QUARTER 2 - MODULE 10

Nature of Elections
and Political Parties
in the Philippines
 What I Need to Know

This module introduces you the basic concepts and nature

of election and political parties in the Philippines. At the end of
the module, you will be able to realize the important role of
political parties and election in the analysis of electoral system in
the country, specifically the way how political parties and
elections are used to measure the unification of a
society’sdemocracy.
 What I Need to Know

The module has one lesson, namely:

• Lesson 1 – Nature of Elections and Political Parties in the
Philippines.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

• Analyze the nature of elections and political parties in the
Philippines.
 What's New

This part of election advocacy song was sung by Pinoy

musicians. What message do you think the song wants to imply
about the electoral system in the Philippines?
 Sana Naman, Taumbayan
Music: Louie Ocampo
Lyrics: Joey Ayala

Panahon na ng pagpili
Panahon na ng halalan

Madami namang kandidato

Madaming mukha at pangalan

Sino kaya
Ang bagay sa’ting bansa
Di lamang porma’t salita,
Sino o sino kaya

At sana kahit na sino’ng manalo

Pagkatapos ng bilangan
Sana naman ang panalo ay Taumbayan
Do you know what is
suffrage?
Suffrage
suf·frage
/ˈsəfrij/
-the right to vote in public,
political elections and
referendums.
 What is It
As posted on the Official Gazette webpage 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.
Meaning of
Suffrage
 Meaning of Suffrage

Suffrage is the right and obligation to vote of qualified citizens

in the election of certain national and local officers of the
government and in the decision of public questions submitted to the
people.
Nature of
Suffrage
 A mere privilege

(1) 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.
 A political right

(2) Suffrage enables every citizen to participate in the process of

government to assure that it can truly be said to derive its powers
from the consent of the governed. The principle is that of one man,
one vote.
Scope of
Suffrage
 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, the exercise of powers of government.
 Plebiscite
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.
 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.
 Initiative
It is the process whereby the people directly propose and enact
laws.
 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
He / She 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 wherein he proposes to vote for at
least six (6) months preceding the election.
It is also stated in the 1987 Constitution of the Republic
of the Philippines – Article IX –C the establishments of
Commission on Elections (COMELEC). In Section 2
discusses the powers and functions of COMELEC:
(1)Enforce and administer all
laws and regulations relative to
the conduct of an election,
plebiscite, initiative, referendum,
and recall.
(2)Exercise exclusive original jurisdiction over all
contests relating to the elections, returns, and
qualifications of all elective regional, provincial, and city
officials, and appellate jurisdiction over all contests
involving elective municipal officials decided by trial
courts of general jurisdiction, or involving elective
barangay officials decided by trial courts of limited
jurisdiction.
Decisions, final orders, or rulings of the
Commission on election contests involving
elective municipal and barangay offices
shall be final, executory, and not appealable.
Meaning of
Political Party
As stated by Marumeet al (2016), a political party is
defined as an organized and presumably durable
association, either of individuals or of distinguishable
groups of individuals, which endeavors to place its
members in governmental offices for the purpose of
bringing about the adoption of favored political
policies or programs.
Of all the characteristics of 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
a 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 characteristic of a political party is its
intention to use governmental powers for purposes
which meet with the general approvalof its leaders
and the rank and file of its membership.
Types of Electoral
System
 One-party system
An open system of the one-party variety exists in those
jurisdictions 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. Example:
North Korea, China
 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 is the running and sooner or later
manages to defeat its opponent. Example: In the US – Republican vs
Democrats
 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 the major parties under
a genuine two-party system. None of them is regularly able to muster
sufficient voting strength to capture control of government. Example:
Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea
There are several political parties that stand for the
election in the country. The Nacionalista Party, the
Liberal Party, the Lakas-CMD, the PDP-LABAN, the
Nationalist People's Coalition, the Laban ng
Demokratikong Pilipino, the Akbayan and the
Philippine Democratic Socialist Party are the parties
with largest membership in Congress.
Political Parties are required to register with the
COMELEC with a verified petition with attachments
including a constitution, by-laws, platform, and such
other information as may be required by the
COMELEC. They are required to have chapters in a
majority of regions, and within each region, a
majority of provinces, down to towns and barangays.
QUARTER 2 - MODULE 10

Nature of Elections
and Political Parties
in the Philippines