GOVERNMENT AND PHILIPPINE
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT
CONTENT:
A. PURPOSE AND NECESSITY OF
THE GOVERNMENT
B. DEFINITION
C. GOVERNMENT VS STATE
D. FORMS OF GOVERNMENT
E. DOCTRINE OF SEPARATION OF
POWERS AND CHECKS AND
BALANCES
F. PRINCIPLE OF CHECKS AND
BALANCES
G. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE
GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
FROM PRE-COLONIAL ERA TO
PRESENT
PURPOSE AND NECESSITY OF THE
GOVERNMENT & DEFINITION
WHAT IS A DEFINITION OF
GOVERNMENT?
 the exercise of political authority
over the actions, affairs, of a
political unit, people as well as
the performance of certain
functions for this unit or body, the
action of governing, political rule
and administration.
THE NECESSITY AND PURPOSE OF
GOVERNMENT
Governments are necessary because
they maintain law and order. Laws are
necessary for society to function. Life in
a society without laws would be unsafe
and unpredictable.
When we think of the purpose of
government, we always go back to the
preamble of the constitution, which
concisely puts forth the framers’ idea of
what government is all about
THE GOVERNMENT SEEKS TO
BALANCE THE INTERESTS OF THE
INDIVIDUAL WITH THE INTERESTS
OF THE COMMUNITY.
Individuals must give up something, like
taxes, to gain the state’s protection.
One of the most demonstrative policy
disputes today is the debate over
vaccinations. To what degree should the
government mandate individual behavior
it believes is in society’s best interest
over the protests from individual citizens
it claims to protect?
THE GOVERNMENT IS ROOTED IN
THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE.
As such, the purpose of government is
to reflect the public will and govern in
the public interest. The question
becomes, how does government as an
institution determine who represents the
public? By providing equitable access to
influence government decisions, there is
an opportunity for the government to
fulfill its purpose of truly serving “We,
the People.”
CONCLUSION
The government’s most important
purpose is protection. We, as political
analysts, our view of the government is
probably more complicated than most
would have.
The most important purpose of
government is protection, which includes
national security, personal security i.e.,
laws that prevent harm & crime and
products & premises are safe.
Our government should also give us the
best foundation for achieving freedom
and happiness, but that requires equal
opportunity and safety.
FOR YOUR REFERENCE:
PREAMBLE
We, the sovereign Filipino people,
imploring the aid of Almighty God,
in order to build a just and humane
society, and establish a
Government that shall embody our
ideals and aspirations, promote
the common good, conserve and
develop our patrimony, and secure
to ourselves and our posterity, the
blessings of independence and
democracy under the rule of law
and a regime of truth, justice,
freedom, love, equality, and
peace, do ordain and promulgate
this Constitution
ADVANCE READING:
 GOVERNMENT VS STATE
 FORMS OF GOVERNMENT
 DOCTRINE OF SEPARATION
OF POWERS AND PRINCIPLES
OF CHECKS AND BALANCES
A state can be distinguished from a
government. The state is the
organization while the government is the
particular group of people, the
administrative bureaucracy that controls
the state apparatus at a given time.
That is, governments are the means
through which state power is employed.
GOVERNMENT IS ONLY AN
ELEMENT OF THE STATE:
A State has four essential elements—
Population, Territory, Government and
Sovereignty. Government is only one
element of the State. It is just one part of
the State which acts for the state.
These definitions draw attention to the
fact that the state has four essential
elements. These are: (1) population,
(2) territory, (3) government, (4)
sovereignty (or independence). The
first two elements constitute the physical
or material basis of the state while the
last two form its political and spiritual
basis.
GOVERNMENT IS AN AGENCY OR
AGENT OF THE STATE:
Government is an agency of the State. It
acts for the state. It is that agency of the
State which formulates the will of the
state into laws, implements the laws of
the state and ensures conformity to the
laws of the state. Government exercises
power and authority on behalf of the
state.
A government agency may be
established by either a
national government or a state
government within a federal
system. Agencies can be established by
legislation
Philippines Government Agencies
 Philippines SEC.
 Philippines DTI.
 Philippines NTC.
 Philippines SSS.
 Phil health.
 Philippines DOLE.
 TESDA.
The barangay is the smallest unit of
government in the Philippines. Each
barangay is headed by a barangay
captain and barangay assembly, each
elected by the citizens of the barangay.
STATE IS ABSTRACT, GOVERNMENT
IS CONCRETE:
State is a concept, an idea or a name
used to denote a community of persons
living on a definite territory and
organized for the exercise of
sovereignty. State cannot be seen.
Government is made by the people of
the State. It is formed by the
representatives of the people. It has a
definite and defined organization and
form. It can be seen as a team of people
exercising the power of the State.
This post examines the concepts
of state and government to lay the
ground for understanding
responsiveness enforced through
transparency
State is Abstract, Government is
Concrete:
State is a concept, an idea or a name
used to denote a community of persons
living on a definite territory and
organized for the exercise of
sovereignty. State cannot be seen.
The state is an abstract idea which has
its concrete basis in a physical territory.
The state is also manifest through an
organizational structure that is referred
to as the bureaucracy. (a system of
government in which most of the
important decisions are made by state
officials rather than by elected
representatives.)
GOVERNMENT IS ORGANIZED ONLY
BY A PORTION OF THE POPULATION
OF STATE:
The whole population is a part of the
State. All the people are citizens of the
State. However, government is made by
the representatives of the people. Only
some people, who get elected act as
representatives of the people, form the
government of the State.
Their number is limited to few hundred
only (In the Philippines, the Constitution
provides that the House of
Representatives shall be composed of
not more than two hundred and fifty
(250) members, unless otherwise fixed
by law) In 2022, population for
Philippines was 115M PSA
EXAMPLE: In India around 5500 MPs
and MLAs represent the total population
of around 110M and exercise the
political power at the center and in all
states of India.
MEMBERSHIP OF A STATE IS
COMPULSORY BUT NOT OF
GOVERNMENT:
All people are citizens of the State. They
together constitute the population of the
State. Each one normally gets the
membership (citizenship) of a state
automatically right at the time of one’s
birth and continues to live life as such.
However, membership of the
government is not automatic. No one
can be forced to become its part.
Anyone can voluntarily seek an election,
get elected as a representative of the
people and become a part of the
government. Only some persons form
the government.
What are some examples of citizens
participating in government?
Voting in an election and contacting our
elected officials are ways that citizens
can participate in our democracy.
What are the various ways in which
people participate in the process of
government?
There are many ways in which people
express their views and make
governments understand what actions
they should take. These include rallies,
strikes, signature campaigns etc
SOVEREIGNTY BELONGS TO STATE
AND NOT TO GOVERNMENT:
Sovereignty is the hallmark of the State.
It belongs to the State. The government
exercises power on behalf of the State.
It acts on the basis of the sovereignty of
the State.
Sovereignty is comprehensive, absolute,
unlimited and all-inclusive supreme
power of the State. The government
exercises only well-defined and limited
powers.
What kind of sovereignty does
Philippines have?
The Philippines is a democratic and
republican State. Sovereignty resides in
the people and all government authority
emanates from them.
Sovereignty passed from Spain to the
United States in the 1898 Treaty of
Paris. The Philippines continued as a
U.S. territory until July 4, 1946, when the
U.S. relinquished sovereignty and
recognized the independence of the
Republic of the Philippines.
TERRITORY BELONGS TO THE
STATE:
National Territory means the land,
subsurface and waters comprising the
territory of the country and its exclusive
economic zone. National Territory
means all the surface area, subsurface,
waters and atmosphere comprising the
territory of the country and its exclusive
economic zone.
The State has sovereign ownership and
jurisdiction over its territory. State is a
territorial entity and territory belongs to
it.
The government has the responsibility to
preserve, protect and defend the
territory of the State. The laws made by
the government are applicable to all
parts of the territory of State but territory
belongs to the State and not to the
government.
What is an example of Philippines
territory?
The Philippines has claimed many
territories throughout its history. These
territories include the Spratly Islands,
portions of North Borneo, and the
Scarborough Shoal
EVERY STATE HAS UNIFORMLY
FOUR ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS,
HOWEVER THE FORMS AND
FEATURES OF GOVERNMENT
DIFFER FROM STATE TO STATE:
Each State has a uniform personality
with its four essential elements
Population, Territory, Government and
Sovereignty. However, governments can
be of different forms— Parliamentary or
Presidential, Unitary or Federal or a
mixture of these.
A government can be monarchical or
aristocratic or democratic or a
dictatorship. The people can by choice
change the form of their government.
But the State exists independently and
has a uniform character.
STATE IS PERMANENT,
GOVERNMENT IS TEMPORARY:
Governments come and go regularly
meaning may change from time to time.
After every general election the
government changes. It can also
undergo a total change through an
election or even through a revolution.
State is permanent. It continuously lives
so long as it continues to enjoy
sovereignty.
EXAMPLE: India continues to live as a
sovereign independent state since 1947.
However, she has witnessed the rise
and fall of several governments at the
national and state levels.
Is administration and government the
same?
The term administration, as used in the
context of government, differs according
to the jurisdiction under which it
operates. In general terms,
administration can be described as a
decision-making body
A. FORMS OF GOVERNMENT
 A government is the system to
govern a state or community
 A system of social control under
which the right to make laws, and
the right to enforce them, is
vested in a particular group in
society.
 The exercise of political authority
over the actions, affairs, etc, of a
political unit, people, etc, as well
as the performance of certain
functions for this unit or body; the
action of governing; political rule
and administration.
What makes the Philippine government
a republic?
The Philippines is a republic with a
presidential form of government
wherein power is equally divided among
its three branches: executive, legislative,
and judicial.
The term "Philippine Republic" refers to
a succession of republics after the
Philippine Revolution in the Philippines
in 1898. A republic is a form of
government where the citizens have the
supreme power and they exercise that
power by voting and electing
representatives to make decisions and
govern.
 A republican government is one in
which the people—directly or indirectly
—are the ultimate source of authority,
electing representatives to make laws
that serve their interests and advance
the common good.
FIVE TYPES OF GOVERNMENT
SYSTEMS
1. Democracy
A democracy can be defined
as a government system with
supreme power placed in the
hands of the people. It can
be traced back to as early as
the fifth century B.C. In fact,
the word democracy
is Greek for “people power”.
2. Republic
In a republic government
system, the power also rests
with the people, as they are
in charge of electing or
choosing the country’s
leader, instead of the leader
being appointed or inheriting
power. Broadly defined, a
republic is a government
system without a monarch.
3. Monarchy
In a monarchy, state power is
held by a single family that
inherits rule from one
generation to the next. In a
monarchy, an individual from
the royal family holds the
position of power until they
die. Today, the majority of
monarchy governments have
transitioned to constitutional
monarchies, where the
monarch is head of state but
only performs ceremonial
roles and does not have
state power. Example: Great
Britain
4. Communism
A communist government
system is usually based on a
particular ideology of
communism taught by Karl
Marx or Vladimir Lenin. A
single party or group of
people usually runs
communist states. In some
cases, citizens of a
communist state are given
certain jobs or life duties in
an effort to obtain collective
citizenship for the state.
Examples of communist
states include China, Cuba
and Vietnam.
5. Dictatorship
In a dictatorship, a single
person, a dictator,
has absolute power over the
state. It is not necessarily
ruled by a theology or belief.
It is an authoritarian form of
government where one
person is in charge of
enforcing and enacting the
law. Aspects often include
military organizational
backing, unfair elections (if
any) and various human
rights violations. A dictator
does not usually inherit their
power like a monarch does;
they either seize control of
the state by force or through
(usually unfair) elections.
Dictators are not held
accountable for their actions
and thus are free to do as
they please, including limiting
citizens’ rights.