Elections and

Political Parties
Quarter 2 – Module 3
 Elections have played an integral role in the
development of representative democracy in the
Philippines.
 It is divided into national and local elections.
 Moreover, it is a way of filling up vacancies in the
government notwithstanding the principle of
succession.
 Under the Constitution, elections for the
members of Congress and local positions (except
barangay officials) occur every second Monday
 The Philippines has a multi-party system,
with numerous parties in which no one party
normally has a chance of gaining power
alone, and parties must work with each
other to form a coalition government.
 And the Commission on Elections (COMELEC)
is responsible for running the elections.
 The Electoral System

 Periodic election of officials by single-

ballot plurality vote
 Executive and senators elected at large
 Existence of legislative districts and local
government units; Electorate: duly
registered citizens 18 years of age and
above
History of Elections in the
Philippines
 Pre-Colonial Philippines
 No elections for ruling authorities
 Government was based more on
intangibles – Kinship – Customs/Traditions –
Favors – Unwritten laws
 Colonial Government

 In colonizing the Philippines, Spain effectively

formalized and modernized government rule
 To be able to administer the colony
effectively, the colonial government created
pockets of local authority across the country
American Colonial Rule

 American colonial rule set the foundation

for elections in the Philippines
 Government institutions and the electoral
system were patterned after the American
system
 Filipinos could run for public office in a
limited capacity
Commonwealth

 Introduced a more accommodating

electoral system
 Over time, Philippine elections were
dominated by a single-party
 Creation of the COMELEC to oversee the
conduct of elections
1973 Constitution
 Consolidation of power under Martial
Rule
 Less electoral safeguards –
Weakening of the powers of the
COMELEC – Lack of checks and
balances within the electoral system
American Colonial Rule – Initial
dominance of the Federal Party
 Party advocating Philippine
statehood within the United States –
Rise and subsequent preponderance
of the Nacionalista Party
 Coalition of different groups
advocating Philippine independence
Post-War Period – Split of the
Liberal Party from the
Nacionalista Party
 Encouraged by the Americans to
avoid single-party hegemony
 Over time, the distinction between
the two became blurred
 Growing importance of personalities
 Martial Law – Clampdown on political
institutions – Rise of the Kilusang
Bagong Lipunan (KBL) as the
dominant political party – Eventual
emergence of regional political parties
 Post-EDSA (1986) – Development of a
multi-party system
 Lessons from the past
 Effective checks and balances are needed over the
electoral system
 Elections are used to lend legitimacy to a regime
 There are very few distinguishing characteristics
between political parties in the Philippines
 Parties have generally been ineffective as political
institutions that lend predictability to politics in the
Philippines
 Personalities overpower parties as political entities
 Contemporary issues
 Party-list
 a mechanism of proportional representation in the election of
representatives to the House of Representatives from
national, regional and sectoral parties or organizations or
coalitions thereof registered with the Commission on Elections
(COMELEC)
 Absentee Voting
 electoral process that enables persons who cannot appear at
their designated polling places to vote from another location
 Election Fraud
 a form of cheating during election
 Political Dynasties
 Generally refer to traditional political families or the
practices by these political families of monopolizing
political power and public offices from generation to
generation and treating the public elective office almost
as their personal property
 Nuisance Candidates
 Someone who files a certificate of candidacy (CoC) with
the intention of mocking the electoral process or putting
it in disrepute; whose name is similar to that of other
registered candidates and whom the electorate can
therefore mistake for him or her; or who has no real
intention to run for the office for which he or she filed a
CoC.
 SUFFRAGE
 the right to vote in elections.
 Who may exercise (Sec. 1, Art. V)

 All citizens of the Philippines, not otherwise

disqualified by law;
 At least 18 years of age
 Resided in the Philippines for at least one year; and
 Resided in the place they propose to vote for at
least 6 months immediately preceding the election
 RESIDENCE has dual meaning
(Sec.1, Art. V):
 As a requirement of residence in the Philippines:
synonymous with “domicile”. Imports both
intention to reside and personal presence coupled
with conduct indicative of such intention.
 Requirement of residence in the place where one
intends to vote: can mean domicile or temporary
residence
Requisites of Acquisition of
Domicile by Choice:

 Residence or bodily presence in the new

locality;
 An intention to remain there; and
 An intention to abandon the old residence.
(Gallego v. Verra, 73 Phil. 453)
 Direct disqualification

 Not citizen of the Republic of the

Philippines
 Below 18 years old
 Failure to qualify with the residency
requirement set by law
 Not registered voter in the place he
proposes to vote
 Other
disqualification/disabilities
 Citizens who have been sentenced by the court for at
least 1 year and have not been granted a pardon by
the President.
 Those who have been adjudged of final judgment by
competent tribunal of having committed any crime
involving disloyalty to the government.
 Those who are declared insane or incompetent
persons as declared by competent authority.
 Kinds of election
 National election
 Elections for national officials like President, Vice
President, and members of Congress.
 Local election
 Elections for the offices in the provinces, cities, and
municipalities.
 Types of Suffrage
 Plebiscite
 This refers to the process by which a certain question, like the proposed
amendment to, or revision of the Constitution is put to a popular vote for
approval or election.
 Elections
 It is the means through which the electorate chooses the leaders in
whom they entrust the functions and powers of the government for a
fixed period of time.
 Initiative
 It is a process by which the electorate directly proposes by the people
through initiative upon a petition of at least 12 per cent of the total
numbers of registered voters
 Referendum
 It refers to when a question or law or part of it is
submitted to the electoral body for its approval
or rejection.
 Recall
 It is a process of removing an incumbent officer
from active duty or before the expiration of his
term of office by a vote of the people.
Political parties
 It is a group of people organized for the
purpose of winning government power, by
electoral or other means

 Interest holders united by a definite set of party

programs and attempt to advance a consistent line
of policy
 main goal is to gain control of the levers of
government so that they can realize their policies
or programs
 Political parties are important not only because of their functions
that were mentioned.
 More importantly, the complex relationship between parties helps
in the structuring of the political system.
 This network of relationship is commonly referred to as party
system. There are several ways of distinguishing the type of
party system that exists in a certain country.
 One is based on the number of parties competing for political
power.
 Another is depending on the size of parties relative to their
electoral and legislative strength
 The last one has something to do with how parties relate to each
other, that is, whether there is cooperation, consensus, or conflict
among them (Heywood 2013).
 The major types of party systems
include the following:
 One-party system – Only one party dominates and there is no political
competition between parties. Single-party systems are characterized by
the oppression of democratic freedom.
 Two-party system – Two parties primarily dominate the political
landscape and smaller parties only play a subordinate role.
 Dominant party systems – Other parties are present but only one
party dominates and enjoys prolonged periods in power.
 Multiparty system – More than two parties compete for power over
time. It reduces the likelihood of a single-party government and
increases chances of coalition formation
Electoral Politics

 Vital connections between state

authority and society, linking the
structure of government to other
social groupings
 political action – seeking power to
achieve policy objectives
 Elections
 It is a device for filling an office
through choices made by a designated
body of people -the electorate.
 For the ordinary citizen - elections are
seen as the clearest instance of politics
entering their lives.
 Functions:
 “Bottom-Up” functions (People Government
View)
 provide the citizenry with a meaningful way of participating
in government mechanism for leadership selection
 An instrument for evaluating and changing governments
 forum for interest articulation and political socialization
 “Top-Down” functions (Government- People
View)
 instrument of rule legitimization
 guide to political strategy
 agent of political socialization and integration
 The Voting System in the
Philippines:
 Party-List System – Art. VI Sec. 5 of the 1987
Philippine Constitution
 party-list representatives will be elected to constitute 20
per centum of the total number of the seats in the House
of the Representative
 provides opportunity for under-represented sectors and
parties in Philippine society to have a legitimate chance of
winning representation in Congress
Anomalies in Philippine
Elections:
 lack of human manpower in the COMELEC
 influence of “gold, guns and goons”
 flying voters - It means double/multiple registration
 vote buying – It is usually viewed as a purely
economic exchange in which the voter sells his or
her vote to the highest bidder.
 tampering with the election returns
 dagdag-bawas‟
Prevention of electoral
frauds:
 vigilance of the citizens
 relevant government bodies
 reforms such as computerization and
continuous registration
 political education
 poll observers (local and international) during
elections
 Characteristics of a Political
Party:
 Has an organized structure with lines of authority
and power distribution.
 Seek to attract popular support in the form of
votes.
 Seeks political power directly thru electoral
method
 Prepared to support a candidate and fight for
victory in an election. (to gain power)
 Party Membership-means formal attachment to a
political party, usually involving the assumption of
obligations to the party and receiving privileges from
the party.
 For patronage
 To get special treatment from the government
 To enhance their own career
 Economic benefit
 Personal gratification
 To have and to use an influence on the others
 Ideological fulfillment
Party Membership Rules:

 Usually require a person to apply formally for

membership, and party officials can accept or
reject the application (though in fact they are
usually accepted).
 The person must at least pay annual dues and
sometimes take an oath to support the party’s
principles and candidates.
 Functions of Political Parties
 Leadership Recruitment- The political party is still likely to be a structure that
identifies potential leaders, brings them to public attention, and secures them
the support necessary for taking public office.
 Coordinate policy across different branches of Gov’t
 Mobilize voters – get out the vote drives -President, Congress, local party
cooperation to win elections. -Leaders stress party loyalty to proposed policies.
 Provide accountability- unintended side effect Used by voters to hold elected
official accountable
 Nominate candidates - by most common method today.
 contest election- “wage war” in the general election
 form governments- organized along party lines government appointments in
executive
 Principal activities of Parties
 Selecting candidates - parties virtually monopolize nominations, which give them
tremendous power to shape governments and policies.
 Election campaigning - those professionals, hired by the candidates for substantial
fees, organize high-tech campaigns that feature such up-to-date (and costly)
techniques and raising money by computerized direct mail advertising.
 Nominate candidates - recruit, choose, and present candidates for public office.
 Inform and Activate Supporters - campaign, define issues, and criticize other
candidates.
 Act as a bonding agent - guarantee that their candidate is worthy of the office.
 Govern - members of government act according to their partisanship, or firm
allegiance to a party.
 Act as a watchdog - parties that are out of power keep a close eye on the actions of
the party in power for a blunder to use against them in the next election.
Some Philippine Political
Parties
1.NACIONALISTA PARTY
2.LIBERAL PARTY PARTIDO LIBERAL NG
PILIPINAS
3.PWERSA NG MASANG PILIPINO Force of
the Filipino Masses
4.PARTIDO DEMOKRATIKO PILIPINO Lakas
ng Bayan