from
politics.
There are many concepts of politics in which you must understand. These
concepts are related to the realities that a person’s experience inside the community.
This unit thus intends to explain the concept, relationship and importance of politics.
After reading this module, you will be able to explain the meaning of
politics and differentiate various views on politics
Specifically, this module will help you to:

 Define politics;
 Identify the various views on politics;
 Differentiate governance from government

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 PRE TEST

A. MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your
answer on the space provided.

_____1. Father of political science

a. Niccolo Machiavelli              c. Socrates
b. Aristotle                                d. Francis Lieber
_____2. Is the central to the study of politics because it shows different
components of human society.
a. peace              c. order
b. power                                d. function
_____3. It is the fundamental law of the land.
a. civil code          c. penal code       
b. constitution d. statutes
_____4. The Greek word POLIS means __________.
a. city/state              c. impose power on the people
b. to know                               d. serve justice in the government
_____5. The possession to govern or rule the state.
a. power c. force
b. justice d. threat
_____6. Among are some importance of studying politics and governance.
What is not?
a. Being able to escape from the burden of having bad system.
b. Being able to understand the system we are living since we are
involved as people.
c. Being able to critically analyze the system of politics in the Philippines.
d. Being able tp know is primarily concerned with the association of
human beings into ‘body politic’ or in a political community.
_____7. Students of politics are interested in ______.
a. who takes the key decisions.
b. the values that influence key decisions.
c. whether or not ordinary people have a chance to influence key
decisions.
d. all of the above.
_____8. It is a prelude to the written Constitution.
a. national territory       c. state                      
b. preamble                  d. constitutional convention
_____9. What is Politics?
a. It deals with the protection of the rights of its citizens; safeguarding and
enhancement their immorality; and, harmony and peace in their
relations.
b. It is the way in which we understand and order our social affairs, and
acquire greater control over the situation.
c. It is the science of power and manipulation.
d. It is a systematic body of knowledge which for the most part is
theoretical, that deals with the government and regulation,
maintenance and development, and defense and augmentation of the
state

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 _____10. All are the elements of politics except
a. power c. coordination
b. influence d. authority
B. MY CHECKLIST. What does it mean to be political? Which of the following
actions do you think are political or are not political? Put a check (/) if the
action is political and a cross mark (x) if it is not.

Filing of certificate of candidacy

Joining a protest rally or demonstration in the streets
Buying of clothes
Sitting inside the bus
Campaigning for a candidate or a political party
Dressing up for a friend’s birthday party
Voting in a local election
A fight between two drivers over a public parking slot
A traffic enforcer issuing a traffic violation ticket
The Philippines as Chair of the ASEAN in 2017
The Philippine government filing an arbitration case against China
The President signing a bill into law
Indigenous people protesting against mining activities
Watching Vice Ganda’s shows
Participated in the signing of treaties

LESSO
Introduction to Politics
N1

STUDY TIME

Etymology of the word “Politics”

 The word politics comes from ancient Greece. Its root is the word polis, which
began to be used about 2,800 years ago to denote a self-governing city (city-
state)
 POLIS – city-state
 POLITES – citizen
 POLITIKOS – politician
 POLITIKE – politics as the art of citizenship and government
 POLITEIA – constitution, rules of politics

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  POLITEUMA – political community, all those residents who have full political
rights

Politics
 Activities done by people handling decisions or occupying position in the
government.
 A decision-making process that may result to good governance or may lead to
contradiction, controversies or worst to a situation of unrest.

Different views about “Politics”

1. POLITICS: ARENA VS. PROCESS
 Arena approach
 The state and all its instrumentalities and related institutions
 Its hierarchy of offices and personnel, laws, and policies
 Activities and actions that are sanctioned by the state.

 Process approach
 It includes other institutions within the society such as the family, the
church, and other parts of the society.
 It considers both the formal political arena and the informal processes
surrounding it.

2. POLITICS AS ABOUT GOVERNING

 Governing includes institutions other than those of the government that are
involved in governing.

3. POLITICS AS “THE AUTHORITATIVE ALLOCATION OF VALUES FOR A

SOCIETY”
 Inputs – are demands and supports that are fed into the political system
 Outputs – decisions and policies that result out of the political system.
 Internal environment – the actual geopolitical, physical, and territorial
boundaries of the state within which the political system belongs.
 External environment – the confluence of foreign influences, forces, and
dynamics that lie beyond the boundaries of the state.
 Feedback loop – the means to communicate to the political system the
response of the public or the larger society to the decisions and policy
outputs of the government.

4. POLITICS AS “WHO GETS WHAT, WHEN, AND HOW”

 Laswell (1936) defined the influential as “those who get the most of what there
is to get.” According to him, “those who get the most are elite, the rest are the
mass.”

Some common definitions of politics (both positive and negative view)

 Politics is the exercise of power
 Politics is the public allocation of values
 Politics is the resolution of conflict
 Politics is the competition among individuals, groups, or states pursuing their
interests

BASIC CONCEPTS OF POLITICS

1. ORDER – Is the central to the study of politics because it shows different
components of human society.

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 STRUCTURES of ORDER
a. COMMUNITY – is one kind of social order which refers to the association of
individual who shares a common identity.
b. GOVERNMENT – is a 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. 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.
 “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
then there is said to be justice.”

ELEMENTS OF POLITICS
1. Power
2. Rule
3. Influence
4. Authority

TWO APPROACHES in the STUDY of POLITICS

A. POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
 It is the traditional approach in which the primary goal is to understand the
essence or the truth about politics.
B. 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.

What is Political Science?

 As suggested by the name itself, “political science” is the study of theory and
practice of politics and government at all levels: local, national, and international.
Within the broad basket of political science, we can identify various
subcategories, including:
 Political theory; this subject focuses on the roots of governance and on the
human aspects that lead men to organize themselves in political groups;
 Comparative politics: this subject compares different types of governance (i.e.
democracy, military regime, authoritarian regime, etc.) and analyzes their
effects on the country’s growth and on the population’s welfare;
 Methodology: this subfield aims at clarifying the philosophical and theoretical
basis upon which different political systems are based; and
 International relations: this subcategory focuses on the relations among
states, on their interactions and on the political strategies that countries use at
an international level.

Similarities between Politics and Political Science

1. In both cases, the government and the structure of the country’s political
system are the main subjects concerned;
2. Politics and policies are often based on theoretical ideas and assumptions
outlined and analyzed by political science; and

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 3. All (or almost all) actions taken by politicians can be linked back to theories
and theoretical paradigms inferred by the analysis of years (or even centuries)
of politics.

VALUE OF POLITICS
1. Politics will help you to know your rights.
2. Politics clarifies what you yourself believes.
3. Politics is a living, breathing subject.
4. Politics helps you to understand our nation’s parties.
5. Politics prepares you for adult life.

PRACTICE TIME

Activity 1. Concept Map!

Direction: Think of words that can be connected with the word POLITICS. Make your
own definition.

POLITICS

Politics is…

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

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Activity 2. Jumbled Words

Direction: Re-arrange the jumbled letters to get the correct answer and write on the
space provided.

I T L O P U E A M
A greek word of political community

1. __________________________________

I S P L O
It means city state

2. __________________________________

L P O A E I T I
It means rules of politics

3. __________________________________

L E O I S P T
A greek word of citizen

4. __________________________________

I P I K E O L T
Politics as the art of citizenship and government

5. __________________________________

Activity 3. Picture Analysis

Direction: Write your answers in not more than five sentences.

1. Analyze the picture below. What do you think they are doing?
2. Who among the characters in the picture can you relate to? Why?
3. What impact or relevance to you as a member of the community does the
picture give?

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___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Activity 4. News Alert!

Listen or read to current news from TV, Radio, and internet. Select the news or
event related to the topic above then fill-in the chart below:

News Source
Topic News Headlines
Overview/Summary

Politics

Government

You have learned that politics is the exercise of power, the science of
government, the making of collective decisions, the allocation of scarce resources
and the practive of deception and manipulation. Humans being social, there is
always conflict and disagreement. Politics sets in when it tries to find solution to
these problems.

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 Political science is a discipline that seeks to understand the relationship
between individual and political insitutions per se. Conducting a research is
important to determine whether such issue involves politics or not.

Since Philippines is a democratic country, it is important to be informed and

have a basic knowledge about politics. In this way, it could empower us to deal with
political issues. Therefore, politics affects everyone because we are interrelated with
one another.

POST TEST

IDENTIFICATION. Identify what is being asked.

__________1. The main source of reign of the government.

__________2. POLITICAL is derived from the Greek word ________.
__________3. It is the traditional approach in which the primary goal is to
understand the essence or the truth about politics.
__________4. The systematic study of the State and government.
__________5. One kind of social order which refers to the association of
individual who shares a common identity.
__________6. The process of legalizing and penalizing the abuse of political
power and power to rule.
__________7. It means politics as the art of citizenship and government
__________8. Is the central to the study of politics because it shows different
components of human society.
__________9. Higher level of social order that exist primarily for the
maintenance and perpetuation of the community.
__________10. Meaning of “POLITES”

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