Bongabon Senior High School

Nueva Ecija, Philippines

SUFFRAGE

PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

Members:
Andrea F. Cruz
Ashley Nicole Abella
Isaach C. Catapang
Jerald M. Valerio

Submitted to: Ma’am Jocelyn Dela Cruz

SUFFRAGE
As posted on the Official Gazette of the constitution of the
Republic of the Philippines posted on July 15,2020 Article V-
Suffrage Section 1 states that:
Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines not
otherwise disqualified by law, who are at least eighteen years of
age, and who shall have resided in the Philippines for at least
one year and in the place wherein they propose to vote for at
least six months immediately preceding the election. No literacy,
property, or other substantive requirement shall be imposed on
the exercise of suffrage.

WHAT IS SUFFRAGE?
Suffrage is the right and obligation to vote of qualified
citizens in the election of certain national and local officers
for the government and in the decision of public questions
submitted to the people.

NATURE OF SUFFRAGE
1. A mere privilege- Suffrage is not a natural right of the
citizens but merely a privilege to be given or withheld by
the law-making power subject to constitutional limitations.
2. A political right- Suffrage enables every citizen to
participate in the process of government to assure that it
can be truly be said to derives its powers from the consent
of the governed. The principle is that of one man, one vote.

SCOPE OF SUFFRAGE
 1. ELECTION- It is the means by which the people choose their
officials for definite and fixed periods and to whom they
entrust, for the time being as their representatives, and
exercise of powers government.
2. PLEBESCITE- It is the name given to a vote of the people
expressing their choice for or against a proposed law or
enactment submitted to them. In the Philippines., the term
is applied to an election at which any proposed amendment
to, or revision of the Constitution is submitted to the
people for their ratification. Plebiscite is likewise
required by the Constitution to secure the approval of the
people directly affected before certain proposed changes
affecting local government units may be implemented.
3. REFERENDUM- It is the submission of a law or part thereof
passed by the national or local legislative body to the
voting citizens of a country for their ratification or
rejection.
4. INITIATIVE- It is the process whereby the people directly
propose and enact laws.
5. RECALL- It is a method by which a public officer may be
removed from office during his tenure or before the
expiration of his term by a vote of the people after
registration of a petition signed by a required percentage
of the qualified voters.

QUALIFICATIONS OF VOTERS
They must be;
1. A citizen (male or female) of the Philippines;
2. Not otherwise disqualified by law;
3. At least eighteen (18) years of age; and
4. Have resided in the Philippines for at least one (1) year
and in the place where in they proposes to vote for at least
(6) months preceding the election.

WHAT IS POLITICAL PARTY?

As stated by Marume et al (2016), a political party is defined as
an organized and presumably durable association, either of
individuals or of distinguishable groups of individuals, which
endeavours to place its members in governmental offices for the
purpose of bringing about the adoption of favoured political
policies or programmes. Of all the characteristics parties, the
one which distinguishes them from all other associations evincing
a substantial interest in public affairs is their effort to
secure the election or the appointment of their own personnel to
the public positions through which the policies of government are
prescribed for implementation.

Characteristics of Political Party

One of the primary characteristics of a political party is its
objective to control the exercise of governmental powers by
placing its own members in the public offices through which the
policies of government are determined. A second characteristics
of a political party is its intention to use governmental powers
for purposes which meet with the general approval of its leaders
and the rank and file of its membership.

TYPES OF ELECTORAL PARTY

1. One-party system – An open system of the one-party variety
exist in those jurisdiction in which a particular party is
so much stronger than any of its nominal competitors that it
almost invariably is successful in winning control of the
government.
2. Bi or two-party system – The earmark of a two-party system
is their existence of two major parties which are so
strongly supported that one or the other ordinarily emerges
as the victor in elections and consequently gains mastery of
the government. Although one of these parties may win a
series of victories, its chief competitors always in the
running and sooner or later manages to defeat its opponent.
3. Multiparty system – Multiple-party systems are featured by
the presence of a fairly large number of parties with
compete with one another on relatively equal terms. Several
parties may be considerably in comparison with their minor
competitors, but they lack the strength of he major parties
 under a genuine two-party system. None of them is regularly
able to muster sufficient voting strength to capture control
of government.

Several political parties that stand for the election in the

country.
 The Nacionalista Party
 The Liberal Party
 The Lakas-CMD
 The PDP-LABAN
 The Akbayan
 The Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino
 The Nationalist People’s Coalition
 The Philippine Democratic Socialist Party