Pub Date : 2020-11-06DOI: 10.1163/2165025x-bja10007
Yuko Kasuya, J. Teehankee
In this article, we argue that a consequence of Duterte’s presidency is the further weakening of the party system in the Philippines, or the emergence of “anarchy of parties.” Traditionally, Philippine presidents used their power of patronage in a quid-pro-quo manner vis-à-vis the legislators to achieve presidents’ goals, and this executive-legislative transaction was coordinated mainly through the president’s party. However, evidence suggests that Duterte bypassed Congress to achieve his policies by riding on his popularity and did not have to use his power of pork to co-opt politicians. As a result, the president’s party decreased its value as a coordination device for congressional affairs and party nominations at elections. Consequently, what we observe is an anarchy of parties where inter-party competition has become even more fluid and fragmented than before the Duterte presidency. We provide corroborative evidence to support our claim by mainly focusing on the 2019 midterm elections.
{"title":"Duterte Presidency and the 2019 Midterm Election: An Anarchy of Parties?","authors":"Yuko Kasuya, J. Teehankee","doi":"10.1163/2165025x-bja10007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/2165025x-bja10007","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000In this article, we argue that a consequence of Duterte’s presidency is the further weakening of the party system in the Philippines, or the emergence of “anarchy of parties.” Traditionally, Philippine presidents used their power of patronage in a quid-pro-quo manner vis-à-vis the legislators to achieve presidents’ goals, and this executive-legislative transaction was coordinated mainly through the president’s party. However, evidence suggests that Duterte bypassed Congress to achieve his policies by riding on his popularity and did not have to use his power of pork to co-opt politicians. As a result, the president’s party decreased its value as a coordination device for congressional affairs and party nominations at elections. Consequently, what we observe is an anarchy of parties where inter-party competition has become even more fluid and fragmented than before the Duterte presidency. We provide corroborative evidence to support our claim by mainly focusing on the 2019 midterm elections.","PeriodicalId":53551,"journal":{"name":"Philippine Political Science Journal","volume":"41 1","pages":"106-126"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1163/2165025x-bja10007","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46312068","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-11-06DOI: 10.1163/2165025x-bja10008
Robert Joseph P. Medillo
Why and how did the Philippine Congress intervene in the policies of Arroyo (hedging), Aquino III (balancing), and Duterte (appeasement) on the South China Sea disputes? In particular, why and how did the Philippine Congress challenge each president’s attempt to forge either cooperation or confrontation towards China? Guided by the domestic politics – foreign policy nexus, this article explores the dynamic role of the Philippine Congress in the country’s foreign policy process. It combines comparative case-study and content analysis methods to examine relevant congressional records, government documents, public speeches, and news reports. This article finds that the impetus behind Congress’ intervention was to seek accountability, legitimacy, and transparency via registering a bill or passing a law, filing legislative resolutions, holding congressional hearings, calling for impeachment proceedings, delivering privilege speeches, and issuing press releases. This article offers its empirical and theoretical contributions to broaden current understanding of the relationship between domestic politics and foreign policy.
{"title":"Seeking Accountability, Legitimacy, and Transparency: Congressional Intervention in the Philippines’ South China Sea Policy","authors":"Robert Joseph P. Medillo","doi":"10.1163/2165025x-bja10008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/2165025x-bja10008","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Why and how did the Philippine Congress intervene in the policies of Arroyo (hedging), Aquino III (balancing), and Duterte (appeasement) on the South China Sea disputes? In particular, why and how did the Philippine Congress challenge each president’s attempt to forge either cooperation or confrontation towards China? Guided by the domestic politics – foreign policy nexus, this article explores the dynamic role of the Philippine Congress in the country’s foreign policy process. It combines comparative case-study and content analysis methods to examine relevant congressional records, government documents, public speeches, and news reports. This article finds that the impetus behind Congress’ intervention was to seek accountability, legitimacy, and transparency via registering a bill or passing a law, filing legislative resolutions, holding congressional hearings, calling for impeachment proceedings, delivering privilege speeches, and issuing press releases. This article offers its empirical and theoretical contributions to broaden current understanding of the relationship between domestic politics and foreign policy.","PeriodicalId":53551,"journal":{"name":"Philippine Political Science Journal","volume":"41 1","pages":"161-191"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1163/2165025x-bja10008","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64480154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-12-27DOI: 10.1163/2165025x-12340016
Liza G.F. Lansang
This article looks at the politicization and framing of the issue of reproductive health (RH) in the Philippines and the advocacy work of faith-based organizations (FBOs) to influence public discourse and policy on artificial contraceptives. It studies the advocacy work of two FBOs, namely, Pro-Life Philippines and Couples for Christ, both of which participated in the oral arguments to amend the RH Law of 2012 based on their contentions that some artificial contraceptives were in fact abortifacients and that religious freedom can limit universal access to contraceptives. It addresses the role of religious reasons and ethics of citizenship of Christians in the public sphere of a liberal democracy. The author argues that the debate on artificial contraceptives, which deals with the question, “When does life begin?”, cannot be answered without a certain comprehensive belief. The participation of Pro-Life Philippines and Couples for Christ in the oral arguments contributed in the search for answers and protected diversity in Philippine democracy. These FBOs, however, have the moral obligation to respect other positions, while at the same time advocating amendments to the RH Law based on their beliefs. This is what the author calls the Christian Imperative. This civic virtue can be achieved through reflexive thinking and was seen in the kind of arguments Pro-Life Philippines and Couples for Christ brought to the debate, in other words, aiming for a theo-ethical equilibrium, i.e., having both religious reasons and secular ethical considerations for their support or repeal of public policy. To the extent that Pro-Life Philippines and Couples for Christ presented not only theological reasons, such as the inviolability of life, but also ethical reasons, such as some artificial contraceptives being abortifacients and religious freedom to limit universal access to contraceptives, the author posits that the beginnings of reflexive thinking can be seen on the side of these FBOs. The author also argues, however, that secular citizens must also learn to practice reflexive thinking to view religious arguments as legitimate in order for fruitful conversation to take place.
{"title":"Conversion to Conversation: The Search for a Christian Imperative in the Public Sphere and the Discourse on Artificial Contraceptives in the Philippines","authors":"Liza G.F. Lansang","doi":"10.1163/2165025x-12340016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/2165025x-12340016","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000This article looks at the politicization and framing of the issue of reproductive health (RH) in the Philippines and the advocacy work of faith-based organizations (FBOs) to influence public discourse and policy on artificial contraceptives. It studies the advocacy work of two FBOs, namely, Pro-Life Philippines and Couples for Christ, both of which participated in the oral arguments to amend the RH Law of 2012 based on their contentions that some artificial contraceptives were in fact abortifacients and that religious freedom can limit universal access to contraceptives. It addresses the role of religious reasons and ethics of citizenship of Christians in the public sphere of a liberal democracy. The author argues that the debate on artificial contraceptives, which deals with the question, “When does life begin?”, cannot be answered without a certain comprehensive belief. The participation of Pro-Life Philippines and Couples for Christ in the oral arguments contributed in the search for answers and protected diversity in Philippine democracy. These FBOs, however, have the moral obligation to respect other positions, while at the same time advocating amendments to the RH Law based on their beliefs. This is what the author calls the Christian Imperative. This civic virtue can be achieved through reflexive thinking and was seen in the kind of arguments Pro-Life Philippines and Couples for Christ brought to the debate, in other words, aiming for a theo-ethical equilibrium, i.e., having both religious reasons and secular ethical considerations for their support or repeal of public policy. To the extent that Pro-Life Philippines and Couples for Christ presented not only theological reasons, such as the inviolability of life, but also ethical reasons, such as some artificial contraceptives being abortifacients and religious freedom to limit universal access to contraceptives, the author posits that the beginnings of reflexive thinking can be seen on the side of these FBOs. The author also argues, however, that secular citizens must also learn to practice reflexive thinking to view religious arguments as legitimate in order for fruitful conversation to take place.","PeriodicalId":53551,"journal":{"name":"Philippine Political Science Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":"262-287"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1163/2165025x-12340016","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47760742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-12-27DOI: 10.1163/2165025x-12340015
Rhea Ledesma-Gumasing
This paper analyzes how the local public market enterprise in the Philippines was reformed through public deliberations and benchmarked with Habermas’ model of deliberative democracy. The findings reveal that the normative model and the public market reform experience of Naga City fit well – although the model should be complemented by empirical observations such as leadership and facilitators to support the periphery and iterative procedures for a functioning deliberative democracy. In addition, the study shows that considerations of the public sphere deliberations and procedural minima led to sustainable results and civic renewal, consistent with the long-term governance approach of Naga City. Case study research design and discourse analyses were adopted. Review of transcripts, face-to-face interviews with key stakeholders, and use of secondary data were utilized in reconstructing the reform process.
{"title":"Norms and Practice of Public Sphere Deliberations in the Philippines: A Case Study of Naga City’s Public Market Reform","authors":"Rhea Ledesma-Gumasing","doi":"10.1163/2165025x-12340015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/2165025x-12340015","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000This paper analyzes how the local public market enterprise in the Philippines was reformed through public deliberations and benchmarked with Habermas’ model of deliberative democracy. The findings reveal that the normative model and the public market reform experience of Naga City fit well – although the model should be complemented by empirical observations such as leadership and facilitators to support the periphery and iterative procedures for a functioning deliberative democracy. In addition, the study shows that considerations of the public sphere deliberations and procedural minima led to sustainable results and civic renewal, consistent with the long-term governance approach of Naga City. Case study research design and discourse analyses were adopted. Review of transcripts, face-to-face interviews with key stakeholders, and use of secondary data were utilized in reconstructing the reform process.","PeriodicalId":53551,"journal":{"name":"Philippine Political Science Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":"230-261"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1163/2165025x-12340015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42463121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-12-27DOI: 10.1163/2165025x-12340017
Maria Ela L. Atienza
{"title":"From Aquino II to Duterte (2010–2018): Change, Continuity – and Rupture, edited by Imelda Deinla and Björn Dressel","authors":"Maria Ela L. Atienza","doi":"10.1163/2165025x-12340017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/2165025x-12340017","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":53551,"journal":{"name":"Philippine Political Science Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1163/2165025x-12340017","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45342847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-12-27DOI: 10.1163/2165025x-12340019
J. M. Sy
{"title":"Queer International Relations: Sovereignty, Sexuality, and the Will to Knowledge, written by Cynthia Weber","authors":"J. M. Sy","doi":"10.1163/2165025x-12340019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/2165025x-12340019","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":53551,"journal":{"name":"Philippine Political Science Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":"299-302"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1163/2165025x-12340019","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43446140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-12-27DOI: 10.1163/2165025x-12340014
R. A. Panao
How does the Philippine Senate fare as an institutional check to the policy proposals made by the House of Representatives? The study examines a facet of bicameral policymaking by analyzing the type of measures likely to receive attention in the Philippine Senate, and the propensity by which these measures are passed into legislation. Contrary to views that portray deliberative processes in second chambers as redundant and time-consuming, the paper argues that this prerogative is institutionally functional as it affords a mechanism for checking the informational quality of legislative policies skewed by particularistic demands at the lower house. Analyzing the event histories of 10,885 bills filed and deliberated at the Philippine Senate between the 13th and the 16th Congresses, we find that policy proposals pertaining to education, health, and public works – the most frequent areas of particularistic legislative measures at the lower house – are less likely to be passed into law in the Senate even though overall they comprise the bulk of legislative proposals in the Philippine Congress. The findings are robust even when controlling for other political and institutional determinants of legislative attention.
{"title":"‘Does the upper house have the upper hand?’","authors":"R. A. Panao","doi":"10.1163/2165025x-12340014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/2165025x-12340014","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000How does the Philippine Senate fare as an institutional check to the policy proposals made by the House of Representatives? The study examines a facet of bicameral policymaking by analyzing the type of measures likely to receive attention in the Philippine Senate, and the propensity by which these measures are passed into legislation. Contrary to views that portray deliberative processes in second chambers as redundant and time-consuming, the paper argues that this prerogative is institutionally functional as it affords a mechanism for checking the informational quality of legislative policies skewed by particularistic demands at the lower house. Analyzing the event histories of 10,885 bills filed and deliberated at the Philippine Senate between the 13th and the 16th Congresses, we find that policy proposals pertaining to education, health, and public works – the most frequent areas of particularistic legislative measures at the lower house – are less likely to be passed into law in the Senate even though overall they comprise the bulk of legislative proposals in the Philippine Congress. The findings are robust even when controlling for other political and institutional determinants of legislative attention.","PeriodicalId":53551,"journal":{"name":"Philippine Political Science Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":"201-229"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1163/2165025x-12340014","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46671913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-12-27DOI: 10.1163/2165025x-12340018
Georgeline B. Jaca
{"title":"Participation Without Democracy: Containing Conflict in Southeast Asia, written by Garry Rodan","authors":"Georgeline B. Jaca","doi":"10.1163/2165025x-12340018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/2165025x-12340018","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":53551,"journal":{"name":"Philippine Political Science Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":"294-298"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1163/2165025x-12340018","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41736280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}