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Politics of the Philippines

Encyclopedia : P : PO : POL : Politics of the Philippines

Politics of the Philippines takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of the Philippines is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

The Republic of the Philippines has a representative democracy modeled after the United States of America system. The 1987 constitution, adopted during the Corazon Aquino administration, reestablished a presidential system of government with a bicameral legislature and an independent judiciary.

Contents

National Government

Philippine Government

Executive Branch
Title Name
President
Head of State
Head of Government

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Vice President Noli De Castro
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye
National Economic and Development Authority/Socioeconomic Planning Romulo L. Neri
Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman
Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban
Budget and Management Secretary Rolando G. Andaya, Jr.
Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes
Finance Secretary Margarito Teves
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno
Justice Secretary Raul M. Gonzales
Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas
National Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, Jr.
Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr.
Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Fagela Alabastro
Social Welfare and Development Secretary Esperanza Cabral
Tourism Secretary Joseph H. Durano
Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza
Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila
Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor
Central Bank Governor Amando Tetangco, Jr.
National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales
United Nations Permanent Representative Lauro Baja, Jr.

Legislative Branch
Senate
Title Name
Senate President Manuel Villar
Senate President
Pro-Tempore 		Juan Flavier
Majority Floor Leader Francis Pangilinan
Minority Floor Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr.
Secretary Oscar Yabes
Sergeant-at-Arms M/Gen. Jose Balajadia
[Senate Members]
House of Representatives
Title Name
Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr.
Deputy Speaker - Luzon Emilio Espinosa, Jr.
Dep. Speaker - Visayas Raul del Mar
Dep. Speaker - Mindanao Gerry Salapuddin
Majority Floor Leader Prospero Nograles
Minority Floor Leader Francis Escudero
Secretary-General Roberto Nazareno
Sergeant-at-Arms B/Gen. Bayani Fabic
[House Members]

Judicial Branch
Supreme Court
Title Name
Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban
Court Administrator Presbiterio Velasco
Official Spokesperson Ismael Khan Jr.
Clerk of Court Luzviminda Puno
[Justices of the Supreme Court]
Sandiganbayan
Title Name
Presiding Judge Teresita L. de Castro
Clerk of Court Emma Rosario Lorbes
Security and Sheriff Edgardo Urieta
[Sandiganbayan Judges]
Court of Appeals
Title Name
Presiding Judge Ruben T. Reyes
Clerk of Court Tessie Gatmaitan
[Court of Appeals Justices]

Constitutional Offices
Ombudsman
Title Name
Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez
Overall Deputy
Ombudsman 		Margarito Gervacio, Jr.
Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio
Dep. Omb. (Luzon) Victor C. Fernandez
Dep. Omb. (Visayas) Primo Miro
Dep. Omb. (Mindanao) Antonio Valenzuela
Deputy Ombudsman
(Military and Police) 		Orlando Casimiro
[Other Officials]
Commission on Human Rights
Title Name
Chairman Purificacion Valera Quisumbing
[Commissioners]
Commission on Elections
Title Name
Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr.
[Commissioners]
Commission on Audit
Title Name
Chairman Guillermo Carague
[Commissioners]
Civil Service Commission
Title Name
Chairman Karina Constantino-David
[Commissioners]

The government of the Philippines, loosely patterned after the American system, is organized as a representative republic.

Executive branch

The executive branch is headed by the President, who functions as both head of state and government, as well as being the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The President is elected by popular vote to a term of 6 years, who then presides and appoints the cabinet members. The executive seat of government is located in the City of Manila. The President and may no longer run for re-election, unless he/she becomes president through constitutional succession and has served for no more than 4 years as president. Provision also was made in the constitution for autonomous regions in Muslim areas of Mindanao and in the Cordillera region of northern Luzon.

The government is pursuing corruption-related criminal cases against former President Estrada, who is currently under detention. The terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), which recently gained international notoriety with its kidnappings of foreign tourists in the southern islands, is a major problem for the government. In May 2001, the ASG kidnapped several Americans that it still holds. Efforts to track down and destroy the ASG have been unsuccessful. Rising crime and concerns about the security situation have begun to have a negative impact on tourism and foreign investment. The government continues to face threats from both Muslim separatist groups and communist insurgents and is pursuing peace talks with both groups.

Legislative branch

The bicameral Philippine legislature, the Congress, consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives; members of both are elected by popular vote. The Senate is elected at large. There are currently 24 senators. Of a possible 250 members of the House of Representatives, 206 are elected from the single-member districts. The remainder of the House seats are designated for sectoral representatives elected at large through a complex "party list" system, hinging on the party receiving at least 2% to 6% of the national vote total. The upper house is located in Pasay City, while the lower house is located in Quezon City.

When Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the Presidency, her LAKAS-CMD party also regained its dominant position in Congress. The party leads the 187 member Sunshine Coalition composed of several major and minor parties. In the Senate, the pro-administration coalition controls 13 of the 24 seats. Members of the Philippine Congress tend to have weak party loyalties and change party affiliation easily. In October 2002, the Sunshine Coalition dissolved over Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's decision to seek election for the presidency which she came into by succeeding Joseph Estrada during the EDSA 2 Revolution of 2001.

Senate President: Manuel Villar

Speaker of the House of Representatives: Jose de Venecia

Presidents of the Senate

Speakers of the House of Representatives

Judicial branch

The judiciary branch of the government is headed by the Supreme Court, which has a Chief Justice as its head and 14 Associate Justices, all appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council.

Supreme Court Chief Justice: Artemio Panganiban

Chief Justices of the Supreme Court

Offices of the Ombudsman

The government and all three of its branches are independently monitored by the Offices of the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is given the mandate to investigate and prosecute any official/s in government that is allegedly guilty of crimes, especially Graft and Corruption. The Ombudsman leads a team composed of a sheriff and 6 deputies who lead the their respective divisions and/or bureaus.

Political parties and elections

The following election results include names of political parties. See for additional information about parties the List of political parties in the Philippines. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in the Philippines.
During the American occupation, the Nacionalista Party (more like the Republicans) was the dominate party at the time.  This, however, was interruped by World War II, when during the Japanese occupation, a new party, the Kapisanan ng Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas (KALIBAPI), was formed. It was the only party that was allowed to operate during the Japanese occupation of the Philippiens.


After the war, KALIBAPI was abolished and the Nacionalistas returned to power.  However, a new party, the Liberal Party (similar to the Democrats), was formed after some Nacionalistas split from the original party.  This de facto two-party system was kept until 1972.


However, when Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, he formed his own monolithic party, the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL, New Society Movement).  The traditional parties were sidelined.  Worse, most of his political opponents were incarcerated, tortured or even killed.  But, a majority of the KBL members were ex-Nacionalistas.  In 1978, Marcos called an election to the interim Batasang Pambansa and an opposition party was formed known as LABAN. Among the candidates then were Benigno Aquino, Alex Bongcayao and Ernesto Maceda, to name a few.  During that election, only Maceda was elected into office.


In 1984, many opposition parties sprang up.  Among them are PDP-LABAN (different from the original LABAN party) of Aquilino Pimentel and UNIDO, or the United Nationalists Democratic Organizations, of Salvador Laurel. The UNIDO would later be an umbrella coalition of opposition against Ferdinand Marcos.


After Marcos was overthrown in the People Power Revolution, other parties appeared, such as Lakas ng Bayan, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino or LDP, and the National Union of Christian Democrats (NUCD) of Senator Raul Manglapus.


In 1992 elections, the LDP was split in half.  Fidel V. Ramos formed his own party known as the Partido Lakas ng Tao, which coalesced with the National Union of Christian Democrats.  Their union was later known as the Lakas-NUCD, now known as Lakas-Christian and Muslim Democrats. The LDP was bannered by Ramon Mitra. During these elections, the Nacionalista Party was also split into two. The Nacionalistas were led by Salvador Laurel while the splinter group led by Danding Cojuangco was known as the Nationalist People's Coalition or NPC.


In the 1998 elections, three new political parties were formed: the Partido ng Masang Pilipino of Joseph Estrada, the People's Reform Party of Miriam Defensor-Santiago, and the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (KAMPI) of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.


There are other regional political parties, such as Panaghiusa (precursor of the Osmeñas' BO-PK) and the Mindanao Alliance in Mindanao.  However, many of these parties are now defunct.


It is believed that Philippine political parties share one common platform.  However, it is also perceived that Philippine political parties are also not based on political platform, but rather on personality.  Turncoatism is so widespread that there were moves from lawmakers in the past to make this illegal, since it is believed that switching party allegiances are easy in Philippine politics.  The image of turncoatism among politicians also fuels the belief that many Philippine politicians are opportunist, using their political power for personal gain.



Local Government / Administrative subdivisions


The Philippines is divided into a hierarchy of local government units (LGUs) with the province as the primary unit. As of 2002, there are 79 provinces in the country. Provinces are further subdivided into cities and municipalities, which are in turn, composed of barangays. The barangay is the smallest local government unit.


All provinces are grouped into 17 regions for administrative convenience. Most government offices establish regional offices to serve the constituent provinces. The regions themselves do not possess a separate local government, with the exception of the Muslim Mindanao region, which is autonomous. The Cordillera Administrative Region will become an autonomous region and will receive the setup granted to Muslim Mindanao if voters would approve an organic law to would create a Cordillera Autonomous Region.



Plans

As of June 2006 President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is hoping to get agreement to amend the constitution to a unicameral federal, parliamentary system similar to the German constitution. The country would be split into “states” with each one having a local legislature responsibility for certain functions. Included in the amendments are plans to remove/ease the current ban on foreign ownership of property, land and commercial organizations in the Philippines.  Plans have been announced to decentralize government by moving departments from Manila to the provinces, such as the Department of Tourism to Cebu City, the Department of Foreign Affairs to Angeles City, and the Department of Agrarian Reform to Iloilo City.



International organization participation

The Philippines is a founding and active member of the United Nations since its inception on October 24 1945 and is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Philippines is also a member of the East Asia Summit (EAS)), an active player in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Latin Union and a member of the Group of 24. The country is a major non-NATO ally of the U.S., but also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Memberships: APEC (1989), AsDB (1966), ASEAN,  CP,  ESCAP,  FAO,  G24,  G-77,  IAEA,  IBRD,  ICAO,  ICFTU,  ICRM,  IDA,  IFAD,  IFC,  IFRCS,  IHO,  ILO,  IMF,  IMO,  Inmarsat,  Intelsat,  Interpol,  IOC,  IOM,  ISO,  ITU,  NAM,  OAS (observer), OPCW,  UN,  UNCTAD,  UNESCO,  UNHCR,  UNHRC, UNIDO,  UNMIK,  UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNU,  UPU,  WCL, WCO,  WFTU,  WHO,  WIPO,  WMO,  WToO,  WTrO,



See also





External links









 





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