Mary the Queen College (Pampanga)

We Transform Lives

Senior High School Department

Subject Code: SHSPPG Module No./Title: Introduction to Politics and

Governance
Subject Description: Philippine Politics and Period of Coverage: Week 1-2
Governance

Introduction to Politics and Governance:

Perhaps one of the things that permeate the daily life of individual is the undeniable existence of
Politics. In most cases, we may not even be aware but we are actually engaged in it. When laws and
policies are being made in the government, there is politics; whenever politicians squabble with one
another to get all the important votes in the election, there it exist. And whenever debates arouse about
a certain issue, still politics is present.

Politics play a huge role in our lives and whether we like or not, whether we appraise its presence or
lament its existence, the fact remains that we cannot live without it. In fact, the impact of Politics can
be seen not only the government, in the corporate realm but more importantly in the way the society is
being shaped, defined and how it actually exist.

But what essentially is Politics and why should we bother about it?
This unit shall be primarily rooted in a clear cut, precise and meaningful discussion of what Politics is
and also what Governance is all about.

Objectives:
To articulate the definition of Politics.
To differentiate the various views on Politics.
To explore the connection between the phenomenon (Politics) and the method of
inquiry (Political Science)
To recognize the value of Politics.
To differentiate Governance from Government.

Content:

“Man is by nature a political animal.”

– Aristotle, Politics
(Father of Political Science)

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Why did the Father of Political Science utter such a statement? Why did he say that man
is a “political animal” and what do you think did he mean by this?

The inclination and interest of people toward anything political is based on the fact that individuals are
inherently social. Unlike other species, humans rely on social interactions to survive. Politics is born
out of these social interactions.

Heywood (2013) defined Politics as an activity that involves the interaction of people, whose
relationship is characterized by conflict and cooperation, and who come together to solve such
disagreements through binding solutions.

Views on Politics: Description of Politics

Politics as...

Art of government Politics concerns the state. It focuses on

the personnel and machinery of the
government.

Public affairs Politics is the conduct and management of

public interest and therefore, political affairs.

Politics attempts to resolve conflict

Compromise and consensus through discussion, compromise,
bargaining, and consensus, wherein people
arrive at a binding decision.

Politics involves the exercise of authority in

Power and the distribution of resources the production, distribution, and use of
resources. This describes who gets what and
under what circumstances.

Politics, Analyzing a Multifaceted Phenemenon

Etymology

Politics (from Greek: Polis definition "affairs of the cities") is the process of making decisions that
apply to members of a group, it refers to achieving and exercising positions of governance —
organized control over a human community, particularly a state.

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BASIC CONCEPTS 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 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.”

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.

Political science does not only involve the state and the government because politics exists in
the family, in school, and even in the streets. It is present in intimate personal relationships,
too.

GOVERNANCE

The meaning of Governance

- Is the exercise of power/ authority by political leader for the well being at their country’s
citizens or subject.
- Refers to the manner of steering/ governing and or directing and controlling a group of people/
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 the state.

Importance of Studying Governance

Governance, the people, most especially the citizens, will be aware of the need for good governance.
Consequently, such awareness should move them to action. For their continued empowerment and
sustainable development, they have to know how to fight for their rights by knowing what to expect
from Philippine governance.

PROCESSES AND ACTORS IN GOVERNANCE

 Decision-Making and Implementation

decision-making refers to the process by which a person or group of persons, guided by socio-
political structures, arrive 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 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 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
- 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 is
replete of 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

- Democracy is essentially the rule of law.

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 - Rule of law 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
prescribed by the law.
The Philippines does not fare well in this aspect of good governance. In spite of being one of
the oldest democracies in the region, the Philippines ranked as 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 respect for law is generally caused
by distrust on the integrity of law enforcement agencies. Order and security are compromised
and criminal justice is rendered ineffectual.

3. Effectiveness and Efficiency

- actors meet the needs of the society means that there is effective
governance. That the valuable resources are utilized, without
wasting or underutilizing any of them, means that there is efficient governance.
- enhancement and standardization of the quality of public service
delivery consistent with international standards, professionalization of
bureaucracy.
Efforts were made 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
- Transparency, as an indicator of good governance, 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. 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 is currently pursuing the passage of the Freedom of
Information Bill and other related legislations, as well as intensifying people’s engagement in local
governance.
Transparency in budget and disbursements are, however, still far from being
substantially implemented.

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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
timeframes 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

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 policy-making.
- Social equity refers to a kind of justice that gives more opportunity to the less fortunate
members of the society.

taken into consideration in policy-making.

- Social equity refers to a kind of justice that gives more opportunity to the less fortunate
members of the society.

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
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.

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- 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.

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 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.

References:
Villanueva P., Coronacion D. (2017), Philippine Politics and Governance, Makati City,
DIWA Learning Systems Inc.
Calilung, F. (2016), Politics, Analyzing Multifaceted Phenomenon, Politics and Governance.
Mandaluyong City: Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.
Philippine Politics and Governance Module 1, San Pablo Diocesan Catholic School System,
Liceo De Los Banos Laguna, Los Banos, Laguna

Evaluation:

Why do individuals have an inherent inclination toward politics?

When does a particular form of social interaction become political?
Differentiate government from governance. What are their major differences?

Next Lesson: Chapter 2 – Types of Government

Prepared by: Checked by: Kim Kenneth T. Ayroso, LPT,

Instructors MAEd, Coordinator

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