Democracy in the Philippines: A Brief Overview

The Philippines is a Southeast Asian country located in the Western Pacific Ocean. It is a democratic republic, which means that it is a country ruled by the people through their elected representatives. 

The Philippines has a long and complex history of democracy. The country was a Spanish colony for over 300 years, and it was only in the late 19th century that an independence movement began to emerge. In 1898, the Philippines declared its independence from Spain, and the following year, the United States acquired the Philippines as a territory.

Under American rule, the Philippines underwent a period of political and economic modernization. The American government introduced a new constitution in 1935, which established a representative democracy with a bicameral legislature and an independent judiciary.

The Philippines gained its full independence in 1946, and since then, the country has gone through several periods of democratic and authoritarian rule. In the 1950s and 1960s, the country experienced a period of political stability and economic growth, but this was followed by a period of political instability and economic decline in the 1970s.

In the 1980s, the Philippines underwent a period of authoritarian rule under the regime of Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos was overthrown in a popular uprising known as the "People Power Revolution" in 1986. The new Philippine Constitution, which was adopted in 1987 after the revolution, establishes the country's democratic system of government and the country's return to democratic rule.

Under the Philippine Constitution, the government is divided into three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary. The executive branch is headed by the President of the Philippines, who is elected by the people through a popular vote. The legislative branch is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, which are responsible for making laws. The judiciary is the branch of government that interprets laws and resolves disputes.

The Philippine democratic system is based on the principle of checks and balances, which ensures that no branch of government becomes too powerful. This is important because it helps to prevent corruption and abuse of power.

Despite its long history of democracy, the Philippines has faced many challenges over the years. One of the biggest challenges is the presence of political dynasties, which are families that have been in power for generations. These political dynasties often have a stranglehold on the government, making it difficult for new and independent voices to be heard.

Another challenge to democracy in the Philippines is corruption. Corruption is the abuse of public office for private gain, and it is a widespread problem in the country. This can take many forms, from bribery and embezzlement to nepotism and cronyism. Corruption undermines the rule of law and hinders economic development, making it a major challenge to democracy in the Philippines.

Despite these challenges, the people of the Philippines remain committed to democracy. They continue to exercise their right to vote and participate in the political process. They also hold their elected officials accountable through protests, elections, and other means.

In conclusion, democracy in the Philippines has a long and complex history. The country has faced many challenges and opportunities in its journey toward a more inclusive and democratic society. While there is still much work to be done, the Philippines has made significant strides in strengthening its democratic institutions and protecting the rights of its citizens. It is up to the Filipino people to continue to defend and strengthen their democracy.

Irrational in Politics

Media is one of the biggest factors why there are many irrational in our politics. In decades, media people always talked about Imelda Marcos, how she dressed, and how elegant she was during the time of the Marcos Era and the late president Cory Aquino especially when the 1st EDSA Revolution celebration is near. Documentaries about the Marcoses and the Aquinos often aired on televisions. We can see the influence of the two in our society there are what we called Imeldific and the color of Yellow that symbolizes unity, courage and democracy. These two people have what we called “Appeal or Charm” which we could not deny that they give great contribution and influence to the people.

Our politics, nowadays, is exhausted of charismatic leaders. We have presidents, senators down to the lowest government position that loved by the people. Erap Estrada for example, an actor, college drop-out was elected as the president of our country and should have won again in the 2010 presidential election if Cory Aquino did not died that resulted to the candidacy of her son Noynoy Aquino. We already known Erap, how he run the government and how he handles issues in our country. Despite of this, still 9,487,837 (according to 2010 election results) people wanted Erap be back in the office. It only means that Erap magic is not dead, magic in the sense that his charismatic appeal to the people is still strong.

As an educated person we don’t only consider the charismatic side of any political candidate. We often demand public debates and political platforms for every candidate in order to ensure that we can choose the right person that we will elect. But we should put in our mind that almost people living in poverty line is much bigger than us. They don’t care about the credentials and the political capability of the person to lead but they usually look into a good looking, charming and already known people they also tend to choose people based on a certain characteristics that respond to their own unrecognized desires. That is the reason why there are many politicians in the country came from the showbiz industry like Erap, and the Revilla clan. The candidates used this charm to win the seat of the office.

In politics, it is not enough to be bright or intelligent, it is also important to have the right faces, faces in terms of personal appeal to others. It is also the reason why the candidates often get celebrities to campaign them for the election, they using the charm or the appeal of the artist to gain popularity. We can’t take away irrational in politics, but we can get along with it and learn how to deal with it so we can still choose a good leader that will serve to their fellowmen seriously and wholehearted.

Why We Elect Bad Leaders

We always get mad and some do a rally whenever a government official both local and national commits mistakes. Their lack of good governance is the first thing we pinpoint every time we complain. The question is who are the one responsible why that official is in the office? Why we keep electing bad leaders? We are the one who elected them to be our leader. It is because our attention easily shifts easily. We easily forget what bad things they have done to our society. We just elect them without considering his/her political maturity and credentials as well as their moral background. We elect leaders who are popular and come from a prominent family and not who is right and credible to be on those positions. We elect people who come from the world of show business, an actor, singer comedian or whatever it is that does not have a background in leading.

Every election period, we encounter the same people running for the same seat. We encounter same surnames on the posters that are posted on the streets. The most popular is the political gimmicks of the politicians that wanted to gather sure votes on the Election Day.

Poverty and lack of education is the key of every politician’s success. They do everything in order pleased people. Many are engaging in vote buying and false promises that the ordinary poor will bite on the ploy.
We can see, our politics is celebrity-oriented, from the from barangay captain to the president. In Bacoor, one family is almost controlling the city. They are from the most prominent family in the country and a family of celebrities. They already build a dynasty, a political dynasty that must be destroyed. I am not against to them, but on the mere fact that their family is almost controlling our city is not good to hear. The mayor did many good things especially on the development of our municipality especially during the process of being a city during his term and I commend him on that.

I believe that there are many aspiring leaders in our society that was not given any chances to lead. Every election is just the battle of the power and popularity. We forget to set criteria in selecting a new leader, a leader that will surely do his responsibility for the betterment of our country and to be committed to give quality service.

This election, let’s try to think seriously and decide who is the right people to put in the position.