Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

FINAL PERIOD

1. Political Science is the systematic study of the STATE and the GOVERNMENT. The word “political” is
derived from the Greek word polis, meaning a city, or what today would be the equivalent of sovereign
state.

2. Aristotle is regarded as the father of political science. He was a great Greek philosopher. He was the
first one to give a working definition of political science. He believed that political science was a
powerful and dynamic branch of science.

3. SCOPE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

a. Political Theory
Entire body of doctrines relating to the origin, form, behavior, and purposes of the state.

b. Public Law
The organization of governments, limitations upon government authority, the powers and duties of
government offices and officers, and the obligations of one state to another state are handled in
this field.

c. Public Administration
It focuses on the methods and techniques used in the actual management of affairs by the
executive, legislative and judicial branches of the government.

4. A STATE is a community of persons more or less numerous, permanently occupying a definite portion
of territory, having a government of their own to which the great body of inhabitants render
obedience, and enjoying freedom from external control.

5. Elements of State
a. People. This refers to the mass population living within the state.

b. Territory. It includes not only the land over which the state has jurisdiction of the state extends, but
also the rivers and lakes therein, a certain area of the sea which abuts upon its coasts and
the air space above it.

c. Government. It refers to the agency through which the will of the state is formulated, expressed
and carried out.

d. Sovereignty. The term may be defined as the supreme power of the state to command and enforce
obedience to its will from people within its jurisdiction and corollarily, to have
freedom from foreign control. It has two manifestations: first, internal or the power of
the state to rule within its territory. Second, external or the freedom of the state to
carry out its activities without being subject to the control of other states.

6. The STATE is a political concept, while a NATION is an ethnic concept.

7. INHERENT POWER OF THE STATE
a. Taxation. The power of the state to collect taxes from the people to acquire fund needed for the
operation of the government.

b. Eminent Domain. The power of the state to acquire private property for public purpose and
providing compensation to the affected owner.

Retention limit of President Marcos’ PD 27 is 7 hectares.

Retention limit of President Corazon Aquino’s CARP is 5 hectares.

c. Police Power. The power of the state to make and execute laws to regulate the rights of the people
to serve and protect the general welfare.

8. BRANCHES OF THE GOVERNMENT

a. Executive. Executes the law. The executive power shall be vested in the President of the Philippines.
Control of all the executive departments, bureaus, and offices. Ensure that the laws be
faithfully executed.

b. Legislative. The branch which is in-charge of making the laws of the land. The legislative power is
vested in the Congress of the Philippines. The Congress is bicameral, consisting of the
Senate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives.

The Senate is composed of 24 senators and there are 250 seats in the lower house. The
Senate President leads the Senate and the Speaker of the House is the head of the lower
house.

c. Judicial. The branch of the government afforded by the constitution to interpret the laws. The
courts are classified into the following hierarchy: The Municipal Trial Court, Regional Trial
Court, Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court is the highest and final arbiter in the settlement of issues regarding the
rights of the citizen.

There are 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice. They would decide in divisions of three,
five and seven. If the issue concerns the constitutionality of a subject matter, the Justices
would decide the case en banc.

Special Courts were created by law under the judicial branch:

Sandiganbayan is the court that tries cases filed on erring government officials. The
Ombudsman as the prosecutor is the one who files the case and would prove through
evidence that the said government official is guilty of the charge filed against him.

Court of Tax Appeals is the court that hears cases related to collection of taxes and
offenses committed against the National Internal Revenue Code.

Family Courts are the courts that litigates cases relating to family relations and crimes
committed by minors.
9. FORMS OF GOVERNMENT
A. As to the number of persons exercising sovereign powers:
Monarchy. One in which the supreme and final authority is in the hands of a single person without
regard to the source of his election, or the nature or duration of his tenure. Monarchies are
classified into:
a. Absolute Monarchy or one in which the ruler rules by divine rights.
b. Limited Monarchy or one in which the ruler rules in accordance with the constitution.

Aristocracy. One in which political power is exercised by the privileged class which is known as
aristocrats or oligarchs.

Democracy. One in which the political power is exercise by a majority of the people. Democratic
governments are further classified into:

a. Direct or Pure Democracy or one in which the state is formulated or expressed directly and
immediately through a people in a mass meeting or primary assembly.

b. Indirect, representative or republican democracy or one in which the will of the state is
formulated and expressed through the agency of a relatively small and select body of persons
chosen by the people to act as their representatives.

B. As to the extent of powers exercised by the central or national government:

Unitary Government or one in which the control of national and local affairs is exercised by the
central or national government.

Federal Government or one in which the powers of government are divided between two set of
organs, one for national affairs and the other for local affairs, each organ being supreme within its
own sphere.

C. As to the relationship between the executive and legislative:

Parliamentary. The head of the state is the prime minister and he is being chosen by the
parliament. He holds both the executive and legislative branches of the government.

Presidential. The executive branch of the government is the only branch held by the President
who happens to be the head of the state. He is elected directly by the people.

10. The CONSTITUTION refers to the body of rules and principles in accordance with which the powers of
sovereignty are regularly exercised.

It is a written instrument by which the fundamental powers of the government are established,
limited and defined and by which these powers are distributed among the several departments or
branches for their safe and useful exercise for the benefit of the people.

11. There are three set of provisions in a constitution:

a. Constitution of Government deals with the framework of government and its powers, and
defining the electorate.
b. Constitution of Liberty sets forth the rights of the people and imposing certain limitations on the
powers of the government as a means of securing the enjoyment of these rights.
 c. Constitution of Sovereignty provides the mode or procedure for amending or revising the
constitution.

12. A Constitution is a legislation direct from the people, while a statute is a legislation from Congress.
The constitution is the supreme or fundamental law of the state to which statutes and all other laws
must conform.

13. HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW

a. When the President signs it.
b. When the President vetoes it and returns it to Congress. If members of Congress convene and gets
a 2/3 vote, the bill becomes a law.
c. When the President doesn’t sign the bill for a period of 30 days without any intention of vetoing it.

14. The bill should undergo three readings in both house before it attains finality and present it to the
President for signing.
First Reading - Proposal
Second Reading - Deliberation and Debate
Third Reading - Voting

15. IMPEACHMENT is a proceeding where certain government officials are removed in their position on
the certain grounds provided by law. The filing of the complaint is made and voted in the house of
representatives. Once approved, the Senators served as a Judge in hearing the case and decides
whether the government official shall be removed or not.

16. The following officials can only be removed in their positions through impeachment proceeding:
a. President
b. Vice- President
c. Justices of the Supreme Court
d. Ombudsman
e. Head of Constitutional Commissions
- Civil Service Commission
- Commission on Audit
- COMELEC

17. Ground for Impeachment

a. culpable violation of the constitution
b. treason
c. bribery
d. graft and corruption
e. betrayal of public trust
f. other high crimes