Christian Roque Pos 160 Final Exam Philippine Political Framework

As it was more than a hundred years ago, during the American occupation, Philippine politics is still dominated by a handful of elite families. Due to weakness of our state institutions, political elites were able to take advantage and use their power to serve their own interests. The four post-Martial Law presidencies have all been haunted and the same time played important roles in the promulgation of elite politics that didnt help improve the political maturity of the Philippines. This is most glaring in the past administration of former President Gloria Arroyo, wherein she willingly cooperates with the political elites in an effort to preserve her presidency. Families like the Singsons, Duranos and the controversial Ampatuans were a familiar sight during the leadership of Arroyo. The provincial base of powers of these elites ensured that Arroyos presidency would be assured and sustained despite her unpopularity and the overwhelming call for her resignation. Even our current president, Noynoy Aquino, is a glaring representation of how elites have ruled over our country. Benigno Aquino III comes from a long line of elite families from both his maternal and paternal side. Both of parents where part of a political elite family that have been ruling over our country since the American period. His father Benigno Aquino Jr. was a former Senator whose assassination became one of the reasons for the People Power Revolution. His paternal grandfather was also a Senator during the American period and was one of the politicians that collaborated with the Japanese government during their invasion. Her mother on the other hand was the late former president Corazon Cojuangco Aquino and was part of the prominent and one of the most powerful political families in the Philippines, the Cojuangco clan that up until now still rules much of the province of Tarlac. If youre going to look at the politicians that rule over the Philippines over a hundred years ago, you will see the same familiar names that rule over our country now. The Osmenas, Roxas, Cojuangcos, and the Aquinos are just few of the family names that exist in the list of powerful and top politicians of the Philippines one hundred years ago and are still prominent in the Philippines current politics. Ruling over their respective territories with a combination of popularity, charm, wealth, and use of violence, these families were able to keep off rival politicians and sometimes even the national government from wresting power from their respective families. Their unprecedented rule over their territories meant that they were free to wield their political power without contestation to their advantage. These political families were able to privatize state operated industries with the use of legitimate political power they have acquired. Doing so weakens the state and further strengthens their rule of their particular territories. In tracing the emergence of the political elites in the Philippines it is best to look at Benedict Andersons Cacique Democracy in the Philippines: Origins and Dreams1. In that book, Anderson said that elite families originated from the mestizos or the offsprings of Sangleys2 and local Filipino women. The mestizos at first were marginalized until they gained economic power from the Sangleys during the British invasion of Manila on 1762. They might, however, have remained a marginal and stigmatized group, had it not been for the services of British imperialism. When Madrid joined in the Seven Years War, London responded, inter alia, by

occupying Manila in1762 and holding it for the next two years. The local Sangleys, frequent victims of Iberian extortion and contempt, rallied to the invaders, who, when they retired, insouciantly left these humble allies to the vengeful mercies of their erstwhile oppressors. Most were then expelled from the Philippines, and further immigration was legally barred for almost a century. Into the vacuum created by the expulsions came the mestizos, who took over much of local trade (Anderson 7)3. On 1834, the Philippines were open up for international trade which the mestizo took advantage and started developing the agriculture of the provinces of the Philippines with the help on capital coming from the British and the Americans. After gaining economic wealth, the mestizos soon desired political power but lack the knowledge on how to do it. Soon, many mestizos have begun to send their sons in Europe to study and be educated. They soon become the illustrados and later started to call themselves as Filipinos. Now educated and learned in the means of politics, they have now begun procedures on how they can consolidate power. It was with Emilio Aguinaldo that the Philippines were able to achieve independence from the Spaniards, but the independence was short lived as the Americans have come to occupy the Philippines. Most of the elites have at first supported Aguinaldo in his resistance against the new colonizers, but soon began to change side and/or surrender to the Americans. It was during the American period that the elite families would garner significant economic wealth and political power with the United States of America evicting the Spaniards away from the Philippines and giving the Filipinos a seat in the National Congress. The inclusion of the Filipinos in the National Congress proved to be the perfect opportunity for these elite for they have already gathered significant wealth during Spanish colonial period but was denied of any political power. The elites were able to ensure victory and a sit in the National Congress by utilizing the Spanish Order appropriated haciendas that they have bought and added to the lands that they already own. The elites use the lands they bought to increase their economic wealth and more importantly to create landlord-tenant relationship with the locals and ensuring these peoples support during the election. According to, the diversity of Language per region in the Philippines also protected and helped the formulation of the base power structures of the elites in their particular territories. According to him Their provincial fiefdoms were also protected by the countrys immense linguistic diversity. They might all speak the elite, national language (Spanish, later American), but they also spoke variously Tagalog, Ilocano, Pampango, Cebuano, Ilongo, and a dozen other tongues. In this way competition in any given electoral district was effectively limited, in a pre-television age, to a handful of rival local caciques (Anderson 11)4. In here the Americans had inadequately created a national oligarchy that would continually shape the political events in the Philippines. According to Clarence Henderson in his online journal Pearl of the Orient Sea, From the beginning, the domestic political process was dominated by powerful clans in the provinces. They have been referred to as caciques, a term originally used in Spain and Latin America, but equally applicable in the Hispanic-influenced Philippines. Michael Cullinane refers to the resultant system as "colonial democracy". Early on, provincial aristocrats like Manuel Quezon and Sergio Osmea, Sr. extended their power, with local patronage politics gradually seeping up to the national level legislature and the President's cabinet (Henderson)5.

With Philippine politics still dominated by a few elite families, efforts in changing this are almost a near possibility. With much of our government filled with politicians coming from elite families, the creation and drafting of reform laws that might act negatively against the stability of the elites is not happening. The only person who was able to harm the elites in the history of politics of the Philippines was former president and Dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos was able to destroy the bases of power of the elites that he thought would have the power to challenge his Dictatorship. Using a strengthened national army both politically and a means to support his need for violence, he was able to eliminate his enemies. The problem with what Marcos did was he replaced all the elite families he destroyed with himself as Master Cacique or Master Warlord. Don Ferdinand can be seen as the Master Cacique or Master Warlord, in that he pushed the destructive logic of the old order to its natural conclusion. In place of dozens of privatized security guards, a single privatized National Constabulary; in place of personal armies, a personal Army; instead of pliable local judges, a client Supreme Court; instead of a myriad pocket and rotten boroughs, a pocket or rotten country, managed by cronies, hit men, and flunkies( Anderson 20)6. After the People Power revolution that had unseated Marcos from the presidency, Corazon Aquino took over and restored the traditional elites of our country into power. Despite the failure of Ferdinand Marcos in his leadership of the Philippines, it cant be denied that he was the only person that was able to destroy the elite based politics in the Philippines. Marcos authoritarian rule backed up with a strong military support was the perfect solution in halting the sources of powers of the elite. The reason that Marcos failed was because he tried to insert himself as the new singular elite and therefore lost the support of the people that eventually oust him from power. In looking for a solution with the Philippines current elite dominated politics, I believe the solution lies with using the same methods that was used by Ferdinand Marcos. First would be the establishment of a stronger army that could support the states actions against the political elites. Next would be the suspension of power of these elites that would ensure that they could not fight back when they are being dealt with. This solution would all boil down to person that would be able to wield absolute powers without abusing it like Marcos did in his administration. A person that could lead the Philippines and its people to political maturity and at the same time hold back the elites that would prevent the political epiphany.

1 2

Anderson, Benedict. Cacique Democracy in the Philippines: Origins and Dreams. A term they use back then to describe a person with pure Chinese ancestry. It means trader 3 Anderson, Benedict. Cacique Democracy in the Philippines: Origins and Dreams. 4 Ibid 5 Henderson, Clarence. "Philippine Politics and Corruption: A Sociopolitical Digression ." Pearl of the Orient Sea (2000): n. pag. Web. <http://www.apmforum.com/columns/orientseas22.htm>. 6 , Benedict. Cacique Democracy in the Philippines: Origins and Dreams.