PPG Chapter 1

PHILIPPINE
POLITICS AND
GOVERNANCE
INTRODUCTION TO THE
STUDY OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE
MEANING OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
Reduced to its simplest terms,

Political Science is the systematic
study of the state and government.
The word “Political” is derived
from the Greek word “Polis”,
meaning a city, or what today
would be the equivalent of
sovereign state; the word science
comes from the Latin word scire, to
“know”.
1. THE SCIENCE OF POLITICS,
THEREFORE, HAS ITS “FORMAL
OBJECT”, A BASIC KNOWLEDGE
AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE
STATE AND OF THE PRINCIPLES
AND IDEALS WHICH UNDERLIE ITS
ORGANIZATION AND ACTIVITIES.
2. IT IS PRIMARILY CONCERNED
WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF HUMAN
BEINGS INTO A “BODY POLITIC”,
OR A POLITICAL COMMUNITY (ONE
ORGANIZED UNDER GOVERNMENT
AND LAW).
3. AS SUCH, IT DEALS WITH THOSE
RELATIONS AMONG MEN AND
GROUPS WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO
CONTROL BY THE STATE, WITH THE
RELATIONS OF MEN AND GROUPS TO
THE STATE ITSELF, AND WITH THE
RELATIONS OF THE STATE TO OTHER
STATES.
FUNCTION AND IMPORTANCE OF
POLITICAL SCIENCE
 The function of political science is

to discover the principles that
should be adhered to in public
affairs and to study the operations
of government in order to
demonstrate what is good, to
criticize what is bad or inefficient,
and to suggest improvements.
 ITS FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
MAY BE OF IMMENSE PRACTICAL USE
TO CONSTITUTION MAKERS,
LEGISLATORS, EXECUTIVES AND
JUDGES WHO NEED MODELS OR
NORMS THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO
IMMEDIATE SITUATIONS. AGAIN,
THEY MAY BE OF IMMENSE
PRACTICAL USE TO INDIVIDUALS
WHO SEEK TO UNDERSTAND THE
STATE IN WHICH THEY LIVE.
 THE STUDY OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE DEALS ALSO WITH
PROBLEMS OF SOCIAL
WELFARE, GOVERNMENTAL
ECONOMIC PROGRAMS,
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
AND A WIDE RANGE OF OTHER
MATTERS THAT ARE URGENT
CONCERN TO PUBLIC OFFICIALS
AND TO PRIVATE CITIZENS.
GOAL IN THE STUDY
OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE
• WHY SHOULD THE STUDENTS
STUDY POLITICAL SCIENCE?
• WHAT GOOD WILL IT DOES IN

OUR LIVES? WILL IT HELP IN
GETTING A JOB?
POLITICAL SCIENCE SEEKS TO GATHER AND
IMPART THIS KNOWLEDGE AND
UNDERSTANDING. THE “GOOD” CITIZEN
WHO BEHAVES HIMSELF AND VOTES
REGULARLY IS NO LONGER ENOUGH. HE
MUST ALSO BE THE CITIZEN WHO KNOWS
THE ANSWERS. HE MUST KNOW HOW HIS
GOVERNMENT REALLY OPERATES, WHAT
INTERESTS AND FORCES ARE BEHIND
PARTICULAR POLICIES, WHAT THE RESULTS
OF SUCH POLICIES ARE LIKELY TO BE, WHAT
HIS RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS ARE, WHO HIS
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE ARE, AND WHAT
THEY STAND FOR.
CONCEPTS OF
STATE AND
GOVERNMENT
MEANING OF STATE
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.
THE PHILIPPINES IS
A STATE.
ELEMENTS OF STATE
The modern state has four

(4) essential elements.
1. PEOPLE
 This refers to the mass of population
living within the state. Without people
there can be no functionaries to govern
and no subjects to be governed. There is
no requirement as to the number of
people that should compose a state. But
it should be neither too small nor too
large: small enough to be well – governed
and large enough to be self – sufficing.
2. TERRITORY
It includes not only the land over which
the 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.
Thus, the domain of the state may be
described as terrestrial, fluvial,
maritime, and aerial.
ART.1 SEC.1 OF THE 1987 CONSTITUTION
The National Territory comprises the Philippine

Archipelago, with all the islands and waters
embraced therein, and all other territories over
which the Philippines has sovereignty or
jurisdiction, consisting of its terrestrial, fluvial
and aerial domains, including its territorial sea,
the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves,
and other submarine areas. The waters around,
between, and connecting the islands of the
archipelago, regardless of their breadth and
dimensions, form part of the internal waters of
the Philippines.
WHY DOES THE
CONSTITUTION CONTAIN A
DEFINITION OF NATIONAL
TERRITORY?
A definition of national
territory should be placed in
the constitution for the
preservation of the national
wealth, for national security,
and as a manifestation of our
solidarity as a people.
WHAT IS THE SCOPE
OF THE NATIONAL
TERRITORY?
1. The Philippine
Archipelago
2. All other territories over

which the Philippines has
sovereignty or jurisdiction.
3. The territorial sea, the
seabed, the subsoil, the
insular shelves, and other
submarine areas.
WHAT IS AN
ARCHIPELAGO?
- An archipelago is a
body of water
studded with islands.
WHAT IS INCLUDED BY THE
CLAUSE “ALL OTHER
TERRITORIES OVER WHICH
THE PHILIPPINES HAS
SOVEREIGNTY OR
JURISDICTION”?
1. Any territory which
presently belongs or might
in the future belong to the
Philippines through any of
the internationally
accepted modes of
acquiring territory.
2. All territory over which
the present Government of
the Philippine Islands
exercises jurisdiction.
This has reference to the
Batanes Islands which, although
undisputedly belonging to the
Philippines, apparently lay outside
the lines drawn by the Treaty of
Paris.
3. Territories “belonging to the
Philippines by historic right or
legal title”, that is other
territories which depending on
available evidence, might
belong to the Philippines. (e.g.,
Sabah, Marianas, Freedomland)
THE SMALLEST STATE IN POINT OF
TERRITORY IS VATICAN, LOCATED
OUTSIDE THE WESTERN
BOUNDARY OF ROME WITH AN
AREA OF ONLY 1/6 SQUARE MILE
OR 0.43 SQUARE KILOMETERS. IT
WOULD FIT IN RIZAL PARK IN
MANILA.
THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
WAS THE LARGEST STATE IN
POINT OF TERRITORY WITH
ITS TOTAL LAND AREA OF
ABOUT 8,599,776 SQUARE
MILES.
THE PHILIPPINES HAS A
TOTAL LAND AREA OF
ABOUT 115,707 SQUARE
MILES OR 299,681 SQUARE
KILOMETERS.
3. GOVERNMENT
It refers to the agency through which the
will of the state is formulated, expressed
and carried out. The word is sometimes
used to refer to the person or aggregate of
those persons in whose hands are placed for
the time being the function of political
control. This body of men is usually spoken
of as administration. The ordinary citizens
of a country are a part of the state, but are
not part of the government.
4. 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, therefore, two
manifestations:
A. INTERNAL OR THE POWER OF
THE STATE TO RULE WITHIN ITS
TERRITORY, AND
B. EXTERNAL OR THE FREEDOM OF

THE STATE TO CARRY OUT ITS
ACTIVITIES WITHOUT SUBJECTION
TO OR CONTROL BY OTHER STATES.
EXTERNAL SOVEREIGNTY IS OFTEN
REFERRED TO AS INDEPENDENCE.
THESE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL
ASPECTS OF SOVEREIGNTY ARE
NOT ABSOLUTELY TRUE IN
PRACTICE BECAUSE OF THE
DEVELOPMENT OF
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND
CONSEQUENTLY, OF
INTERNATIONAL LAW.
5. RECOGNITION
IS THE PROCESS WHERE
THE STATE IS GRANTED
INTERNATIONAL STATUS. IT
CAN BE IMPLIED OR
EXPRESS.

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PHILIPPINE

Reduced to its simplest terms,

 The function of political science is

• WHAT GOOD WILL IT DOES IN

The modern state has four

The National Territory comprises the Philippine

2. All other territories over

B. EXTERNAL OR THE FREEDOM OF

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