Pascual, Raymond A.

Midterm Essay: Politics, Governance, and Citizenship

BSA 1-5 Prof’ Michael Glenn Amor January 06,

“The way the state is managed: In transition from Marcos Regime to the current Duterte
Administration”

Sometimes I often wondered and believed that, if the state and the country itself is as same as the
person or people running its structure. That if one would wish to define and analyze the political
aspect of a country, he or she might take a good look of those who are running it. Questions boggling
my mind, and phrases left unanswered.

“Who is to blame in all of the current issues that are happening in our society? Is there something
wrong from the way the state administered? Was there really something or someone even to blame
based our current situations? Or are we all just delusional to blame everything on the government
and act blindly that there's also a blame to share coming from both the government and us citizens?
And was even "blame" necessary to improve the economic condition of "Juan"?”

It is a fact that countries have their own different historical inheritance that gave them an insight on
how people, residing on it, should manage the formations of the state towards its further
development. If one would like to infer the possible direction of the country's political aspect, he or
she must tackle and go deep on how the state had been managed by the political entities and the
implications it had all caused throughout the Philippines' timeline since independence, as the history
can repeat itself several times, including the hardships people heed on to if they're are not paying
close attention on resolving it. The same cause can also be possibly applied on resolving the distorted
way of managing the state by the administration. If one would look back on the previous political
aspect of the state, he or she can pinpoint what had went wrong on the systematic governing system
of those who are in authority, and understand by learning from it. Moreover, Litonjua (2008)
discussed that it is a crucial necessity to trace back the historical events of the state, it's formation
then and now, in order to come up to an understanding of the character of the state. Coming from the
background of a framework of the state towards its way to development, one must analyze the
characteristics of the Philippine state as it transcend from its early period, emerged, and were cast
during the crucial time of Philippine history and society.
It was according to the Philippine text that the country had achieved it's independence on July 4,
1946. "Full-independence" was granted to the Republic of the Philippines by the United States, as
stated in some such as in a History site (2010). Ever since on this period, the way the state is
administered had become an issue to many Filipino people. Issues that are somehow belittling yet
beguiling the privileged ones as they're the ones taking control of the state mostly since Unitarian
way of exercising the sovereignty had been given to them for many times. And issues that are
continuously resulting to the ongoing cycle of malcontented way of living the life by many.

Using the various findings from Litonjua (2008), when the time came for former President Ferdinand
Marcos to declare martial law and took hold of the government authority from the night of
September 23rd of 1972, he established the fact that his "dictatorship" not only would serve as a
means to lessen the revolt and eliminate the rebellion, but to create a new and better society wherein
Filipinos would fairly share the benefits coming from the well established economy. Former
president Marcos one way of administering is by means of improving the sector of public security;
banning demonstrations and strikes, confiscating massive number of weapons, and showing
procedures when it comes to cases on criminal actions. Because of this, the rate of criminal actions
and fear on the streets were lessened. He had also introduced vast platforms when it comes to
improving economic growth, further towards the enhancement of social inequality through this. He
had also made sure that a priority in investment must be done in order to expand infrastructures,
develop more laws in terms of taxation and other investments. He had also managed the investment
rules coming from foreign investors, a chance of luring them and promote exports instead of
persistence on import substitution. In his reign also, he had implemented policies that the World
Bank was attracted. Projects that gained support from the big entity of credits. Thus, he had quickly
initiated more land reform rules than it had occurred throughout 25 years of rule in democracy.
Improvement on the associated reform had paved its way to an ease in for local farmers as well as
their process on rice production, credits were also taken care of by subsidy, and electrification and
water irrigation were discussed as well. And all of these had closely sufficed the problem of the
country on agriculture - rice - by year 1976. All of this had finally caused the vast majority of the
people to give their full support on Marcos. Not knowing what at stake on the latter ends of his reign,
most had permitted and allowed his way of reformation. Further leading on that they were convinced
on that fact that Democracy in the Philippines is no longer needed, as it does penetrate on resolving
the issues on crime, inequality, continuous poverty, and economic policy.
However, even if the progress of the implementation goes on, many things were at risk. In order for a
new and better society to be born, the old one must perish, including those who cannot keep up to it.
For years, the Philippine society was in dire economic straits. Several research has shown that the
dictatorial administration during Marco's regime was proven as total failure in spite of all the
improvements, plans, and working progress on the other hand. According to the statistics of Litonjua
back from 2008, more than a quarter of the workforce was unemployed or underemployed, real per
capita income had fallen drastically, and about sixty percent of all families were living below the
poverty line. He had also added that these foreign debt had a total of US$26 billion, making
government coffers cleaned out and bankrupt. In the research of Linz (1975), based on the book of
Litonjua in which he added, Marcos' regime further discussed that sultanas as "Personal rulership."
Wherein the ruler is exercising his power without the aid of restraint at his own discretion. By the
late 1980s, Marco's way of authoritarian rule had became worse than a disease, impossible to be
cured. The fact that his ruling weren't able to solve the problems on poverty, racism, and
underdevelopment, it had only worsen the wound bleed more, adding salt to the wound.

To think of it, such Unitarian way of administrating the state as it entailed on violating several human
rights, is a high price to pay. However, Litonjua in addition to the previous research of Linz (2008) as
well as other empirical research and studies on Philippine development, [ CITATION Ben19 \l 13321 ]
suggest that it is not just the strong state, and its way of governing, that matters in terms of state
development, but also the people residing on it.

Twenty years after Marco's long parade had passed begun another way of managing the state;
Democracy, the idea of the so called people power on the latter years of 1986. This had been the
legacy of the former president Corazon Aquino, after she abolished the oligarchy way of
administering the state by Marcos. The idea of Democracy, is a use of peaceful protest to topple a
government body. Was and up until now, a popular template in terms of governing the state. As
defined by Punongbayan (2019), Democracy is a form of political association, in which the people
living on the definite area of the said state were given sovereignty to express such respective right in
terms of selecting the leaders of the government of the state. Moreover, this had been proven to
paved way for the reformation and changes ever since the dictatorship days of Marcos. The Filipinos
seemed to enjoy the benefit of the said "democratic way" of administering the state. On the other
hand, based on the findings studied by Coronel (2019), Corazon Aquino managed to won the seat
into presidency against Marcos by the means of the masses, as well as their empathy given the
crucial circumstances of all Filipino people experienced during martial law. This aside, had just
proven thought that Filipino people would most likely to be one with those they share experiences
with. Moreover, the Democratic way of administering the state is present up until now, as well as the
thought of Unitarian way of exercising the central or national government

If one would notice the subtle patterns, that is the Philippine Political administration, as well as their
way of governing the state, continues to be a cycle throughout time. And if one would look closely,
no changes nor improvements occurred. People fell for the flamboyance display of the running
political people, one example is by their means of "planning for a greater future ahead of time",
"people are first", and "You are my boss" type of propagandas. The system of the Aristocracy, turned
into Oligarchy, had paved its way into the present time ever since the power of sovereignty is given
to the upper classes. Because of this, the government failed in implementing socioeconomic rules and
regulations that would be beneficial to the poor and middle class. This reason is also due to the
continuation of political dynasties in the country. Marcoses, Aquinos, Arroyos, and Roxas families.
Almost as if that each family has their own war unto another, that instead on focusing on the
improvements on the state, war against dynasties are being highlighted in the news. Neglecting the
duties on what and how should the government officials act in accordance to the power they wield.

Political and national service can be different with the political bodies and administration's agenda
leaving the people no idea how they were going to be handled. This give rise to the concept of what
we called as "political agendas". Hidden agenda's can be quite hard to be figured out ahead of time,
simply because of the flowering bouquet of platforms politicians handle, this in turn would lead the
masses to vote for those who have shown flashy displays of affection and empathy on the day of
election. But looking at what had happened to the society in the past years, rollercoaster of
improvements and degradation are at still.

The present time in our society, including the Duterte Administration way of governing, is the perfect
evidence of what had happened throughout the time of Philippine Politics. Today, we had witness the
different ways of leadership these so called "politicians" had to offer, as well as the implications it
had caused to the society, as this is the common aspect where the quality of the way of administering
the state can be seen. Talking about the different perceptions the way the state is being administered
can vary from multiple perspectives. In terms of foreign perspective, and in accordance to the World
Population Review of 2019, Philippines is historically a Third World country and currently a
developing country. Where the GDP per capita is low and the infant mortality rate is high. Making
the citizens lack access to accommodating and efficient health care, and higher education.
Considering the Philippines as a third world country, the progress of [ CITATION UNH19 \l 13321 ]
development might be difficult to achieve since there are so many factors to consider as well as
previous issues left dangling in the air. The unpleasant stench of the streets that are still occurring
because the authority allows illegal manufacturers to do so, the unresolved unemployment rate in the
country which results to the reason why Filipino people are forced to migrate, and worse, live in
another country since "life there is good", as well as the mass transportation system which most of us
can relate to. If the way the state being administered is trash, rubbish also comes to the economic
condition to our country. Poverty is becoming so palpable to the point that it disturbs and becomes a
hindrance for the Filipino people in making the economic condition bloom again. Uncertainties and
casualties is probable. Worst case scenario is, Philippines might never achieve its plan towards of
becoming a developmental state, if these trend of poverty, corruption, and hidden agendas go on.
This in turn should alarm the government officials to take action on serious matter by their hands.
Simply because their way of ruling is most likely being affected by those who remain in the middle
class and lower class section of the structure.

The study of Politics is not just for the sake of passing one's subject. It's about being aware on the
ground one's feet on. There's also a great relevance when it comes to tackling the subject of the
governing and way of leadership of the officials in terms of improving the society - more particularly
about the economic development of the state, as this is what the economic study is all about.

Since the way of governing the state has a direct implication towards economic development, people
coming from different classes are being affected by it from micro to macro economical point of view.
Based on the reports the Philippines is having, we can already infer that the ruling is mostly being
manipulated by those who are rich and noble, thus in turn leave the lower part of the structure in
weak or poor condition. Therefore, it's a must if we also tackle the type of ruling that is currently
having in the state, in order to lessen the distorted management and somehow alleviate the pain the
other Filipino folks are having. If one could just pinpoint what had went wrong in administering the
state, hopefully the economy of the state will improve as well as the living on it But the economic
condition, as we know it, is becoming worse than expected. With the continuous population growth
problem the country is having, results into the crises we have what we call scarcity. Contaminated
streets are at present in almost all metro city there is, giving rise to unknown and foreign diseases.
With these kind of issues we're having, such concern on the way the government manage the state is
most probably like to happen. Citizens are being concerned simply because they're being affected by
it, not because they care about the administration and the ruling they experience, and that's one of the
problems that must be addressed. Especially the fact that the next generation will be the ones that
would be taking over the next phase of the country, it's a must that as early as now Filipino students
and the youth should start taking action and have their own say regarding on the administration.

If one would like to forecast the direction of the Philippine Politics, it might be best to know the very
past of it since the day of Independence. That's the reason why I've incorporated such historical facts
from archives and other research. Fast forward to the time of a crises that occurred on 2017.

Naming a law to answer the Marawi crisis as Proclamation No. 216, the Duterte administration
decided to impose Martial law to address Islamic and Narco Terrorism in Mindanao. This in turn,
gives rise on different issues and opinions coming from big and strong forces on the metro.
According to the information gathered from Rappler (2018) and Wikipedia, some reports have stated
that majority of the Filipino people are in favor of its imposition. While the Catholic Church believed
that the imposition of such law must be met temporarily. But unlike the others, the group of lawyers
coming Philippine Muslim Society originally planned to oppose the said law before its
implementation as most of the people from the area are Muslim. [ CITATION Pia19 \l 13321 ]

His declaration of the said martial law in the area of Mindanao was a perfect example to show not
just only for the fellow Filipinos to know how corrupted and distorted his decisions were, but also for
the world to see how his actions and way of administering the state would reflect to the condition of
the economy. Many reports were eventually stated that his so called "action" on solving the crises led
nothing but misery, downfall for the economy of the state, and most especially for the death of the
innocent lives of the victims that reside in the battlefield.

According to the article written by Ylagan on Business World Online (2017), the martial law in
Mindanao will have eventually leave such traumatizing effects on those many people that will
continue to fester into their minds till those are rotten to their death. Leaving the psyche in the
Filipino there. And to think that the government think of this as "collateral damage" is more than
enough to prove that there's something wrong in the way of administering the state. Adding this to
the thought, he had also said that he could extend it nationwide. And truly, is such a hyperbole under
which he operates.

According to the article wrote by Peter Wallace (2017), Philippines has no chance of having a
restrictive environment. Adding to the said statement of PERC (Political and Economic Risk
Consultancy) “it is very unclear which direction the Philippines is heading politically”. Discussing
further, that the current aggressive president Rodrigo Duterte was, and still remains, as a reluctant
leader. Willingly, he'll step down on the 30th day of June 2022. Given all these facts, stating from
the implementation of the martial law by Marcos until now from the actions led by the Duterte
administration, the chances of having a stable and good condition for the Philippine Economy is
becoming a blur. It is truly hard to foresee the possibility of good outcome in the future considering
the negative things and toxic issues that are still happening in the present. People now should no
longer be surprised on the fact that many Filipino people are starting to migrate to another land of
stability because of this fact. Nor blame them for hating their country a bit, all thanks to the distorted
administration of the state.

The Philippine can also be classified as a republic with a presidential form of government, wherein
each power is divided equally among three branches namely; Executive, the body mostly composed
of the congress, senate, and House of Representatives, that makes the law. Legislative, which carries
out the law that are mostly done by the President, Vice president, and the cabinet. And Judiciary, that
executes and evaluates the law created done by the Supreme Court and other courts. (De Leon, 2011)

If I were to ask with topic coming from a perspective of a scholar of the state, I would be terrified to
see the current happenings, not just what is going on our society but also the way the state is
managed. This led me into thinking of being anxious because there are some people from the
legislative branch who have the authority to make law, are anti poor in the first place, tendency of
this is that their kind of ruling has a higher chance of benefiting only the gratified instead for the
common good. Like what had happened into the malfunction of the LRT 2 transit. With all of these, I
would like to highlight what Rizal had compared the Philippine Society and what I would like add is
its structure in terms of Political aspect. Bapor Tabo. Few upper classes are those who experience
fortune and bottomless wealth while most are under treated as slaves or puppets into the midst of the
administration. Metaphorically speaking if this continues, it would only take a matter of time when
the said Bapor Tabo would fall from the waterfall leaving the ship broken and no longer restorable
with all those people in it, from upper and lower deck, would suffer or die because of it.

Given already the fact that the country's economic condition is poor and that there's something wrong
in terms of administering the state, Filipino citizens considered still have a great part to play in terms
of making the society in good condition. Although may not be better or best, but at least to improve
the quality of it. But reflecting on our current actions, are we doing our part to improve the society's
qualities for the sake of all Filipino people? Or are we already busy doing things that only matters for
ourselves? We have to keep in mind the fact that regardless of what actions the authority or the
government throws at the state and at us, it is our duty to do what's best for our country. What would
"Juan" do for his country.

References
Coronel, S. (2019). Cory Aquino and Democracy in the Philippines. Center for Security Studies, 1-2.
Editors, H. (January 5, 2020). Philippines independence declared.
Leon, H. S. (2011). Textbook in Philippine Constitution. Manila: REX Book Store.
Litonjua, M. (2008). The State in Development Theory: The Philippine Studies Under Marcos.
Philippine Studies, 368-372.
Punongbayan, B. R. (2019). Philippine Democracy. BusinessWorld.
Ranada, P. (2019). 'True martial law' is when military takes over the courts, gov't. Rappler.
UN Human Development Data. (2019). Third World Countries 2019. World Population Review.
Ylagan, A. H. (2017). Terror on hold. BusinessWorld.