The Political Structures and Political Leadership

I.
THE POLITICAL STRUCTURES AND POLITICAL LEADERSHIP

A. The Government
1. Difference between Government and Governance
a. Government- It is a group of people who run around the administration of a country. In other
words, it may be said that a government is the body of representatives that governs and controls the
state at a given time.
b. Governance- It is the exercise of power or authority by political leaders for the well-being at their
country, citizens, or subject. It also refers to the manner of steering or governing and or directing and
controlling a group of people or the state.
2. Functions of Government
 Constituent Functions - are those which constitute the very bonds of society and or are compulsory in
nature. Examples are keeping of order and providing for the protection of persons and property; fixing
of the legal relation between man and wife, etc.
( Maintain law and order) ( handle international relations)
 Ministrant Functions - are those that are undertaken only by way of advancing the general interest of
society and are merely optional. Examples are public works, public education, public charity, health and
safety regulations and regulations of trade and Industry.
( plan and direct society) ( meet social needs)
3. The Constitution
- it is the fundamental organic law of a state which contains the principle on which the government is
founded and regulates the division and exercise of sovereignty powers.
a. Constitution: Its Nature and Functions
 Constitution of Sovereignty- serves as the supreme or fundamental law.
 Constitution of Government- establishment of the basic framework of government.
(the Civil Service Commission, the Commission on Elections, and the Commission on Audit including
PCGG)
 Constitution of Liberty- protection of the people from government abuses.
4. Three Branches of Government (Phil. Government)

 The Philippines is a Republic with a presidential form of government wherein power is equally divided
among its three branches;
a. Executive Branch (Article 7 of the 1987 Constitution)- the direction of national policy. (President,
Vice-President, and Cabinet members.)
b. Legislative Branch (Article 6 of the 1987 Constitution)- broadly deals with the making deliberation
over enactment, amendment, and repealing of laws. The bicameral Congress of the Philippines consists
of 2 chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. (24 Senate members and 316 seats in the
House of Representatives; 253 of these are district representatives, and 63 are party-list representatives.)
c. Judicial Branch (Article 8 of the 1987 Constitution)- the system of courts that interprets and applies the
law in the name of the state. It is also providing a mechanism for the resolution of disputes under the
doctrine of separation of powers. ( Supreme Court under the present Constitution is composed of a Chief
Justice and 14 Associate Justices, Sandiganbayan, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, Regional
Trial Court, Shari’a District Courts, Metropolitan Trial Courts, and Municipal Trial Courts).
 The Principle of Separation of Powers- under the principle of coequal and coordinate powers among
three branches, the offices entrusted with each of these powers are not permitted to encroach upon the
powers confined to the others.
 Principle of Checks and Balances- Each department is even certain powers with which to check the
others.
B. Forms of Government and Political Ideology
1. Aristotle’s Forms of Government
 Aristotle, a Greek philosopher and student of Plato” classified government into three. They are.
i. Government based on rule by one

a. Monarchy- It’s a form of government in which only a single ruler governs.
(1) Absolute Monarchy- The monarch exercises absolute powers. He wields executive, legislative, and
judicial powers with absolute and tremendous power. He or she rules an iron hand. He holds the throne
by hereditary right.
(2) Limited Monarchy- Distribution of powers, the Ruler rules in accordance with a constitution. In a
limited monarchy, the monarch is willing to part with some of the powers and delegates them to some
government agencies.
b. Tyranny- he rule for his own benefit and ego accumulates wealth and satisfies his last for power.
 Dictatorship is a form of government ruled by a person who comes from the military or civilian class.
ii. Government based on rule by few
c. Aristocracy- Aristo means best and kratia or kratos means, rule. It is a government by the best
members of the community. This implies that the aristocrats are presumably men of the highest
intelligence and integrity. They belong to the elite classes. Their social status, wealth, and political
power are inherited.
d. Oligarchy- The wealthy few in the government or the oligarchs believe that the most important
requisite to the claim of power is wealth, good social position, and education. They use the
government to economic empires for themselves and for their families.
iii. Government based on rule by many.
e. Democracy- Power of the people. Political power is exercised by a majority of the people. A
government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is derived from the Greek word demos,
which means people and kratia or kratos, which means rule.
Types of Democracy
(1) Direct democracy- one in which the will of the store is formulated or expressed directly and
immediately through the people in the mass meeting or primarily assembly.
(2) Indirect Democracy- one in which the will of the state is formulated expressed through the agency of
a Relatively small and select body of persons chosen where the people to act as their representatives.
f. Mobocracy- in transition government.
 Mob- This organized kind of proud that causes instability over the years, the Aristoteles polity became
synonymous with representative government or democracy and his perverse form of polity was renamed
as mob rule of Anarchy.
2. As to Centralization of Powers
i. Unitary Government- the control of national and local affairs is exercised by the central or national
government. (e.g Philippines)
ii. Federal Government- The powers of government are divided between two sets of organs, one for
national affairs and the other for local affairs. (e.g. USA).
3. As to Distribution of Powers
4. As to Legitimacy
i. De jure (government of law). It is an organized government of a state which has the general
support of the people.
ii. De facto (government of fact). It’s a government that actually exercises power or control, but
without legal title. It describes the practices that exist in reality , even though, the law does not
recognize them.

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I.

4. Three Branches of Government (Phil. Government)

i. Government based on rule by one

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