L1 Politics

What is Politics?

• Old French politique ‘political,’ via Latin from Greek politikos, from politēs ‘citizen,’ from polis ‘city.’

• These are the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or
conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.

What is Political Science?

• Is defined as the study of the state and government.

• Whether we like it or not, we live in a world where governments exist, and whenever there is a government,
there is always POLITICS.

The State

• In political science, the state is a group of people, permanently inhabiting a definite territory, independent from
foreign rule, and has a organized government.

Elements of a State

• PEOPLE
• TERRITORY
• GOVERNMENT
• SOVEREIGNTY

1. People

• The most essential element of a state.

• As Mencius, Chinese philosopher, once said, “The people is the most important element in a nation, the spirit of
the land and grain are next, and the ruler is the least of importance.”

2. Territory

• Every state must have a territory over which it exercises full control. The territory may vary from a mere dot on
a map to a greater part or portion of two continents

3. Government

• The machinery of political administration, which is obeyed by the people and which is able to enforce its
authority

4. Sovereignty

• The freedom from foreign control. To be effective, sovereignty must have:

(1) Permanence

(2) Exclusiveness

(3) Comprehensiveness.

THEORIES of STATE ORIGIN

• Divine Theory
• The oldest theory of how the state originated. It asserts that the state is of divine origin, for all political authority
emanates from God.

• Social Contract Theory

• The social contract theory states that man lives in two periods:

• Men lived without laws; everyone enjoyed his own personal rights.

• After which, he found it unsatisfactory, and established one civil community.

• Force Theory

• This theory provides that the state has arisen through sheer force and violence; the state was created through
strength and cunning.

• Paternalistic Theory

• Attributes the origin of state to the enlargement of the family which remained under the authority of the father
or mother.

Duties of the State

• A state, said Aristotle, “is a union of families and villages having for its end a perfect and self-sufficing life.”

It is meant to provide for the life, liberty, and happiness, and prosperity over its people.

1. Peace and Order and National Security

2. Political Harmony

3. Social Justice

4. Economic Development

Peace and Order – National Security

• It is the duty of the state to protect its citizens, and maintain internal peace and order. It must protect its
independence of the country and its collective security.

Political Harmony

• The state must act on public interest, not on its own. Fairness is the key. It must be a government of laws, and
not of men.

Social Justice

• is "neither communism, nor despotism, nor atomism, nor anarchy," but the humanization of laws and the
equalization of social and economic forces by the State so that justice in its rational and objectively secular
conception may at least be approximated

Economic Development

• It is the duty of the state to create a climate in which businesses can prosper in the country and to provide
gainful employment for all.

Law and Jurisprudence

• It is a set of rules promulgated by the governing authority and enforced by the courts.

• Jurisprudence is simply the science of the law.

SOURCES OF LAW

• Religion

• Customs

• Equity

• Constitutions

• Legislations

• Treaties

• Executive Proclamation

• Judicial Decisions

• Legal Commentary

The term “Law” is quoted and defined in different theories such as:

1. Divine Law Theory

2. Natural Law Theory

3. Moral Law Theory

4. Physical Law Theory

5. Social Law Theory

Divine Law

• Rules and regulations created in a government are in accordance with the will of God.

Natural Law

• The laws of nature, it is the sum total of all rules of divine inspiration and respected by all nations.

Moral Law

• The laws concerning the concepts of good and evil, rules are based on the discussion of such concepts.

Physical Law

• The laws of physical science concerning sequence of cause and effects.

Social Law

• The rules existing in a limited section of the community, and enforced in that section itself.
 The Constitution

• The Constitution of the Philippines (Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas) is the constitution or supreme law of the
Republic of the Philippines.

• It is the body of rules and principles in accordance with which the power of the ruling class are regularly
exercised.

• We had three major constitutions one in 1935, in 1973, and 1986 before the 1987 Constitution

• Its final draft was completed by the Constitutional Commission on October 12, 1986 and was ratified by a
nationwide plebiscite on February 2, 1987.

• Our current constitution has 18 Articles.

• The constitution contains provisions on the Bill of Rights, National Territory, Citizenship, the parts of the
National Government, etc.

Classes of Rights

• 1. Natural Rights - Rights posses by every citizen without being granted by the state for they are given to man by
God as human being created to his image.

• 2. Constitutional Rights - Rights which are conferred by the constitution.

• 3. Statutory Rights - Rights which are provided by laws by the law making body and consequently maybe
abolished by the same body.

Kinds of Constitutional Rights

1.Political Rights - Gives the citizen the power to participate directly or indirectly.

2. Civil Rights - Rights which the law enforce. Includes the rights to due process and equal protection of the law.

3. Social and Economic Rights - Includes the right which are intended to insure the well-being and economic security of
the individual.

4. Rights of the Accused - Civil rights intended for the protection of the person accused of any crime. Like the right to
presumption of innocence.

Preamble

• Derived from the Latin word “preambulare”, w/c means “to walk before”. It is a prologue or introduction of the
Constitution.

• It confers no rights nor commands no duties.

• It is a declaration by the people to uphold and protect the constitution.

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.”

L2: The Government

INTRODUCTION
The Government is a part of the state. It is the organization or agency through which the state expresses and enforces its
will. The origin of the word “government” clarifies further real meaning. It comes from the latin word “gubernaculum”, a
rudder, or “gubernare”, to steer control or direct.

From this origin, we can conclude that the government is the organization which directs or controls the affairs of the
state, just as the rudder functions to steer and direct the ship through the waters.

CLASSIFICATION OF THE GOVERNMENT

Aristotelian Classification

One of the most earliest classifications of the different forms of the government was made by the ancient Greek
Philosopher Aristotle. He classified government according to the number of persons exercising the sovereign power, as
follows:

(1) MONARCHY – Ruled by one man.

(2) ARISTOCRACY – Ruled by a few, privileged men.

(3) DEMOCRACY – Ruled by the people

Aristotle also said that these forms of government can be corrupted in the course of time. These are the perverse forms
of government:

(1) TYRANNY – Rule of a bad monarch

(2) OLIGARCHY – Rule of the rich and corrupt

(3) MOBOCRACY/OHLOCRACY – Rule of the mob

CLASSIFICATION OF THE GOVERNMENT

Aristotelian Classification – Obsolete?

The classification of Aristotle, through the development of technology and the passage of time, was deemed invalid and
obsolete.

• World governments have evolved to suit the changing times.

• None of the governments existing today are pure democracy, monarchy or aristocracy.

• The new classification was due to the rise and fall of governments, which has enabled countries to evolve their
own style and manner of governing.

THE 21ST Century Classification

The New Age Classification
1. MONARCHY

A. Constitutional Monarchy

B. Absolute Monarchy

2. DEMOCRACY

A. Pure Democracy

B. Representative Democracy

3. UNITARY AND DUAL GOVERNMENT

 A. Federal

B. Centralized

3. PARLIAMENTARY AND PRESIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT

4. AUTHORITARIAN AND TOTALITARIAN

MONARCHY

“Vox Regis, Vox Dei” – The Voice of the King is the Voice of God.

A monarchy is a form of government in which:

• a group, generally a family representing a dynasty, embodies the country's national identity and

• Its head, the monarch, exercises the role of ruler.

• It is where the people believe, that, the monarch, the King or the Queen, is answerable only to God himself, and
not to the people.

MONARCHY

CONSTITUTIONAL AND ABSOLUTE

Absolute – The king or the queen exercises all government functions.

• He or she is president, senator, and judge of his/her people all at the same time.

• There is no limit to his power, and he is answerable only to God Himself, who gave him that Divine Right to rule.

• Saudi Arabia is a good example of an absolute monarchy

Constitutional – Power is shared by the elected officials and the King or Queen.

• This enables them to share power, to avoid congestion and pressure.

• United Kingdom is a good example of a constitutional monarchy.

DEMOCRACY

“Vox Populi” – The Voice of the People

Democracy is commonly known as a government ruled by the people.

• In Abraham Lincoln’s immortal words, a democracy is a government

“of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

• There are two kinds of democracy: Pure and Representative.

DEMOCRACY

PURE AND REPRESENTATIVE

Pure

• is one where the will of the state is formulated or expressed directly and immediately through the people in a
mass meeting or primary assembly.

Representative
 • the will of the state is formulated and expressed through a relatively small and select body of officials chosen by
the people to act as their representatives.

ADVANTAGES and DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES

• It is a government of common consent, hence, it minimizes the occurrence of a revolution.

• It encourages citizens to take an interest in government functions.

• It educates people in the science of Politics.

• It creates a sense of responsibility among the people over their duties and responsibilities in the government.

• History shows that democracy is so far the best form of government, as it protects the liberties of the people.

DISADVANTAGES

• Corrupt and dishonest politicians are elected because of the masses barter their ballots for money, or are easily
deceived by beautiful promises of the candidates.

• It pays too much attention to quantity and not the quality of things.

• Real talents are not given any attention. Brilliant men are seldom elected

into office.

UNITARY AND DUAL GOVERNMENT

“Centralized – Unitary; Federal – Dual”

Centralized

• is one single supreme will from which radiates all political power. All local government units derive their
existence and power from this single supreme government.

• France and the Philippines are good examples of Centralized form of government.

Federal

• It is where the government authority is divided fundamentally between 2 organizations, having their own
definite sphere of authority.

• They neither have the power to destroy each other.

• The United States of America is a perfect example of a federal government.

PARLIAMENTARY and PRESIDENTIAL GOVERNMENTS

“Fusion of Powers – Parliament”

PARLIAMENT

• In this form of government, the legislative and the executive are fused, because of the members of the cabinet
are also members of the legislature.
 • The executive in this type of government is called the PRIME MINISTER, for he has the highest positions among
various members of the cabinet in the parliament.

• Prime Ministers have no fixed term. Their term depends on the confidence of the members of the Parliament.

PARLIAMENTARY and PRESIDENTIAL GOVERNMENTS

“Presidential - Separation of Powers”

Presidential

• a form of government where the executive is independent of the

Legislature.

• There is a cabinet appointed by the President and are responsible to him.

WAYS of Changing a Government

Six Ways (ERINAR)

A. Election

B. Resignation

C. Impeachment

D. Natural Death

E. Assassination

F. Rebellion

Ways of Changing a Government

Election

A head of a government may lose the next election if he does not garner enough number of votes against his rivals or
opponents.

Resignation

A nation’s ruler may voluntarily resign from office if he deems it necessary to do so, under the right circumstances and
events.

Impeachment

Impeachment comes from the French word “empeche” which means to “remove”

Or “throw away”.

• It is the forcible removal of a head of state due to his or her unwanted actions.

• This is a weapon found in our Constitution.

Natural Death of the Leader

• If caused by sickness or accidents, a president may be removed from office.

• An example is President Magsaysay.

Assassination

It means to kill a public figure, most naturally for politically motivated reasons.

• Examples are President Kennedy, and Ninoy Aquino.

Rebellion

A concerted or staged social action, where people take arms to overthrow the

Government. People in these types of movements want a change in the way

The government works.

What kind of government does the Philippines have?

“A unitary state presidential, representative, and democratic republic”

The Philippines is a unitary state with the President as both the head of state and the head of government.

• The government of the Philippines is made up of three interdependent branches which are the legislative, the
executive, and the judicial system.

The Legislative power is exercised by the Congress of Philippines which comprise of two chambers, namely the:

• House of Representatives which is the lower chamber; and

• The Senate which is the upper chamber.

The Executive power of the Philippine government is

• Exercised by the regime under the President's leadership.

The Judicial power is exercised in the courts with the Supreme Court of the Philippines

• Being the highest judicial organ.