PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE of the president, first, it is necessary to look

Second Grading, SY 2024-2025 at the qualifications, manner of election, and

terms of office of the president and the vice-
THE EXECUTIVE
president.
The Philippines has adopted the presidential,
Public Qualificatio Manne Term of
unitary, and republican system of Official ns r of Office
government. Under a presidential system of Electio
government, the executive, legislative, and n
judiciary branches are separate and distinct. Presid 1. A natural- The Six
This means that each branch is bestowed ent born preside years
with independent powers and responsibilities citizen nt and
and is expected to work in its spheres. Such 2. A vice The
a setting is guided by the principle of registere preside term
separation of powers. While it is true that d voter nt shall begins
they are distinct from each other, one branch 3. Able to be at noon
is granted powers to check on the others’ read and elected of June
exercise of prescribed legal mandates. This write by a 30
4. At least direct
constitutional provision is a guarantee that
40 years vote of The
assures that one branch does not abuse its
of age on the presiden
powers is known as the doctrine of checks the day people t shall
and balances. Remember, however, that of the (Sectio not be
while the branches of the government are election n 4) eligible
guided by these principles, they also are 5. A for
expected to work and cooperate in providing resident The reelecti
for the welfare of the citizens. In this module, of the person on.
the structure and organization, powers and Philippine having (Section
responsibilities, and issues and challenges of s for at the 4, par.
the Philippine executive are discussed. least 10 highest 1)
Vice years number Six
Executive Power Presid immediat of years
ent ely votes
Executive power is roughly defined as the precedin (pluralit The vice
power to implement laws in one’s given and g his or y presiden
defined jurisdiction. If the legislature’s task is her method t shall
to create or make laws while the judiciary election ) shall not
must interpret or apply these laws, the (Section be serve
executive branch of the government has the 2) elected for more
power to execute these laws and make sure than
that they are properly implemented. two
successi
The structure, organization, powers, ve
responsibilities, and prohibitions of the terms
executive branch are provided under Article (Section
VII of the 1987 Constitution. Section 1 states 4,
that the “executive power is vested in the paragra
President of the Philippines.” ph 1)

Given this, the president is entrusted to

execute laws, and control and administer Should there be any questions or contentions
government affairs. The president is also on the election process and results, the
regarded as the government’s chief Supreme Court is mandated to settle
executive officer. But before we have an questions about the election, returns, and
elaborate presentation of the specific powers qualifications of these officials. As provided
by Article VII, Section 4: “the Supreme Couty,
sitting en banc, is the sole judge of all president exercise the power of
contests relating to the election, returns, and taxation.
qualifications of the President or Vice  The Congress can request the
President.” The Supreme Court serves department heads under the executive
therefore as the Presidential Electoral department to appear and be heard on
Tribunal. any matters about their corresponding
departments.
The presidential election is held on the
 The Congress can override the
second Monday of May unless otherwise
president’s veto by a two-thirds vote
provided by law. In case of a tie, the
in each house.
candidate who will be chosen by the vote of
 The Supreme Court may declare
a majority of Congress (both Senate and
executive orders and proclamations
House of Representatives), voting separately.
unconstitutional.
 The Supreme Court may review the
declaration of martial law and
Powers of the President suspension of the writ of habeas
The Philippine president is granted specific corpus.
powers by the Constitution. The following are
some of his or her powers:
Philippine Presidents during the
 Control over all executive Contemporary Period (Fifth Republic)
departments, bureaus, and offices
 Power of general supervision over Corazon Aquino (1986-1992), "Mother of
local governments and autonomous Philippine Democracy"
regions
Achievements
 Power to nominate, appoint, and
remove officials  Restored democracy after the Martial
 Budgetary and fiscal power Law era through the 1986 EDSA
 Military power (him or her being the People Power Revolution.
commander in chief of the Armed  Promulgated the 1987 Philippine
Forces of the Philippines) Constitution, which limited presidential
 Power to contract or guarantee foreign powers and restored civil liberties.
loans on behalf of the country  Established the Comprehensive
 Pardoning power Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) to
 Powers to check other branches of the redistribute land to farmers.
government  Initiated peace talks with communist
rebels and Muslim separatists.
Issues/Failures
Checks on the President’s Power
 Faced multiple coup attempts by
As has been mentioned earlier, the branches
military factions, leading to political
of the government are given the ability to
instability.
check on the other branches’ exercise of
 The Mendiola Massacre (1987), where
power. This will also provide political stability
farmers demanding land reform were
and prevent abuse of authority. Here is how
killed by government forces.
the president’s exercise of power is checked.
 Slow economic recovery and rising
 The Congress specifies the conditions poverty due to high debt and lack of
and restrictions of certain powers it foreign investments.
assigns to the president.
Scandals
 Only through the authorization and
specifications of Congress could the  Allegations of cronyism involving
family members and close allies.
  The "Kamaganak Inc." controversy,  Lacked a coherent economic strategy,
where relatives were accused of leading to poor investor confidence.
benefiting from government influence.
Scandals
 Impeached due to his involvement in
Fidel V. Ramos (1992-1998), "Philippines the jueteng (illegal gambling) payola
2000" scandal, leading to his ouster through
the EDSA II Revolution (2001).
Achievements
 Convicted of plunder in 2007 but was
 Liberalized the economy by promoting later pardoned by President Gloria
deregulation, privatization, and foreign Macapagal-Arroyo.
investments.
 Solved the power crisis through the
construction of power plants. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2001-2010),
 Signed peace agreements with the "Strong Republic"
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
Achievements
and communist rebels.
 Achieved economic growth and  Achieved economic growth despite
increased investor confidence during global challenges, with GDP growth
his term. averaging around 4-7%.
 Implemented the Expanded Value
Issues/Failures
Added Tax (E-VAT) to improve revenue
 Failed to implement comprehensive collection.
land reform, with CARP progress  Launched infrastructure programs
remaining slow. under the "Build, Build, Build"
 The rise of corruption cases involving initiative.
government officials and bureaucrats.  Negotiated peace agreements with
rebel groups.
Scandals
Issues/Failures
 Allegations of electoral fraud during
the 1992 presidential election.  Accused of being authoritarian,
 The Amari Scandal, involving the particularly during the Hello Garci
controversial sale of reclaimed land to Scandal involving electoral fraud in the
a private company. 2004 presidential elections.
 Declared Proclamation 1017, imposing
a state of emergency that restricted
Joseph "Erap" Estrada (1998-2001), civil liberties.
"Erap Para sa Mahirap"
Scandals
Achievements
 NBN-ZTE Deal Scandal, involving
 Focused on poverty alleviation and alleged kickbacks in a national
social welfare programs for the poor. broadband project.
 Launched the Lingap Para sa Mahirap  Fertilizer Fund Scam, where funds
program to provide medical and intended for farmers were allegedly
educational assistance. diverted for election campaigns.
 Pushed for agricultural modernization.
Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III (2010-2016),
Issues/Failures "Daang Matuwid" (Straight Path)

 Economic downturn during the Asian Achievements

Financial Crisis, which led to rising
unemployment and poverty rates.
  Economic boom with GDP growth  Criticized for human rights abuses,
averaging 6-7%, earning the particularly in the War on Drugs.
Philippines the "Asia's Rising Tiger"  Pandemic response was initially slow,
label. leading to economic downturns.
 Passed the K-12 Education Reform,  Failure to resolve the longstanding
extending the basic education system. issues of corruption and poverty.
 Launched the Pantawid Pamilyang
Scandals
Pilipino Program (4Ps) to support poor
households.  PhilHealth Corruption Scandal,
 Won an international case against involving billions in misused funds.
China over the South China Sea at the  Allegations of hidden wealth and ties
Permanent Court of Arbitration in to drug syndicates against his family.
2016.
Issues/Failures
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (2022-
 Mamasapano Clash (2015) led to the present), "Bagong Pilipinas" (New
death of 44 elite police officers, Philippines)
sparking public outrage.
 Failed to address the worsening traffic Achievements
situation and infrastructure backlog in  Pursuing economic reforms, focusing
Metro Manila. on agriculture and infrastructure
Scandals development.
 Strengthened foreign relations,
 Disbursement Acceleration Program especially with the US, Japan, and
(DAP) was declared partially China.
unconstitutional by the Supreme  Promoted digitalization and ease of
Court. doing business to attract foreign
 Pork Barrel Scam, where lawmakers investors.
misused public funds, although not
directly involving him. Issues/Failures
 Rising inflation and food prices, with
the agricultural sector struggling to
Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022), "Change keep up.
is Coming"  Criticized for being out of touch with
grassroots issues and for frequently
Achievements
traveling abroad.
 Launched the War on Drugs, which  Struggles to address systemic
resulted in thousands of arrests but corruption and poverty.
was controversial for alleged
Scandals
extrajudicial killings.
 Build, Build, Build infrastructure  Sugar Importation Scandal (2022),
program, resulting in airports, roads, where unauthorized import orders
and bridges. were allegedly signed by his
 Signed the Universal Health Care Law administration.
and Free College Education for state  Allegations of historical revisionism
universities and colleges. linked to his family's controversial
 Pivoted foreign policy towards China, past.
securing investments and aid.
Issues/Failures
Issues, Prospects, and Challenges
Prominent sociologist and political analyst structural and institutional reforms? For
Randy David (2004) claimed, “A strong example, should the country change its
republic is a political order that rests on system from presidential to parliamentary?
strong institutions rather than on charismatic This remains a challenge not only for the
or benevolent leaders. It draws its life from current but also for the future
the participation and submission to the administrations.
authority of mature citizens rather than from
any ability to buy or coerce the loyalty of
powerless subjects. It is a system of rational
administration based on legal authority.”
Truly, as to leadership, accountability, and
integrity, political patronage, and electoral
fraud still characterize much of post-EDSA
Philippine politics. Although major reforms on
good governance have been institutionalized,
there have been limited changes, results,
and improvements to be observed.
For instance, the inability of past
administrations to punish erring members of
the military possibly points to the president’s
need to back his or her political survival and
longevity through the support of the military.
Questions on transparency and
accountability remain to be among the most
important challenges the presidents of the
Fifth Republic face. To whom are the
presidents really accountable—to the people
who elected them or to the specific groups
that supported (financial help included) them
during the election period? Aside from these
issues, the use of personality appeal to win
votes (including the use of celebrity appeal
otherwise known as the “celebrification” of
politics) still very much characterizes the
country’s political landscape. Presidents
during the post-Martial Law period have used
this kind of appeal to gain mass support.
In contemporary Philippine politics,
democracy and development can be
intertwined. According to Tadem (2006),
restoration and consolidation of democracy,
constitutionalism and rule of law, public
accountability, and human development are
the core of the Philippine president’s crucial
mandates. Alongside, economic growth,
peace process, welfare, human rights, and
the Philippines’ place in the globalization
process are among the key issues a
president must work on. If the culture of
patronage and the issue of corruption are not
addressed, is it necessary therefore to direct