I. Introduction
The Politics of the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system. This system revolves around three separate and sovereign yet interdependent branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. Executive power is exercised by the government under the leadership of the president. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two-chamber Congress: the Senate (the upper chamber) and the House of Representatives (the lower chamber).
Judicial power is vested in the courts with the Supreme Court of the Philippines as the highest judicial body.
Local government is exercised by local government units from the provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays. While the most regions do not have political power, and exist merely for administration purposes, autonomous regions have expanded powers more than the other local government units. While local government units enjoy autonomy, much of their budget is derived from allocations from the national government, putting their true autonomy in doubt. Elections are administered by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).
The elected officials are the president, vice president, members of Congress, regional governors and assemblymen, provincial governors, vice governors and board members, city and municipal mayors, vice mayors and councilors, and barangay (village) chairmen and councilors. Elections are for fixed terms.
The Essay on United States Government Power Americans
A new age of thought and reason emerged from Europe and America in the 18 th century. This new age would be known as the Enlightenment, where people believed they were entering an age of reason, science, and a respect for humanity. During the Enlightenment, thinkers thought that the Roman Catholic Church had caused the human mind to be closed from reason. Instead of strictly following Christian ...
All elected officials have three-year terms, except for the president, vice president and senators, which are six years. All terms begins and ends on June 30 of the election year. Elections above the barangay level are held every three years since 1992 on the second Monday of May, all positions are disputed except for president and vice president; presidential and vice presidential elections are held every six years since 1992. Single-winner elections are done via the plurality voting system: the candidate with the highest number of votes is elected. Multiple-winner elections, except for representatives elected the party-list system, are done via plurality-at-large voting. Each voter has x votes, with the x candidates with the highest number of votes being elected.
For representatives elected the party-list system, a party that won at least 2% of the national vote wins one seat, with additional seats, but not exceeding three seats, depends on the number of votes it received. If the number of sectoral representatives does not reach 20% of the membership of the House of Representatives, parties with less than 2% of the vote are given a seat each until the 20% membership is filled Importance of the Study
This research paper will talk about how our government runs today. The anomalies and controversies make Philippines on the spot light. We will also been able to point out the powerful politicians that rule the country for almost a decade! With this study it will help us realize the wrong doings of the politicians.
Definition of Terms
Kleptocracy/kleptomaniac – somebody with obsessive desire to steal. A government that ruled by thieves. Impeachment – politician order to remove from the service
Amassed – to bring a large quantity of things together over time Embezzlement – to take for personal use the money or property that has been given on trust by others, without their knowledge or permission Cronyism – special treatment and preference given to relatives, friends or colleagues, especially in politics Derogatory – expressing criticism or a low opinion
Bribery – the offering of money or other incentives to persuade somebody to do something, especially dishonest or illegal Nepotism – favoritism shown by somebody in power to relatives and friends, especially in appointing them to good positions
The Essay on How The Marcos Years Affected Society
The Marcos rule was economically disastrous for the Philippines. The causes of this were greatly made by the abuses of the Marcos es and their cronies. Their crimes brought our country into deep poverty and trouble at the end. And the evidence of their scandalous acts is found in various published materials. Some people have estimated that the Marcos's and their associates took at least 5 billion ...
II. Body
Graft and Corruption
‘Corruption is the abuse of power by a public official for private gain.’ (Bellow, 2003) There is a long history of graft and corruption within the government of the Philippines. This corruption reached its apex during the height of the Marcos regime. Corruption and thievery was so bad under the rule of Ferdinand Marcos that in the late 1980s, the Guinness Book of Records listed the Philippines as the all-time most corrupt government in the history of the world. The Marcos government was labeled a kleptocracy, literally meaning that it was a government ruled by thieves.
A kleptocracy can be defined as a dishonest form of governmental corruption where the government exists solely to increase the personal wealth and power of its officials and the ruling class without regard for the wider population. From the years 1972 to 1983 the United States provided $2.5 billion in bilateral military and economic aid to the Marcos regime, and about $5.5 billion through multilateral institutions such as the World Bank. Marcos took a large percentage of the United States aid money for himself and his cronies. In 1986, 56 Filipino Assemblymen signed a resolution calling for the impeachment of President Marcos for alleged diversion of U.S. aid for personal use, citing a July 1985 San Jose Mercury News expose of the Marcoses’ multi-million dollar investment and property holdings in the United States.
The properties allegedly amassed by the Marcos family were the Crown Building, Lindenmere Estate, and a number of residential apartments (in New Jersey and New York), a shopping center in New York, mansions (in London, Rome and Honolulu), the Helen Knudsen Estate in Hawaii and condominiums in San Francisco, California. Bribery, embezzlement, vote buying and illegal gambling were rampant under Marcos rule in the Philippines. Marcos looted billions of dollars from the Filipino treasury, and the corruption reached its high-point with the assassination of Marcos’ political opponent Benigno Aquino. Graft has subsided in recent years, and in 2007 the Philippines ranked last place in the 13 Asian economies that were studied. (unpan1.un.org. www.britannica.com) (http://www.reference.com/motif/history/history-of-graft-corruption-in-the-philippines)
The Essay on Philipines Graft And Corruption
... Marcos regime which has been describe as a government portrayed by out of control greed and corruption, ... the challenges to national development in the Philippines is the administration of one of ... her in a hospital for corruption charges. The Philippine anti-graft commanded her arrest for supposedly ... the government’s management. Second is the period in office of former President Joseph Estrada. Back ...
There are many types of corruption that can occur in government entities. Some of these are extortion, nepotism, embezzlement, bribery, cronyism, patronage, and graft. Some of the more common types that are found are extortion, embezzlement and bribery. (www.politicalcorruption.net) The causes and effects of corruption, and how to combat corruption, are issues that are increasingly on the national and international agendas of politicians and other policymakers. For example, the World Bank has relatively recently come around to the view that economic development is closely linked to corruption reduction (World Bank 1997) and there have been numerous anti-corruption initiatives in multiple jurisdictions (Heidenheimer, Johnston, Preston and Sampford 2002).
Moreover, the very recent Global Financial Crisis has revealed financial corruption, and spurred regulators to consider various anti-corruption measures by way of response. By contrast, the concept of corruption has not received much attention. (Abed and Gupta (eds.), 2003) Existing conceptual work on corruption consists in little more than the presentation of brief definitions of corruption as a preliminary to extended accounts of the causes and effects of corruption and the ways to combat it. (Anechiarico and Jacobs, 1998) Moreover, most of these definitions of corruption are unsatisfactory in fairly obvious ways. (Baker, 2005) According to a World Bank study in 2008, corruption in the Philippines is considered to be the worst among East Asia’s leading economies and the country has sunk even lower among those seen to be lagging in governance reforms. (Dumlao, 2008)
The 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index published by global watchdog Transparency International, showed that the situation in the country had improved slightly but still remained serious. (Dizon, 2009) The Philippines ranked 3rd among 180 countries included in the index, up from its previous 141st ranking in 2008. The nation scored 2.4 in the TI index, compared to 2.3 in 2008, which ranked it equal to Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Baltic state of Belarus. (Dizon, 2009) Corruption exists in all levels of the government, especially among high-level civil servants, according to the US Department of State Investment Climate Statement 2013. (Investment Climate Statement 2013 from the US Department of State) Companies generally have little confidence in the Philippine judicial system, and this is due to the allegedly incompetent court personnel, corruption and long delays of court cases. (en.wikipedia.org)
The Business plan on The Philippine Mtual Fund Industry Swot Analysis
A financial adviser will be hired the investment company to help choose where to place your money. In relation with his you’ll be having an access a boarder range of investment instruments such as equities, fixed income and real estate. Another, thing mutual fund has a low tolerance on risk through diversification. Finally, an investor whose considering to put his money in mutual fund would be ...
List of political scandals in the Philippines
Rolex 12, 1972 – controversy involving Pres. Ferdinand Marcos’ favoring certain Generals to propagate his terms of office. Coco Levy Fund Scam 1970s
Bataan Nuclear Power Plant bribery and graft case. 1980s
Imelda Marcos’ shoe collection 1980s
Operation Big Bird, 1986 – the bungled plan of the Philippine Government to retrieve the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses in Swiss banks. PEA
Amari Scam 1990s
Subic Bay Leadership Dispute, 1998 – Pres. Joseph Estrada’s Executive Order No. 1 orders the removal of Richard Gordon as Chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), and replaces him with Felicito Payumo. Textbook Scam & Nepotism – Pres. Estrada appoints relatives to government positions, and intervenes in their behalf.1990s Hot Cars Scandal – Pres. Estrada assigns seized vehicles by the Bureau of Customs to his Cabinet secretaries and favored political allies.1990s BW Resources scandal – Pres. Estrada and associates profit from an alleged stock manipulation scheme.
2000s Estrada Midnight Cabinet – Chief of Staff Aprodicio Laquian jests in a press conference that he is the only one sober during the President’s “Midnight Cabinet,” drinking and gambling sessions in Malacañan Palace. 2000 Jueteng Gate 2000 – Chavit Singson exposé on President Joseph Estrada receiving jueteng payoffs and bribes. This led to the impeachment of Estrada and eventful downfall Hello Garci scandal, 2004 – scandal involving Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on committing electoral fraud during the 2004 National Elections. Fertilizer Fund scam, 2004 – controversy involving accusations that Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante diverted Php 728M in fertilizer funds to the 2004 election campaign of President Arroyo. GSIS-Meralco bribery case, 2008
Philippine National Broadband Network controversy, 2008 – (also referred to as the NBN/ZTE deal or NBN/ZTE mess) involved allegations of corruption in the awarding of a US$329 million construction contract to Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE for the proposed government-managed National Broadband Network (NBN).
The Term Paper on City States Democracy Political Greek
Democracy: From Early Athenian To Present Day Politics. When following current events we can't help but witness politicians use terms such as "defending freedom", "liberty", or "democracy", but one is simply left wondering if the general public, or even the politicians themselves, know what those terms really mean or where they come from. The reality is that most don't. The ideals of living in a ...
Euro Generals scandal, 2008 – involves Eliseo de la Paz and several Philippine National Police officials who went to Russia on October 2008 to attend the Interpol conference. De la Paz was detained for carrying a large sum of undeclared money. Pimentel III vs. Zubiri Senate Electoral Protest, 2008
2009 National Artist Controversy, 2009 (en.wikipedia.org)
pork barrel Scam
Pork barrel is the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative’s district. The usage originated in American English. (Drudge 2010) In election campaigns, the term is used in derogatory fashion to attack opponents. Scholars, however, use it as a technical term regarding legislative control of local appropriations. (Bickers and Stein 2008) In the Philippines, the term “pork barrel” is used to mean funds allocated to the members of the Philippine House of Representatives and the Philippine Senate to spend as they see fit without going through the normal budgetary process or through the Executive Branch. It can be used for both “hard” projects, such as buildings and roads, and “soft” projects, such as scholarships and medical expenses.
Beginning in 2006, the amount was ₱70.0 M for each Representative and ₱200.0 M for each Senator. This pork barrel system was stopped by President Ferdinand Marcos during his dictatorship but was reintroduced by President Corazon Aquino in 1986. The program has had different names over the years, including the Countryside Development Fund, Congressional Initiative Fund, and currently the Priority Development Assistance Fund. During the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the PDAF became the biggest source of corruption among the legislators. Kickbacks were common and became syndicated–using pre-identified project implementers including government agencies, contractors and bogus non-profit corporations as well as the government’s Commission on Audit. In August 2013, outrage over the ₱10 B Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, involving Janet Lim-Napoles and numerous Senators and Representatives, led to widespread calls for abolition of the PDAF system.
The Term Paper on City Of God Power Political Augustine
According to St Augustine, should members of the City of God regard political power as something that was good or bad or with indifference? St Augustine has long held a reputation as one of the most influential and important political thinkers of all time. His ideologies and concepts which were formulated many centuries ago, have continued to hold their weight even in our contemporary world. It is ...
This also included the pork barrel funds of President Aquino that amounted to several billions of pesos.The Million People March which occurred on August 26, 2013, National Heroes’ Day in the Philippines, called for the end of “pork barrel” and was joined by simultaneous protests nationwide and by the Filipino diaspora around the world. (Francisco 2013) Petitioners have challenged the constitutionality of the PDAF before the high court following reports of its widespread and systematic misuse by some members of Congress in cahoots with private individuals. Three incumbent senators and several former members of the House of Representatives have been named respondents in a plunder complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam.
Public outrage over the anomaly has resulted in the largest protest gathering under the three-year-old Aquino administration. (gmanetwork.com) In November 19, 2013 The Supreme Court declared the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or more commonly known as the pork barrel, as unconstitutional. In a briefing, the high court declared the PDAF Article in 2013 General Approriations Act and all similar provisions on the pork barrel system as illegal because it “allowed legislators to wield, in varying gradiations, non-oversight, post-enactment authority in vital areas of budget executions (thus violating) the principle of separation of powers. (http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/336120/news/nation/supreme-court-declares-pdaf-unconstitutional)
Political Dynasties in the Philippines
Politics in the Philippines has been under the control of a few notable families. It is normal for a politician’s son, wife, brother, or other kinsman, to run for the same or other government office. The term coined by Filipinos to describe this practice is “Political dynasty”, the equivalent of anoligarchy in political science. One can trace its roots from the Spanish colonial times where favored families of the mestizo stock, or the Illustrados were given responsibilities of Gobernadorcillo, or Alcalde. As such, these men have wielded some influence in their communities, and patronage politics was a common undertaking. During the early years of American rule of the Philippine Islands, these Illustrados joined the democratic process introduced by the Philippine Bill of 1902.
During this period, family names such as Cojuangcos, Lopezes, Marcoses, Osmeñas, Aquinos started to emerge, later on becoming household names. The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines states in Article II Section 26, “The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.” Many have called for the Congress to pass the Anti-Dynasty Law, but this bill has been passed over by each Congress since 1987. Some have pointed that oligarchy is the root problem of all the corruption in the Philippine government. Despite the entry of the Party List System in the 11th Congress, the proportion of lawmakers with relatives in elective positions have remained the same in the post-Marcos political scene.
Political scientist Dante Simbulan, in a study of the elites of Philippine politics from 1946 to 1963 lists 169 prominent families. These families have produced 584 public officials, including seven Presidents, two Vice Presidents, 42 Senators, and 147 Representatives. The tables below outline the demographics of families in politics. (Coronel, Chua, Rimban, & Cruz 2007)
In the 14th Congress of the Philippines (from July 23, 2007 to June 4, 2010), it was surveyed that more than 75% of the lawmakers are members of the old political families. (Ubalde 2007)
List of political families in the Philippines
1 Abad Family (Batanes)
2 Abalos Family (Mandaluyong City)
3 Abaya Family (Cavite)
4 Acosta Family (Bukidnon)
5 Aguilar(-Villar) Family (Las Piñas City & Muntinlupa City)
6 Albano Family (Isabela)
7 Alcala Family (Quezon)
8 Alfaro-Alfelor Family (Camarines Sur & Bulacan)
9 Almario Family (Davao Oriental)
10 Alonto Family (Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte)
11 Ampatuan Family (Maguindanao)
12 Andal-Contreras Family (Oriental Mindoro)
13 Angara Family (Aurora)
14 Antonino Family (Nueva Ecija, La Union & General Santos City)
15 Aquino Family (Sorsogon, Agusan del Sur & CARAGA)
16 Arroyo Family (Camarines Sur, Negros Occidental and Pampanga)
17 Asistio Family (Caloocan City)
18 Atienza Family (Manila)
19 Bagatsing Family (Manila and Muntinlupa City)
20 Barzaga Family (Cavite)
21 Belmonte Family (Quezon City)
22 Bernabe Family (Parañaque City)
23 Binay Family (Makati City)
24 Caorong Family (Lanao del Norte;Kauswagan, Iligan City)
25 Calalay Family (Quezon City)
26 Calixto Family (Pasay City)
27 Castelo Family (Quezon City)
28 Cayetano Family (Muntinlupa City, Pateros and Taguig City)
29 Cerilles Family (Zamboanga del Sur)
30 Climaco Family (Zamboanga City)
31 Cortes Family (Mandaue)
32 Cojuangco(-Aquino) Family (Tarlac)
33 Crisologo Family (Ilocos Sur)
34 Cua Family (Quirino)
35 Cuenco Family (Cebu)
36 Datumulok Family (Lanao del Sur)
37 Defensor Family (Iloilo and Quezon City)
38 De Venecia (Pangasinan)
39 Del Mar Family (Cebu)
40 Dimaporo Family (Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur)
41 Dominguez Family
42 Dumlao Family (Nueva Vizcaya)
43 Duterte Family (Davao City)
44 Dy Family (Isabela)
45 Echiverri Family (Caloocan City)
46 Ecleo Family (Dinagat Islands)
47 Ejercito Family (Estrada/Estregan Family) (Laguna, Manila, Quezon, and San Juan City)
48 Escudero Family (Sorsogon)
49 Espinosa/Martinez Family (Cebu/Masbate/Iloilo City)
50 Eusebio Family (Pasig)
51 Fajardo Family (Nueva Ecija )
52 Fua Family (Siquijor)
53 Fuentebella Family (Camarines Sur, Negros)
54 Gaje/Locsin Family (Negros Occidental, Iloilo)
55 Galicia Family (Davao Region)
56 Garcia Family (Bataan)
57 Garcia Family (Cebu)
58 Garcia Family (Davao City)
59 Garin Family (Iloilo)
60 Gatchalian Family (Valenzuela City)
61 Gomez Family (Laguna)
62 Gordon Family (Zambales)
63 Guingona Family (Agusan, Bukidnon, Negros Oriental and Misamis Oriental)
64 Imperial Family (Albay)
65 Jaen Family (Leganes, Iloilo)
66 Jagunap Family (Leganes, Iloilo)
67 Jalandoni Jover Family (Iloilo City)
68 Jalosjos Family (Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay)
69 Javier Family (Navotas)
70 Noriel-Joson Family (Nueva Ecija)
71 Lacson Family (Antique, Cavite, Negros Occidental and Manila)
72 Lapid Family (Pampanga)
73 Lapus Family (Tarlac)
74 Laurel Family (Batangas)
75 Lecaroz Family (Marinduque and Batangas)
76 Lim Family (Southern Leyte)
77 Lobregat Family (Zamboanga City)
78 Lim Family (Palawan)
79 Maliksi Family (Cavite)
80 Manrique Family (Boac, Marinduque)
81 Mangudadatu Family (Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao )
82 Macapagal Family (Pampanga)
83 Madrigal Family
84 Magsaysay Family (Zambales)
85 Masigan Family (Isabela)
86 Mastura Family (Maguindanao)
87 Mendiola/Siojo/Mercado Family (Bulacan, Pampanga, Mindoro, Samar)
88 Mitra Family (Palawan)
89 Nepomuceno Family (Pampanga)
90 Olivarez Family (Parañaque City)
91 Ortega Family (La Union, Negros Oriental)
92 Osmeña Family (Cebu)
93 Pacquiao Family (Sarangani)
94 Pimentel Family (Cagayan de Oro)
95 Plaza Family (Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Cagayan)
96 Ponce Enrile Family (Cagayan)
97 Rama Family (Cebu)
98 Ramos Family (Pangasinan)
99 Recto Family (Batangas)
100 Remulla Family (Cavite)
101 Revilla Family (Cavite)
102 Reyes Family (Marinduque)
103 Reyes Family (Palawan)
104 Robredo Family (Camarines Sur)
105 Roco Family (Camarines Sur)
106 Roman Family (Bataan)
107 Romualdez/ Lopez Family (Leyte)
108 Romulo Family (Pasig) and (Valenzuela)
109 Roxas Family (Capiz)
110 Santillan Family (Batangas, Cavite, Manila, Antique, Albay, Pampanga)
111 Sarmiento Family (Buenavista, Marinduque)
112 Singson/ Gacula (Ilocos Sur)
113 Sinsuat Family (Maguindanao)
114 Sotto Family (Cebu, Quezon City & Paranaque)
115 Suarez Family (Quezon)
116 Teves Family (Negros Oriental and Muntinlupa)
117 Tiangco Family (Navotas)
118 Tañada Family (Quezon)
119 Tolentino Family (Cavite)
120 Ty Family (Surigao del Sur)
121 Umali Family (Nueva Ecija)
122 Uy Family (Isabela)
123 Uy Family (Zamboanga del Norte)
124 Violago Family (Nueva Ecija)
125 Villafuerte Family (Camarines Sur)
126 Villarreal Family
127 Ynares Family (Rizal)
128 Zubiri Family (Bukidnon)
(Ederic and Vallarta 2007)
Political Killings
The political killings in the Philippines are a series of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of Left-wing politicians and activists, journalists, human rights advocates, the political opposition, and outspoken clergy that have increased dramatically since 2001. Numerous actors are said to be responsible for these killings which include the New People’s Army and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Left-wing political groups, such as the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, meanwhile blame the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit, and government-backed militias. They state that it is part of the official government policy of eradicating the threat from the insurgency of the Communist Party of the Philippines and was officially sanctioned by the government of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with the codename of Oplan Bantay Laya (Operation Plan Bantay Laya).
These series of events have placed the Philippines on the human rights watch lists of the United Nations and the United States Congress. Philip Alston, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings has criticized the Philippine government for not doing enough to stop the killings, many of which had been linked to government anti-insurgency operations. The political killings in the Philippines, with an estimated death toll of over 1,200 in 2010, began during the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2001. These include extrajudicial harassment, torture, disappearances and murder of civilian non-combatants by the military and police.
The events are thought to be linked to the “War on Terrorism” in 2001 and includes more than 850 mainstream journalists and other public figures and the harassment, detention, or torture of untold more. (Balgos 2013) Many commentators have criticized the killings, such as James Petras and Robin Eastman-Abaya, who have said that “Human rights groups provide evidence that death squads operate under the protective umbrella of regional military commands, especially the U.S.-trained Special Forces”. (Shepsle and Weingast 1981) The historian, E. San Juan, Jr., meanwhile, writes that the estimates of killings vary on the precise number, with the government estimating only 114. It has failed to gain any convictions, and as of February 2007 had only arrested 3 suspects in the over 100 cases of assassination. (San Juan, Jr. 2006)
He also alleges that the Arroyo government initially made no response to the dramatic increase in violence and killings writing that the “Arroyo has been tellingly silent over the killing and abduction of countless members of opposition parties and popular organizations”. (E. San Juan, Jr. 2006) He later writes in February 2007, that the United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston implicated the Philippine police and military as responsible for the crimes, and in his report, Alston charged Arroyo’s propaganda and counter-insurgency strategy with the act that “encourage or facilitate the extra-judicial killings of activists and other enemies” of the state.( San Juan Jr. 2006) and that “the AFP remains in a state of almost total denial… of its need to respond effectively and authentically to the significant number of killings which have been convincingly attributed to them” (Batario 2003)
Most of those killed or “disappeared” were peasant or worker activists belonging to progressive groups such as Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, GABRIELA, Anakbayan, Karapatan, KMU, and others (Petras and Abaya 2006).
They were protesting Arroyo’s repressive taxation, collusion with foreign capital tied to oil and mining companies that destroy people’s livelihood and environment, fraudulent use of public funds, and other anti-people measures. Such groups and individuals have been tagged as “communist fronts” by Arroyo’s National Security Advisers, the military, and police; the latter agencies have been implicated in perpetrating or tolerating those ruthless atrocities. —San Juan, Jr. 2006
The online publication Bulatlat states that “According to a recent international fact-finding mission of Dutch and Belgian judges and lawyers, [the government-created body] Task Force Usig ‘has not proven to be an independent body…the PNP has a poor record as far as the effective investigation of the killings is concerned and is mistrusted by the Philippine people”. (Bulatlat.com) Task Force Usig dismissed nearly half of the 114 cases of assassination as “cold” (“DILG should urge Task Force Usig to really investigate all political killings – KMU”) and, of the 58 cases where charges were brought, has secured only convictions only twice. (San Juan, Jr. 2006)
As a result of the state of emergency in 2006, Presidential Proclamation 1017 was signed by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, which according to Cher S. Jimenez writing in Asia Times Online, “grants exceptional unchecked powers to the executive branch, placing the country in a state of emergency and permitting the police and security forces to conduct warrantless arrests against enemies of the state, including…members of the political opposition and journalists from critical media outlets. With 185 dead, 2006 is so far (2007) the highest annual mark for extrajudicial government murders.
Of the 2006 killings, the dead were “mostly left-leaning activists, murdered without trial or punishment for the perpetrators”, the issuance of the proclamation conspicuously coincided with a dramatic increase in political violence and extrajudicial killings. (Sison 2014) Current Secretary of Justice and former Human Rights Commissioner Leila de Lima has stated that she seeks a resolution to the problem. The New York Times reported in 2010 that an estimated 1,200 civilians have died due to the campaign. (Conde 2010) On August 2010, the Armed Forces of the Philippines announced that the counter-insurgency program would end by December 31, 2010. (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100816-287112/Activists-slam-extension-of-Oplan Bantay-Laya)
Maguindanao Massacre
The Maguindanao massacre, also known as the Ampatuan massacre after the town where the mass graves were found, (Perez 2009) occurred on the morning of November 23, 2009, in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao province, on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. While the 58 victims were on their way to file a certificate of candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan town, they were kidnapped and brutally killed. Mangudadatu was challenging Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr., son of the incumbent Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan, Sr. and member of one of Mindanao’s leading Muslim political clans, in the forthcoming Maguindanao gubernatorial election, (Jimenez-David 2009) part of the national elections in 2010.
The people killed included Mangudadatu’s wife, his two sisters, journalists, lawyers, aides, and motorists who were witnesses or were mistakenly identified as part of the convoy. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called the Maguindanao massacre the single deadliest event for journalists in history. (Alcuim 2009) At least 34 journalists are known to have died in the massacre. (Zonio, Aquilies (2009) In a statement, CPJ executive director Joel Simon noted that the killings, “appears to be single deadliest event for the press since 1992, when CPJ began keeping detailed records on journalist deaths.” The CPJ further noted that, “Even as we tally the dead in this horrific massacre, our initial research indicates that this is the deadliest single attack on the press ever documented by CPJ.” Even before the Maguindanao massacre, the CPJ had labeled the Philippines the second most dangerous country for journalists, second only to Iraq. (Alcuin 2009) III. Conclusion
Our government is a mess. There’s this saying that, even though you’re not yet born, you had automatically a debt. Philippines is a rich county but due to the crocodile system in the government, our economy is slowly going down. Rich people continue to get rich while the poor people becoming worst. Scarcity and food shortage is rampant especially those who live in Manila. Street children, malnourished kids, squatter’s area – what a sight. Politicians have many promises during the election campaigns, where did it go after they had won? Are they made from steel or ice? They tend to ignore the problems and live just for themselves thinking how much they will get from the money of the people. But who must blame? It is still our fault. Why? Who was the one that make those politicians on their position?
IV. References
BOOKS
Abed, George T. and Sanjeev Gupta (eds.) (2003) Governance, Corruption, and Economic Performance, Washington DC: International Monetary Fund. Denmark; HarperCollins Publisher
Anechiarico, Frank and Jacobs, James B. (1998) The Pursuit of Absolute Integrity: How Corruption Control Makes Government Ineffective, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Bellow, Adam (2003) In Praise of Nepotism, New York: Doubleday
Baker, Raymond, (2005) Capitalism’s Achilles Heel: Dirty Money and How to Renew the Free-Market System, Indianapolis: Wiley
Coronel, Chua, Rimban, & Cruz (2007) The Rule makers Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism p.47
Coronel, Chua, Rimban, & Cruz (2007) The Rule makers Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism p.49
Heidenheimer, Johnston, Preston and Sampford (2002) Investigating Local Governments p.89
PERIODICALS AND JOURNALS
Alcuin (November 26, 2009).
“Maguindanao massacre worst-ever for journalists”. Philippine Daily Inquirer
Balgos, Cecile (2013) “Deadly dirty work in the Philippines (page 1)”. Asia Times
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