Understanding Philippine Democracy

Question 1

This has been long regarded as the most influential interpretation of Philippine politics. Philippine politics is about personal relations and networks linked by kinship, friendship, exchange of favors, influence, and money.

Answer 1

Patron-client relationship

Question 2

T/F. Patron-client relationship, while mutually beneficial is also wildly unequal, with the patron controlling almost all mechanisms of power, and with client reduced as a mere passive receiver of the spoils at the whim of their patrons.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

This views the Philippine politics as being severely restricted by the colonial influence of global superpowers, namely the United States.

Answer 3

Neocolonial/Dependency

Question 4

This view of understanding democracy in the Philippines emphasizes the importance of examining the relationship of domination and dependency between the advanced capitalist countries(metropolitan countries) and the underdeveloped countries (also known as satellites or peripheral economies) as a way of accounting for the poor countries’ continuing underdevelopment”.

Answer 4

Neocolonial/Dependency (Randolf S. David, 1980)

Question 5

In this view of democracy in the Philippines, Philippine political system is controlled by an elite few who use their wealth and power to control the country’s resources. The elite then use political office, and in other cases, intimidation, coercion, and violence, in order to more deeply entrench themselves in power in order to safeguard and bolster their wealth.

Answer 5

Elite/Patrimonial

Question 6

Democracy in the Philippines is a contested topic. This means:

Answer 6

The history of politics in the Philippines, while seemingly dominated by the interest and movements of those above, is under constant and sustained pressure from forces down below that seek to take Philippine society to a much more democratic path.

Large sections of the poor and marginalized classes, sectors, and communities, and even some sections of the middle and upper classes as well, work and fight for the deepening of genuine democracy towards a more participatory and egalitarian democracy.