PORTFOLIO ON

PHILIPPINE POLITICS
AND GOVERNANCE
1ST QUARTER, 1ST SEMESTER
 S.Y. 2019-2020

Name:

Teacher: Mr. Jonathan Manalaysay

 PORTFOLIO ON
PHILIPPINE POLITICS
AND GOVERNANCE
1ST QUARTER, 1ST SEMESTER
 S.Y. 2019-2020

Name:

Teacher: Mr. Jonathan Manalaysay

I. CONCEPT/CONTEXT

A. CONCEPT

Concept is something conceived in the mind and an abstract generalized from

particular instances . These are the ideas and words that comes first in our mind,
and the concepts of politics are;

 Politicians
When we talk about politics, politicians would be one of the ideas we first
think of because its root word is politics. One would assume that it is related to
politics. Indeed, politicians are one of the important components of politics
because they are the main actor or character here. Positions range from local
offices to executive, legislative, and judicial offices of regional and national
governments. Specificifically, the politicians from the legislative branch which
are the twenty-four Senators of the Senate and 20 percent of whom must be the
Party-list representatives because they are the politicians who’s main role is to
spend more time in making agreements and pasing laws for the betterment of the
country.

 Democracy
No matter what form of government a country has, politics is always
involved. And in our country, we have a democratic form of government and one
would easily think that democracy is related to politics. Democracy is a political
system based on representative government, citizen participation in political
process, freedom of citizens, transparency of political acts and process in general.

 Political Participation/Public Opinion

Political participation affords citizens in a democracy an oppurtunity to
communicate information to government officials about their concerns and
preferences and to put pressure on them to respond. In any democratic system,
citizens have the right to express their views and attitudes towards almost
everything happening in the publicsphere or concerning their own interests in a
way that governmental officials know this and respond. There is quite a wide of
activities on political participation and it includes the following types;
1. Voting
2. Working in and contributing to electoral campaigns and organizations
3. Contacting government
4. Attending protests, marches or demonstrations
5. Working informally with the others to solve some community problem
6. Serving without pay on local elected and appointed boards
7. Being active politically through the intermediation of voluntary
associations.

 Political Decision Making

Politics exists for the good of the country so right and careful decision
making is crucial because every choices affects the country. Political decision-
making is when a country’s political parties, leaders or leadership compare and
select implementing principles and approaches and means to achieve the target in
political practical activities for the purpose, principles and direction of
activities.The process of political decision-making is a dynamic political process
that is related to the formation and implementation of major and general decisions
of the national, political and social interest groups. Political decision-making is
affected by the level of citizen participation. Effective domestic political
participation can provide sufficient information regarding political decision-
making of the decision-making group and will contribute to the effective
integration of the various interests into the public interest. Because the interests of
society and the people are of a wide range, it is somehow difficult for the ruling
party to obtain accurate information about public interest, which brings difficulty
for the development of policies on behalf of the interests of the majority of
people. This requires the ruling party to provide a wide variety of participation
and expression platforms for expression of interest so that members of the
community can make recommendations for their own problems to provide
references for the decision-making group.

 Law

Law is a system of rules that are created and enforced through social or
governmental institutions to regulate behavior. It has been defined both as "the
Science of Justice" and "the Art of Justice". Law is a system that regulates and
ensures that individuals or a community adhere to the will of the state. State-
enforced laws can be made by a collective legislature or by a single legislator,
resulting in statutes, by the executive through decrees and regulations, or
established by judges through precedent, normally in common law jurisdictions.

Private individuals can create legally binding contracts, including arbitration

agreements that may elect to accept alternative arbitration to the normal court
process. The formation of laws themselves may be influenced by a constitution,
written or tacit, and the rights encoded therein. The law shapes politics,
economics, history and society in various ways and serves as a mediator of
relations between people.
A great deal has been written on the relationship between politics and law.
Legislation, as a source of law, is often highly political, and is the product of a
process or the creation of officials often closely bound into party politics.
Legislation is also one of the exclusive powers of the state. As such, legislation is
plainly both practical and inevitably political; at the same time most
understandings of the relationship between law and politics have been
overwhelmingly theoretical. In this light, public law is often seen as part of the
political order or as inescapably partisan. We know relatively little about the real
impact of law on politicians through their legal advisers and civil servants. How
do lawyers in government see their roles and what use do they make of law? How
does politics actually affect the drafting of legislation or the making of policy?
This volume will begin to answer these and other questions about the
practical, day-to-day relationship between law and politics in a number of
settings. It includes chapters by former departmental legal advisers, drafters of
legislation, law reformers, judges and academics, who focus on what actually
happens when law meets politics in government.
The law functions in relation to politics in three basic aspects, namely as a
goal, a means, or an obstacle.
First, politics can define certain predominantly legal values or institutions as
its goal. In this case the political understanding of these values or institutions
becomes almost identical to an authentic legal understanding of the same values
or institutions.
Second, politics can comprehend the law merely as a means for the
fulfillment of certain political interests. In this case politics is neutral in its
attitude toward the law.
Finally, politics can interpret law as an obstacle on the way toward the
realization of certain political goals. In this situation either politics prevails over
law, or vice versa.
B. CONTEXT

To further understand the whole idea of politics, these are some of

informations that we have to know;

 What is the origin of politics?

 In the 1520s politics meant ‘science of government’
 It was based the name of Aristotle’s book on governing and governments
- ta politika, literally ‘affairs of state’. The book was also known in English as
Polettiques (Usually -ics is added to denote a science or discipline).
 The adjective politic comes from the Middle French politique (14th
century), which comes from the Latin politicus ‘of citizens or the state’. We’re
still nowhere near actually breaking the word down to components.
 The Latin word comes from the Greek politikos ‘of citizens, pertaining to
public life’.
 The Greek word comes from polites meaning ‘citizen’. Finally a
breakdown!
 The Greek word for city or city-state is polis.
 The ultimate root word I can find is pele- from the the Proto-Indo-
European Language meaning ‘citadel, or enclosed space on high ground’. This
makes it a common ancestor for the Sanskrit word for city - puram.

 Order, Power, Justice

Politics is the way in which we understand and order our social affairs, an
acquire greater control over the situation. It is also the strategy for maintaining
cooperation among people with different needs and ideals in life, or for resolving
the conflict within the group, whether this is a family, a tribe, a village or a
nation-state.

1.) Order
Study of politics seeks to study how human life in the aggregate is ordered.

i. Community – one kind of social order which is an association of

individuals who share a common identity. This identity is usually defined by
geography, sense of common purpose, and a single political allegiance. It
arises to fulfill a wide variety of social functions (such as physical security,
economic prosperity, cultural enrichment) that cannot be met by individuals
acting on their own.
 ii. Government – a political order that maintains and perpetuates the
community. It is said to possess “sovereignty” if it can successfully assert its
claim to rule. And it is said to “legitimate” if its claim to rule (authority) is
willingly accepted.

iii. Nation-state – most distinctive and largest self-sufficient political

configuration in the modern world… its actions and reactions affect not only
the welfare and destiny of its own people but, increasingly, the fate of peoples
in other lands.

2.) Power
The government cannot maintain order w/o power.
i. There are many sources of power aside from physical force.
Ex. Wealth, eloquent oratory, vigilant secret police, cunning
ii. The more abundant the power source, the greater the capabilities of the
government.
iii. Who rules? In accordance with the law, or is it the just or the moral?

3.) Justice
When the power is exercised in the interest of the ruled, there is justice.

Aristotle (384-322 BC)

“Human beings use reason and language to declare what is just and unjust.
Therefore it is the peculiarity of man, in comparison with the rest of the animal
world, that he alone possesses a perception of the good and evil. Human faculties
make moral judgment and therefore also political discussion. “

 Politics in the Philippines

Politics in the Philippines has traditionally been dominated by clans and

political bosses and patronage and is characterized by law makers that make
decisions based on fiscal incentives rather that beliefs and voters that make
choices based on personality rather than reasoned policies. Under the traditional
itang na loob system of patronage, or obligation earned through favors, voters
expect money or jobs in return for their political support. In many cases
politician’s performance was based on dole-outs not on programs or policies.
Philippine concepts about debt repayment and kinship responsibilities plays a
major role in how political networks are set up and run.

Personalities are more important than parties in Philippine politics. Movie

stars and other celebrities have enjoyed considerable success. In addition1,
several prominent families play a disproportionate role in politics. The support of
the military and the Catholic church are key to political survival and success in
the Philippines. Promises are generally not kept. Arroyo, for example, pledged to
bring cheap power to the poor as a campaign pledge and then doubled power rates
after she was elected. She also promised not to run for a second time but changed
her mind because she said God made her decide to run.

The Philippines is known for its rough-and-tumble political scene. Politicians

are rountinely killed and sometimes they even do the do the killing themselves.
Every now and then it seems the entire country is on the verge of collapse because
of a coup attempt, People Power protest or impeachment effort. On the day-to-day
level, politicians are unable to achieve many of their goals and carry out programs
they proposed due to political opposition, mainly from the ruling elite. Arroyo and
her cabinet said that political fighting and sniping exhausted and frustrated them
deeply.

One basic corollary in a presidential system of government is the principle of

separation of powers wherein legislation belongs to Congress, execution to the
Executive, and settlement of legal controversies to the Judiciary;

 The Legislative branch is authorized to make laws, alter, and repeal them
through the power vested in the Philippine Congress. This institution is
divided into the Senate and the House of Representatives.

 The Executive branch carries out laws. It is composed of the President

and the Vice President who are elected by direct popular vote and serve a
term of six years. The Constitution grants the President authority to appoint
his Cabinet. These departments form a large portion of the country’s
bureaucracy.

 The Judicial branch evaluates laws. It holds the power to settle

controversies involving rights that are legally demandable and enforceable.
This branch determines whether or not there has been a grave abuse of
discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part and
instrumentality of the government. It is made up of a Supreme Court and
lower courts.
 Importance of Politics
Politics is part of our everyday lives. Politics is all about the way human
beings are governed, which involves order, power, and justice. It is not just an
abstract study. It involves the government’s day-to-day performance. It does not
affect only one individual, but is inextricably bound up with the perpetual quest
for what is fair or just in light of the interest of the entire community. Issue is
more or less political based on the extent that the use of political power affects the
lives and well-being of private citizens. An issue becomes political when the
government must render a decision, which must always be for the common good
of the community.
Its purpose is to enable the members of a society to collectively achieve
important human goals they cannot otherwise achieve individually. Through
negotiation, debate, legislation and other political structures, politics procures
safety, order and general welfare within the state.
II. DEFINITION OF TERMS

 Politics is the Science of Society, the Psychology of Statecraft and the

Process of Polity. Politics is the very system with which people rule over
entire societies. It is the way that people living in groups make decisions and
about taking agreeements between people so they can live together in groups
such as tribes, cities, or countries.

 Politician is someone who participates in how the the country is run. He/she
is normally part of a political party, or an person holding seeking office in
government. They propose, support and create laws or policies that govern
the land and, by extension, its people.

 Democracy is the belief in freedom and equality between people, or a system

of government based on this belief, in which power is either held by elected
representive or directly by the people themselves. It is commonly referred as
the “rule of the majority”

 Legislative branch is authorized to make laws, alter, and repeal them through
the power vested in the Philippine Congress. This institution is divided into
the Senate and House of the Representatives.

 Congress of the Philippines is the national legislature of the Philippines. It is

a bicameral body consisting of Senate (upper chamber) and the House of
Respresentatives (lower chamber), although coloquially, the term “congress”
commonly refers to just the latter.

 Political Party is an organized group of people who have the same ideology,
or who otherwise have the same political positions, and who field candidates
for elections in an attempt to get them elected and thereby implement the
party’s agenda.
III. SUMMARIZATION

To summarize it all,politics is the way people living in a group make

decisions.Its pupose is to enable the members of a society to collectively achieve
important human goals they cannot otherwise achieve individually. The concepts
of politics are the politicians,or the legislative branch who spend their time
making agreements. With the help of public opion, debates,and sharing of
ideas,they were able to choose the best solution or decision in every issues or
problems that they were facing, and also to maintain the peacefulness of the
country. While in otherwords, the happenings inside the politics, the political
system best defines the process for making official government decisions and
actions.It is composed of the members of a social organization or group who are
in power and it is usually compared to the legal system, economic system, cultural
system, and other social systems.
However, this is a very simplified view of a much more complex system of
categories involving the questions of who should have authority and what the
government influence on its people and economy. So why politics is important to
a country?.It’s because every society needs politics. Politics is just how we do
things. How people work together to make things right and to do things right. And
to debate over societal issues, usually when it comes to governing and laws,
although a big part is social policy and how we as a society should deal with
issues. All in all, politics is the process of all aspects that is being discussed or
talk about for the betterment of a certain country.It is also a concept in which
theoretically regarded as a way of the government makes a policy and also to
make them more organized in their administration.
IV. CURRENT ISSUES

 Sinking of Filipino boat in West PH Sea by Chinese ship

　 The sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese ship is 'a quantum
escalation of China's aggressive acts against the Philippines in the West Philippine
Sea'MANILA, Philippines.
It is a first in the decades-long dispute between Manila and Beijing over the
West Philippine Sea. The sinking of Filipino Fishing Boat Gem-Ver by Chinese
ship Yuemaobinyu 42212 is, in the words of a Supreme Court justice, "a quantum
escalation of China’s aggressive acts against the Philippines in the West
Philippine Sea." This is also the most heated issue in the disputed waters since the
2012 standoff between Philippine and Chinese vessels in Panatag Shoal
(Scarborough Shoal), which prompted Manila to file a case against Beijing.
Out of nowhere, Chinese ship Yuemaobinyu 42212 rams the back of Gem-
Ver. This leaves a hole that causes the boat to sink from the rear. Fishermen run to
the bow or front of the ship. Yuemaobinyu 42212 returns to the wreckage to flash
its light on the wreckage. Then, the Chinese vessel turns off its lights, speeds off,
and never returns. The boat's cook, Richard Blaza, says he woke up his fellow
crewmen before the Chinese boat hit them. (Supreme Court Senior Associate
Justice Antonio Carpio, one of the staunchest defenders of the West Philippine
Sea, later says it is "highly likely that a Chinese maritime militia vessel rammed"
the Filipino boatAdvertisement June 10, 2019 'Vietnam? Philippines? Friends.'
The Chinese ship leaves the Filipinos floating in the middle of the sea, in the cold
of night — "tired, hungry, and cold."
At around 1 am, Gem-Ver crewmen spot a light from afar, their only hope for
survival. The boat's captain Junel Insigne orders two of his men, JP Gordiones and
Justine Pascual, to row to the light. They salvage and use two small boats that had
been attached to Gem-Ver. Two hours later, at around 3 am, Gordiones and
Pascual reach the boat, seeing it is a Vietnamese fishing vessel. They shout for
help, and are pulled aboard. There, Pascual says, "Vietnam? Philippines?
Friends." They then lead the 10 Vietnamese fishermen to the wreckage site,
arriving around an hour after to rescue the Filipino crew who have already been
floating for hours. The 10 fishermen from the Vietnamese province of Tien Giang
"took them to their boat and fed them rice and instant noodles, and helped them
get warm after many hours of struggling in the sea for their lives,". At around 4
am, Gem-Ver captain Insigne radios boats in the Philippines for help using the
Vietnamese boat’s equipment.
 Oil Price Hike

High oil prices are caused by high demand and low supply. Low supply occurs
when war or natural disasters curtail exports from oil-producing countries.
Traders often bid up prices when they hear of impending disasters or the threat of
war. Oil prices decline once production resumes.
Basically,high price on oil production becomes an issue because the
consumers can’t afford the price that given,but they still need the product despite
of its high price.And oil is one of the most needed product in our society specially
in terms of transportation. It is likely that both increases in demand and fears of
supply disruptions have exerted upward pressure on oil prices. Global demand for
oil has been increasing, outpacing any gains in oil production and excess capacity.
A large reason is that developing nations, especially China and India, have
been growing rapidly. These economies have become increasingly industrialized
and urbanized, which has contributed to an increase in the world demand for oil.
In addition, in recent years fears of supply disruptions have been spurred by
turmoil in oil-producing countries (Brown 2006). The breathtakingly sharp
increase in the price of oil in the last half of 2007 and first half of 2008 has led
many to argue that increased speculation in commodity markets has played a role,
and indeed there is evidence of increased activity in these markets.
However, whether speculation is playing a role in high oil prices is open to
debate (Krugman 2008). It is also useful to remember that both the demand for
and the supply of oil react sluggishly to changes in prices in the short run, so very
large changes in prices can be required to restore equilibrium if demand should
move even modestly out of line with supply. As far as the implications of higher
oil prices, there are both microeconomic and macroeconomic answers to that
question. I will address both of these aspects in turn. How do high oil prices affect
the economy on a “micro” level? As a consumer, you may already understand the
microeconomic implications of higher oil prices. When observing higher oil
prices, most of us are likely to think about the price of gasoline as well, since
gasoline purchases are necessary for most households. When gasoline prices
increase, a larger share of households’ budgets is likely to be spent on it, which
leaves less to spend on other goods and services. The same goes for businesses
whose goods must be shipped from place to place or that use fuel as a major input
(such as the airline industry).
Higher oil prices tend to make production more expensive for businesses, just
as they make it more expensive for households to do the things they normally do.
It turns out that oil and gasoline prices are indeed very closely related. Moreover,
the monthly changes in oil prices and gasoline prices (not shown) also are very
highly and positively correlated. So, when oil prices spike, you can expect
gasoline prices to spike as well, and that affects the costs faced by the vast
majority of households and businesses.
What effects do oil prices have on the “macro” economy? It is explained how
oil prices affect households and businesses; it is not a far leap to understand how
oil prices affect the macroeconomy. Oil price increases are generally thought to
increase inflation and reduce economic growth. In terms of inflation, oil prices
directly affect the prices of goods made with petroleum products. As mentioned
above, oil prices indirectly affect costs such as transportation, manufacturing, and
heating. The increase in these costs can in turn affect the prices of a variety of
goods and services, as producers may pass production costs on to consumers. The
extent to which oil price increases lead to consumption price increases depends on
how important oil is for the production of a given type of good or service. Oil
price increases can also stifle the growth of the economy through their effect on
the supply and demand for goods other than oil. Increases in oil prices can depress
the supply of other goods because they increase the costs of producing them. In
economics terminology, high oil prices can shift up the supply curve for the goods
and services for which oil is an input. High oil prices also can reduce demand for
other goods because they reduce wealth, as well as induce uncertainty about the
future (Sill 2007). One way to analyze the effects of higher oil prices is to think
about the higher prices as a tax on consumers (Fernald and Trehan 2005). The
simplest example occurs in the case of imported oil. T
V. RECOMMENDATION
VI. REFERENCE

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-origin-of-word-politics-What-is-its-definition

https://www.bloomsburyprofessional.com/uk/law-in-politics-politics-in-law-
9781782252832/

https://www.google.com/search?
rlz=1C1GGRV_enPH751PH751&ei=J6NGXauaFOaHk74P1bGEqAs&q=purpos
e+of+politics&oq=purpose+of+politics

https://pia.gov.ph/branches-of-govt

https://tamayaosbc.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/basic-concepts-in-politics/