WEEK 1 (POLITICS)

• A. DEFINING POLITICS
• ARISTOTLE


  -FATHER OF POLITICS
• Politics


  -came from the Greek word POLIS - which literally means "city state"
• ANDREW HEYWOOD


  -Political Scientist

  -Politics, in its broadest sense, is the activity through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live (Heywood, 2015).
• "Politics is the way in which social affairs are understood and ordered, and by which people acquire greater control over the situation" (Ponton & Gill).
• B. NOTIONS ABOUT POLITICS

  
  

  • Politics as art of the Government and State
  • Politics as Public Affairs
  • Politics as Compromise and Consensus
  • Politics as Distribution of Resources
  • Politics as Power
• Politics as art of the Government and State


  -In this notion, politics is about the art of government. In this sense, politics refers to matters revolving around the polis as political community (‘what concerns the polis’) and the government as its tool to impose its will.

  -It claims that politics is concerned about governmental structure, institutions and processes
• Politics as art of the Government and State


  -However, this notion is said to be highly restrictive. It boxes politics to be only about on governmental structures and institutions and leaves other institutions and aspects of the state not related to the government, "outside" of politics (Heywood, 2004 & Heywood, 2015).
• Politics as Public Affairs


  -This notion of politics separates matters of politics to be about public matters. Aristotle, the father of Politics, posited that "man by nature is a political animal".

  -Having the faculty of language, man is a distinct being who may interact with one another and set conventions in his/her society.
• Politics as Public Affairs


  -It means that by default, man desires to participate in public affairs - all matters revolving around the polis wherein man lives.

  -This includes matters more than just the government and includes matters that concerns the general public.
• Politics as Public Affairs


  -In other words, all matters that is considered as private (personal) will not be under the realm of politics (Heywood, 2004 & Heywood, 2015).

  -Politics is the way in which we understand and order our social affairs, and acquire greater control over the situation (B. Pomton and P. Gill, 1982, p.6.)
• Politics as Public Affairs


  -However, it is arguable as to where is the dividing line of public and private affairs. For at some point, governmental policies may affect the private sphere of the society.
• Politics as Compromise and Consensus


  -Instead of focusing on matters of the government or even the public, politics in this context refers to as a tool to which society can resolve conflicts through compromise - negotiation, reconsideration, in order to achieve consensus (Heywood, 2004 & Heywood, 2015).
• Politics as Compromise and Consensus


  -It is also the strategy for maintaining cooperation among people with different needs and ideals in life, or for resolving the conflict within the group, whether this is a family, a tribe, a village or a nation-state (Tuibeo, 1998, p.1).

  -It focuses on the process of conciliation and deflects the idea of resolving conflict through coercion (Heywood, 2015).
• Politics as Distribution of Resources


  -This notion suggests that politics is about the determination of the proper utilization and allocation of scarce resources in the society (Heywood, 2004 & Heywood, 2015).

  -Political Scientist Harold Lasswell (1937), on his work, Politics--Who Gets What, When, and How, defined "politics" as involving questions as to "who gets what, when, and how."
• Politics as Distribution of Resources


  -Politics, according to Lasswell, is concerned with determination, by the government of the following (and vise-versa):

  • Who in political society receives what benefits, rewards, and advantages and how much of them they receive,
  • when they receive the benefits, rewards, and advantages, and
  • the methods by which they receive them.
• Politics as Power

  NATURE OF POLITICS


  -Related to distribution of resources, politics as power is the notion to which politics is about being able to acquire an aspired result, whatever means necessary (Heywood, 2004).

  -According to Richards (1978), humans have conflicting desires and aspirations in life, so as the methods in achieving them. He posited that in order to resolve this conflict, one side should 'obtain power' to prevail over the other. Thus, the nature of Politics.
• Politics as Power

  NATURE OF POLITICS

  The political community can be divided into different levels, namely:

  1.Personal level - ei. Settling of conflict between friends arguing where to eat dinner

  2.Community level - ei. City ordinances passed to regulate illegal use of vaccination cards

  3.National level - ei. Presidential elections that happens every six years

  4.International level. ei. Signing the Paris Climate Accord in the United Nations assembly
• Politics as Power

  NATURE OF POLITICS


  -With this, as power exists in all levels of society, so is politics. This widens the realm of politics contrary to the previous notions mentioned.

  -Thus, politics is everywhere and it may be argued that politics coincides with our "social existence" per se (Heywood, 2004).
• C. PHILIPPINE POLITICS
• Philippine politics takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic. It revolves around the three separate and sovereign yet interdependent branches:

  • The Legislative branch (the law-making body, Article VI, 1987 Philippine Constitution);
  • The Executive branch (the law-enforcing body, Article VII, 1987 Philippine Constitution); and
  • The Judicial branch (the law-interpreting body, Article VIII, 1987 Philippine Constitution).
• 3 BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT

  -EXECUTIVE BRANCH

  -LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

  -JUDICIAL BRANCH
• EXECUTIVE BRANCH

  • PRESIDENT
  • VICE- PRESIDENT
  • CABINET
• LEGISLATIVE BRANCH


  • SENATE
  • HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
• JUDICIAL BRANCH

  • SUPREME COURT
  • RTC,(Regional Trial Courts). MTC (Municipal Trial Courts)
  • SPECIAL COURTS
• Philippine politics is often described as corrupt and is always viewed negatively. Part of this political culture also includes, issues on electoral fraud, political dynasties, red-tagging, identity politics, among others.
• D. IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING POLITICS
• “The worst illiterate is the political illiterate, he doesn’t hear, doesn’t speak, nor participates in the political events.

  He doesn’t know the cost of life, the price of the bean, of the fish, of the flour, of the rent, of the shoes and of the medicine, all depends on political decisions.
• The political illiterate is so stupid that he is proud and swells his chest saying that he hates politics.

  The imbecile doesn’t know that, from his political ignorance is born the prostitute, the abandoned child, and the worst thieves of all, the bad politician, corrupted and flunky of the national and multinational companies.”

  -Bertolt Brecht
• It is very important to care about politics because you should know what is going on around you.

  You should care about politics because you should have a say in what will happen.

  You should care about politics because the decisions people make will affect many lives.
• E. POLITICS IN EVERYDAY LIFE
• Politics is all about the way human beings are governed, which involves order, power, and justice. It is not just an abstract study.


  • It involves the government’s day-to-day performance;
  • It does not affect only one individual, but is inextricably bound up with the perpetual quest for what is fair or just in light of the interest of the entire community;
• Politics is all about the way human beings are governed, which involves order, power, and justice. It is not just an abstract study.


  -Issue is more or less political based on the extent that the use of political power affects the lives and well-being of private citizens; and

  -An issue becomes political when the government must render a decision, which must always be for the common good of the community.