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THE PUZZLE OF PHILIPPINE DEMOCRACY

Five Ways To Truly Democratize the Philippines

1. To shift from Popularity to Programmatic PoliticsEven if we have a technically democratic form of government, political power

is still concentrated in the hands of the few who controls both political connectionsand material resources as to the case of local landlords, political dynasties, andcorporatists. This is brought by the fact that the practice of election in the countryhappens to be determined by popularity. As we adhere to the first past the postsystem of election, whoever gets the highest number of votes becomes elected.Hence, only the popular or the renowned wins and to become popular, those whohave grasp of resources use their wealth to increase their popularity. In line withthis, there is a need to strengthen party politics in our country wherein partyprinciples and platforms become the determinants in the competitive election andnot personalities. In this case as well, those who are able and competent publicservants can participate and have great chance of being elected as the competitionis based on what the person proposes for the voters.

2. To establish a balance in economic decision making between the governmentand business sector

As our country gears toward liberalization of the market and capitalism, thebig corporations and owners of large scale businesses have come to accumulatepower in society and have acquired a direct say in economic management. It led tothe concentration of wealth to the upper class and the exploitation of the lowerclass. Even if they say that the economic indicators are developing, it seems thatonly the wealthy ones experience improvement and this is against the principle ofdemocracy. Economic decision making should be shared both by the producers andconsumers. There is a need to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor andlessen the economic division. To establish equilibrium, the public should haveconsiderable input in economic policies and gains. This would be manifested if thegovernment which represents the public has power over businesses than the otherway around.

3. To intensify the participation of civil society in governanceDemocracy would be despotism if only the government has the monopoly of

power and responsibility. It is already proven that government with too much powertends to abuse. It is also realized that the government cannot do all by itself thedelivery of basic social services. Hence, the civil society should be a partner of thegovernment in fulfilling its functions. A participative civil society also facilitateseffective public administration as the government will clearly grasp what the peopleneed and what is best for their welfare.

4. To widen the representation and participation of various ethnic groups andspecific sectors

A democratic culture is a culture of pluralism and equity within and betweencultures. Hence, no cultural group should be above or more powerful than theothers. There should be an equality of treatment. An environment of free thinkingand respect of identities regardless of race, ethnicity, religion and ideology shouldbe promoted in our country. Everyone should have the freedom to practice ones

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culture without fear. This can be achieved if avenues for participation in politics andgovernance should be as inclusive as possible. Equitable representation of ethnicgroups should also be demonstrated in the policy making bodies of the State.

5. To evolve a political system or form of government that is suitable to Filipinoidentity and culture

The Philippine culture is a damaged culture. We have come to adopteverything that is foreign at the expense of breaking from our traditional identity.As a result, almost all our institutions are foreign to us. We cannot relate to theseinstitutions. Moreover, it became incompatible to the diversity that our country ischaracterized of. These do not meet our needs. Therefore, there is a need to patterna political system that is appropriate to our nation. Democracy is not adopting thedemocratic procedures per se but creating a culture of equality in representation,participation, thinking, and access to resources as well as services.