Political Political PartyParty

PerformancPerformanceein the Philippines

StabilitStabilityyandand

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supposed to serve the purpose of interest aggregation, leadership formation and candidate-selection

However, in some countries like the Philippines, parties have largely been a mechanism to facilitate patronage

and personality-oriented politics.

politicalpolitical parties

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partiespoliticalBecause of its weaknesses, the party system has failed to offer meaningful policy choices—and so to provide for orderly change. (Almonte, 2007)

Philippine-style democracy provides a convenient system by which power can be rotated at the top without effective participation of those below. (Hutchcroft & Rocamora, 2003)

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Why are Political PartiesMAL-DEVELOPED?

2.

(Timberman 1991; Lande 1965; Aceron, et.al. 2009)

1.The weak linkage of political parties to citizens.

3.4.

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Country ReportPHILIPIINESBaseline the organizational performance and stability of selected political parties.

Comparative points to elucidate on the overall picture of party performance of selected political parties.

Key informant interviewsAnalysis of official party documentsReview of literatureMedia monitoring

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  Short Party HistoryInstitutionalizationRaison d’etre, philosophy, ideology, programImportant leaders and their main contributionManagement of the party, including finances Target Groups and Main Support Groups Among VoterMain campaign strategies and why they have been successful or notCoalition capability of the partyInternational relations, membership in a political familyMain contributions to the nation’s progress

inclusion of women and youth in the partySpecific features of political cultureRole in reform projects to develop the political systemCandidate selection within the party Public Relations and general image National comparison Regional comparison   

tool

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Organizational Organizational LevelLevel

Management & FinanceDemocratizing Practices

External Relations

PerformancePerformanceCoalitional capability

Effectiveness of StrategiesContributions to Nation’s Progress

Track Record in Political Reformpolitical culture

Institutional-legal context

Roots in society

Autonomy

Coherence

Stability

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Organizational Organizational LevelLevel

Management & FinanceDemocratizing Practices

External Relations

PerformancePerformanceCoalitional capability

Effectiveness of StrategiesContributions to Nation’s Progress

Track Record in Political Reformpolitical culture

Institutional-legal context

Roots in society

Autonomy

Coherence

Stability

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1) a few members holding elected posts in the government (in this case, only in party-list and local governments), 2) cannot field a complete slate in the national elections, but are with national prominence through advocacies and coalition-building, and3) there is also perceived distinct ideological tendencies among these parties, at least in paper.

1) members in highest elected positions in the government, 2) they became once a majority party, and 3) normally, they field in almost a complete slate of national candidates in the elections

mainstream

non-mainstream

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mainstream

non-mainstream

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political party

government system

electoral system

party system

political system

• History• Ideology (Vision, Mission)

• Membership• Leadership • Management and finance• Decision-making processes• Political education and capability-building program• Platform development• Campaign strategy development• Support base & public relations• Candidate selection• Accountability and disciplinary processes

democracy

presidential

Plurality system

multi-party system

Party’s “Success” Indicators • Contributions to nation’s progress• Role in developing the political system• Performance of standard/ generic functions• Level of institutionalization• Others

winner-take-all system that

does not encourage

power-sharing

the president becomes the

center of gravity of political

negotiations

the institutions of power are

accountable to the people

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StabilityStabilityPartyParty12

clamor for an independent republic

reaction to the growing force of the CPP

engage current political dispensation

engage post-EDSA 1 democratic space

fermentation of liberal ideas; manifestation of US influence

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Linked to political and economic elites

Linked to civil society and grassroots

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PARTY-SWITCHING: Instability

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mainstream political parties

temporary

patronage-based

during elections

scattered efforts owing to reform-oriented leaders

Link to society

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Parties weak vis-a-vis political elites autonomy is hardly felt identity, direction and performance dependent on most famous members level of autonomy varies; there are efforts to party assert autonomy

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How they select candidatesAnd how they form coalitions

Weak autonomy Boils down to candidates

and personalities

All the mainstream parties claim presence at the local level, but generally, they are only active during elections and are largely hinged on local candidates or member-politicians in the locality18

Engagement/connection with CSO who have governance

advocacies and political reform agenda

there are efforts to solidify and operationalize their ideology

In terms of being programmatic

prevailing political trend remains personality-oriented; diluted by political horse-trading

provision of services directly to the poor seems consistent: economic liberty first before political rights

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PARTY-SWITCHING: Instability

CANNOT BE ABATEDUnless serious

structural change is introduced

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1998

1999

Akbayan! Bayan Muna

Election Votes Seats Votes Seats

1998 232, 376 1

2001 377,852 2 1,708,253 3

2004 852,473 3 1,203,305 3

2007 446,000 2 979,039 3

2010 1,057, 370 2 746,019 2

Number of Votes and Seats of Non-Mainstream Parties

9 M votes

3.9 M votes3.5 M

votes

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Dynamics in terms of ideological tendencies

Challenge: establish clear link between advocacies

and tactics to grand ideological vision and goals

Sustained connection to grassroots

Integral to party’s operations and survival

non-mainstream political parties

weakness in translating their ideological resources to programmatic options that are

politically palatable in electoral and governance arena.

NO party-switching Only defections 22

OrganizationOrganizationLevel Level ofof

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ManagementManagementHas a headquarters administered by the

Director General with the Deputy Directors and a lean support staff.

has the most progress in maintaining the basic org requirements

Has a headquarters managed by the Secretary General with some staff.

org structure and its efficacy is still hard to assess given their new structure after the recent merger

Headquarters is adjunct to the office of Villar Foundation, without demarcation of

responsibilities for staff. poorest organizational condition as they see no need for it

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ManagementManagement

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Estimate: 2,000,000 card bearing mems

there is hardly any way this can be validated

Estimate 100,000 to 150,000it also lacks a more systematized accounting, as it does not also maintain a database

More than 40,000 registered as of 2010

as evidenced by chapter rosters across the country

Conservative Estimate: 10,000changes at an undetermined rate due to the fluidity of party loyalty amongst its members

MembershipMembership

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FinanceFinance

For the Nacionalista Party, finance is known to depend on Party President Manuel Villar’s largesse. 27

FinanceFinanceFunding for non-mainstream parties is also a problem, which they address by collaborating with affiliate NGOs and international partners

This however is no without problem because of lack of consistency and problems on sustainability.

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Membership FeesMembership FeesLP was able to make arrangements with the salary system of its elected members

in Congress where contributions are automatically deducted

somehow successful in getting support, but efficiency of the scheme is still unknown

collects fees from members occupying national seats while the local chapters are

left to collect fees from their local members

collection is hardly enforced

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largely relies on its local chapters to implement their own schemes in charging

and collection dues

by-laws prescribes a minimal annual membership dues determined according

to financial capacity of its members, which are to be collected from the local

chapters

Membership FeesMembership Fees

collected fees are harldy substantial to fund party operations

this is not strictly enforced as well

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Decision-making Decision-making processesprocesses

Even if they have officers, these positions are vague and have no clear-cut definitions; primarily ad-hoc. 31

Decision-making Decision-making processesprocesses

Members at the barrio level is organized into Municipal and City Chapters.

Municipal and City Chapters are represented in the highest governing body of the party called the National Convention, which meets every 3 years or as decided upon by the National Council.

The National Council elects the National Executive Committee.

National Congress (held every 3 years) is composed of the party leadership and representatives from local branches. Top officials can only be elected by the National Congress.

The National Executive Council is formed through the National Congress, with the election of 7 representatives per geographical region, 5 representatives for the National Capital Region, 8 sectoral representatives, 3 representatives from locally-elected members, 1 party ombudsman/arbiter, and all their elected representatives in Congress.

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Accountability Mechanisms

The LP and Lakas Constitution provides for specific disciplinary actions and procedures for removing or suspending officials on certain grounds.The party members’

dependence on Villar serve as an informal mechanism for control. The party itself claims that it recognizes the autonomy of its member politicians in making decisions.

Akbayan’s strong social movements pressures

leaders to account on the agenda agreed upon by the

parties.

Bayan Muna also has records of sanctioning

some members who violated rules, although

such incidents were rather isolated, which the party attributes to

their strong disciplinary mechanisms.33

to be a candidate of Nacionalista Party’s, one must already have had a

solid, personally-built base in one’s locality.Capacity building seminars of Lakas

are usually given to position-bearing members or running

candidates

Bayan Muna highlights Track RecordAn incentive for members in Akbayan party to

internally organize is proportional representation

Majority of the 46 parliamentary seats won by LP in the 2010 elections were won by

entrenched political families

Mainstream Parties focus on resources and Winnability in Candidate Selection

Non-Mainstreaam Parties have Democratic Process but Shallow Pool of Leaders

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YOUTH in the Party

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Nacionalista Party does not have an automatic representation of women in its organizational structure.

Women in the Party

Akbayan is the only party that ensures automatic allocation of seats to women, 30% of seats, in all structures and bodies of the party.

Bayan Muna has an affiliate women group, Gabriela.

The Liberal Party and Lakas, recognizes the need to work more on women participation in the party and in politics as a whole.

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PerformancePerformancePartyParty

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Relating with the PublicMainstream parties are

catch-all in scope and are therefore not specifically catering to certain sectors or segments of the population based on a program.

Non-mainstream cannot be classified as catch-all parties, owing to their ideological underpinning and program

There is no indication that the votes garnered by the candidates are consisting of the base of supporters of the mainstream political parties

Campaign strategies remain personality-based and are more often just about packaging the party candidate, since hardly does the electoral respond to party-based campaigning

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Relating with the PublicParties/Elections ’98 ’04 ’10

NP President Candidate

- GMA12,905,808

Manny Villar5,573,835

LP President Candidate

Alfredo Lim2,344,362

GMA12,905,808

Noy Aquino15,208,678

Lakas-Kampi-NUCD JoeDV4,268,483

GMA12,905,808

Gibo Teordoro4,095,839

Senatorial Elections Results for 2010: Highest and Lowest /Party

LP Candidates

Lakas Candidates

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Campaign Strategies

Strategies that the parties employ during elections are largely personality-oriented

Even the non-mainstream in the 2010 elections had to contend with personality-oriented brand of politics in the Philippines

Weak Coalitional Politics

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Contribution to Nation’s Progress & Track Record on Party ReformThere are hardly any

significant advocacies won by the mainstream parties as a party

Non-mainstream parties have many advocacies that are party-driven

CARPER

Cheaper Medicines

Peace

Human Rights

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Contribution to Nation’s Progress & Track Record on Party Reform

Liberal and Lakas, however, were observed to have stronger drive towards reforms than Nacionalista that only sees political reform possible with economic liberty

Party Reform Bill

Proponents

Charter Change

Local Government Code of 1992

Akbayan consistently supported but w/ less fervorBM: reform proposals not solving the problem 2 o

ut of 4

2 Bills

passed

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Contribution to Nation’s Progress & Track Record on Party Reform

Patronage politics is accepted as a norm in some parties

Non mainstream parties consciously veer away from patronage politics but are not free from it

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Contribution to Nation’s Progress & Track Record on Party Reform

The political system that is present in the Philippines and its resilience to change, can be attributed to mainstream political parties, especially to the two oldest parties

Post Martial Law Reforms

Decentralization PolicyParty-list System

Comprehensive Agrarian Reforms

ProgramNational Anti-Poverty

CommissionBreaking of economic

monopolies

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ConclusionConclusion45

non-mainstream political parties

presence of strong party-based politics

autonomycoherencelink to societyorganization

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mainstream political parties

autonomy

coherence

link to society

organization

Scattered efforts of leaders (LP & Lakas)

Absence of conducive institutional-legal framework and prevailing political culture which

hinders efforts 47

mainstream political mainstream political partiesparties

Traditional Political Order

elitistpatronage-based

personality-oriented

EstablishMaintain

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bright spotsMAXIMIZE

policy advocacy

build support constituency

cross-party dialogue

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