Student Name: Wendell Tuguinay Course & Year: AB POLSCI 1B

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY
Of the ten (10) enumerated views and outlooks of politics, choose only five (5) and discuss
judiciously.

Rubrics:

Content 10 Organization of thought 5 Grammar 5

ten (10) enumerated views and outlooks of politics

THE MIXED RECORD OF ELITE DEMOCRACY, PRESIDENTS, POLITICAL ELITES, AND OLIGARCHS, THE AQUINO
GOVERNMENT AND LIMITS OF REFORMISM, DUTERTE AND THE PROMISE OF REAL CHANGE, THE DUTERTE
GOVERNMENT’S PRIORITIES AND POLICIES, THE WAR ON DRUGS AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR POLITICS AND
GOVERNANCE, DISABLING DEMOCRATIC CHECKS AND BALANCES, COUNTERVAILING INSTITUTIONS AND ACTORS,
THE POTENTIALLY PIVOTAL ROLE OF THE ARMED FORCES, THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC OPINION, U.S.-PHILIPPINES
RELATIONS: LESS THAN MEETS THE EYE

five (5) and discuss judiciously.

1.U.S.-PHILIPPINES RELATIONS: LESS THAN MEETS THE EYE

The U.S.-Philippine bilateral relationship between the United States went into a downward spiral after Donald
Trump's election as president. During the Obama and Aquino presidencies, the bilateral relationship was the most
cordial it had been since the Fidel Ramos administration (1992–1998). In September 2016, $4.5 million in State
Department funding to assist Philippine law enforcement was shifted to maritime security.

2. THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC OPINION

The economy continues to grow, but the benefits of that growth have not been shared quickly or widely among
Filipinos. Inflation is at a nine-year high and the depreciation of the peso poses risks to the economy's
performance. The rapidity, degree and tone of President Rodrigo Duterte's embrace of China are not without
political risks. Many Filipinos have some Chinese blood, so there is not the same level of sensitivity about ethnic
Chinese domination of the economy as is found in Indonesia and Malaysia. Four of five Filipinos believe that it is
"not right" to accede to China in the South China Sea.

3. THE POTENTIALLY PIVOTAL ROLE OF THE ARMED FORCES,

Philippines' Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) influence politics and policymaking in a variety of important
ways. The AFP's longtime efforts to combat domestic armed insurgencies make it an influential actor in conflict-
affected areas. Over the past decade, the focus of the AFP's mission has shifted from internal security to external
threats. He appears to believe that military officers will be more effective administrators and less prone to
corruption than civilians. He also wants to bolster support within the military for his national security policies,
including negotiating with the communists and embracing China.

4. THE MIXED RECORD OF ELITE DEMOCRACY

Liberal democracy, a legacy of America's colonization of the Philippines, has always struggled to become deeply
rooted in the country. Between 1946 and 1972, democracy struggled under the weight of elite competition and
avarice, flawed economic policymaking, poor governance, and armed insurgency. The return to democracy
following the People Power Revolution in February 1986 restored many of the pre-martial-law era institutional
features and political elites.

5. PRESIDENTS, POLITICAL ELITES, AND OLIGARCHS

Philippines is a unitary state with a winner-take-all electoral system, a presidency that exercises huge power over
budgets and appointments, and congenitally weak political parties. The behavior of presidents and other powerful
political and economic elites has heavily influenced the quality of the country's democratic politics and
governance.