This study is part of a research project that is undertaken to explore the changes
and continuities in the political system and democratization process in the
post-Marcos era in the Philippines, and to search for their implications and
limitations. In particular, it attempts to identify an institutional advancement,
if any, in the Philippine electoral politics under the post-Marcos regimes, its
significance and imperfections; to find out the attributes of continuity in the
political institutions and practices; and to examine the impact of changes and
continuities in the contemporary Philippine politics on the actions and reactions
of some important socio-political forces including civil society groups and the
communist insurgents.
The main findings are as follows: The examination of the last three elections
shows us that a new stream of political elites has been entering into the arena of
electoral politics and the legislature. Especially the implementation of party-list
representation system from 1998 provided a fundamentally different
opportunity structure for progressive political elites, particularly radical leftist
ones, to be represented in the Philippine Congress and to compete in the elections. Nevertheless, the electoral politics and political society in the contemporary
Philippines assume an aspect more of continuity than of change. The traditional
political elites, either the descendants of old oligarchs or members of prominent
political families, still dominate the national, provincial and local elections, and
their clout is being strongly felt in the Congress—not only in their numbers but
also in their socio-cultural hegemony. Likewise, the traditional political culture
and practices—the culture of favoritism and personalism, money politics and
corruption, the pursuit of pork-barrel and perk, election frauds and
election-related violence, etc.—still hold good and continue to be practiced in the
central political arena in the contemporary Philippines.
Furthermore, this inertial tendency of stagnation in the electoral politics has
led to the disillusionment and frustration on the part of the people, but allowed
radical transformative movements of CPP/NPA to gain important momentum to
double their efforts in their engagement with the governmental forces. The
non-compromising and violent strategy and stance of the CPP/NPA prevents
them from winning the popular support and sympathy. It only lets the
ultra-rightist forces including the military find a pretext for oppressing the
progressive elements both in the political and civil societies.
This study is part of a research project that is undertaken to explore the changes
and continuities in the political system and democratization process in the
post-Marcos era in the Philippines, and to search for their implications and
limitations. In particular, it attempts to identify an institutional advancement,
if any, in the Philippine electoral politics under the post-Marcos regimes, its
significance and imperfections; to find out the attributes of continuity in the
political institutions and practices; and to examine the impact of changes and
continuities in the contemporary Philippine politics on the actions and reactions
of some important socio-political forces including civil society groups and the
communist insurgents.
The main findings are as follows: The examination of the last three elections
shows us that a new stream of political elites has been entering into the arena of
electoral politics and the legislature. Especially the implementation of party-list
representation system from 1998 provided a fundamentally different
opportunity structure for progressive political elites, particularly radical leftist
ones, to be represented in the Philippine Congress and to compete in the elections. Nevertheless, the electoral politics and political society in the contemporary
Philippines assume an aspect more of continuity than of change. The traditional
political elites, either the descendants of old oligarchs or members of prominent
political families, still dominate the national, provincial and local elections, and
their clout is being strongly felt in the Congress—not only in their numbers but
also in their socio-cultural hegemony. Likewise, the traditional political culture
and practices—the culture of favoritism and personalism, money politics and
corruption, the pursuit of pork-barrel and perk, election frauds and
election-related violence, etc.—still hold good and continue to be practiced in the
central political arena in the contemporary Philippines.
Furthermore, this inertial tendency of stagnation in the electoral politics has
led to the disillusionment and frustration on the part of the people, but allowed
radical transformative movements of CPP/NPA to gain important momentum to
double their efforts in their engagement with the governmental forces. The
non-compromising and violent strategy and stance of the CPP/NPA prevents
them from winning the popular support and sympathy. It only lets the
ultra-rightist forces including the military find a pretext for oppressing the
progressive elements both in the political and civil societies.