Parties and Politics in the Philippines

Abstract

To understand present-day Philippine politics, one must consider the evolution of the country's political structure since late Spanish and early American colonial times. Briefly, the nationwide two-party system of today, under whose aegis contests are held for all types of elective office from barrio lieutenant (village head) to the presidency of the Republic, evolved out of an earlier pattern of purely local politics. In 1898, when American colonial rule was imposed, each municipality had its wealthy and educated Filipino families whose rivalry for prestige and influence extended back into the Spanish colonial period. During the latter part of that period members of these leading families (the principales), who in many towns had grouped themselves loosely into rival factions, had been allowed to compete for election to the post of gobernadorcillo (municipal mayor) by an electoral college chosen by lot among their own number. This pattern remained unchanged during the first few years of American rule. Initially, property and literacy requirements under the new regime restricted the franchise to essentially the same local elite who had held municipal offices in late Spanish times, and local politics continued in the old way. During late Spanish and early American years, electioneering could be confined to the poblacion-the market town and principal barrio of the municipality which serves as the seat of municipal government and contains the homes of most of the wealthier citizens, i.e., those most likely to vote under the restricted franchise of the early period. But as the American period progressed, the arena of political campaigning became larger and political organization grew more complicated. This was the result of two innovations, both of which stemmed from the American decision to prepare the Philippines for eventual independence by entrusting Filipinos, as early as possible, with the operation of a wide variety of representative institutions of government. One change was the increase in the size of electorate through the reduction of voting qualifications; the other was the extension of the elective principle to higher levels of government. The gradual reduction and final abandonment of property qualifications for voting, the elimination of the cedula (poll tax) and the liberalization and growing non-enforcement of literacy requirements meant that more peasants in the outlying barrios began to cast votes and, concomitantly, that the poblacion candidates were forced to cultivate the barrios. This