NATION-STATE FORMATION

IN THE PHILIPPINES
Nation-State Formation in the Philippines
At the end of this, the student should be able to:
 Define the basic concepts of nation, state and nation-state.
 Explain how the establishment of colonial governments in the
Philippines by Spain and the US hastened the formation of the
Philippine state.
 Analyze how the formation of the state in colonial times
fragmented the country between “majority and minority
cultures.”
 Discuss the emergence of the political elites in the country
during the Spanish and American colonial periods.
 Explain how the competition for social control between the
state and other social institutions has led to an unprofessional
and patrimonial bureaucracy that is incapable of performing
its functions effectively.
 Introduction

STATE NATION

State is seen as the Nation is considered as

political extension of a an expression of the
nation. state’s identity.
There are states where There are nations
the sense of being a without a state.
nation. A nation is supposed to
POLITICAL be the foundation of a
People, Territory, state
Government, Sovereignty CULTURAL
 Introduction

NATION STATE is considered as an

alignment between the political unit
(state) and the unit of (culture) known as
the nation-state.
 NATION
A large group whose members believe they belong
together, on the basis of shared identity as a people.
(Michael Sadaro)
It is an imagined community. (Benedict Anderson)
 Members of a nation, even of the smallest one, would never be
able to actually meet every other member, yet as long as they
believe they are part of the nation, they would continue to
imagine themselves as socially and politically belonging together.
Nation is a product of two forces:
 A group’s need to have cohesion (survival)
 The individual members’ desire to belong (security)
 NATION

Ethnic Territorial
Emerged from a
Based on ethnicity predetermined territory
Assumed to be Composed of various ethnic
composed of more or group that have come to be
less a single ethnic assimilated into a nation.
Ethnic diversity may exist
group
who live together
symbiotically if not
harmoniously.
 This does not necessarily leads
to conflict.
 STATE
An organization, composed of numerous agencies
led and coordinated by the state’s leadership
(executive authority) that has the ability or authority
to make and implement the binding rules of all the
people as well as the parameters of rule making for
other social organizations in a given territory, using
force if necessary. (Joel Migdal)
It is more than just the government – its also about
machinery, agencies, jurisdictions, power and rights.
(Leslie Lipson)
 STATE
Effective states are are characterized as having
autonomy and capacity.
 AUTONOMY – ability of political leaders to formulate and
pursue goals (insulated from social pressure)
 CAPACITY – means at the disposal of the state to implement
official goals especially over the actual or potential opposition
of powerful groups or in the face of socioeconomic
circumstances. This requires the presence of extensive and
internally coherent bureaucratic apparatus.
“Weak state”
 Philippine Experience
Pre-colonial Period
 Independent ethnic groups
 Led by a chieftain – executes, legislates, judges
Spanish Time
 Very limited participation if no participation at all
 Hierarchy of power Gov. General – Cabeza de Barangay
American Period
 Better opportunities for political participation
 3 branches of government
 The 1935 Constitution, a replica of the US Constitution. Timing,
phasing, and structural design of “colonial democracy” left several
lasting legacies which continued to shape Philippine politics
Government’s inability to unify (pg.6 prgh 4-5)
 Dichotomy between Christianized majority and cultural minority
 Philippine Experience

Philippines
a territorial nation not an ethnic nation.
 Weak – autonomy and capacity, a problem
rooted in its colonial predecessor. (Examine
Abinales’ comment, pg.7 prgh 2)
 Creation of an elite-dominated politics
Spanish colonizers tapped the local elites and had given them
power to strengthened control in the archipelago. Local elites
helped Spanish colonizers to as they benefit from it.
 These people are the Filipinos with Spanish blood; privilege to be
educated; or those fathers held political positions and amassed
vast amounts of land and wealth.
The elite continued to hold considerable power even during
the American period.
 Because of their fear of losing the security of their interest because
of the growing demand of the masses for the redistribution of
economic benefits and resources.
 Despite the campaign for Filipinization, the government was
continually dominated by elite as they were the ones willing to
embrace American colonialism.
 Creation of an elite-dominated politics

Sidel’s comment: (Philippine Politics and Society)

 Throughout the post war period, a national oligarchy
essentially recruited from families of long-standing economic
wealth or political dominance to define the nature and direction
of electoral politics as large landowners commercial magnates,
have filled both houses of Congress as well as offices of
municipal halls and provincial capitols throughout the
archipelago.
At the national level, the elites have become the
“strong men” in society.
 Their leadership enhanced an already established place in the
community representing the state.
 They use the state as an instrument in pursuing their personal
interest
 WEAK SOCIAL CONTROL
A key ingredient in having an effective state is its
ability to centralize its powers.

Philippines, failed?
o Inability to consolidate its power because of the strong
presence of local leaders.
o Instead od strengthening state apparatus, state leaders, in
order to secure their own survival ended up accommodating
and compromising with local leaders
o Corruption, plunder, electoral Fraud, and clan-based politics are
seemingly accepted practices.
 WEAK SOCIAL CONTROL
These weakens the state because:
Local strongmen, politicians and implementors
accommodate each other in political, economic and social
exchanges. (final allocation of resources, benefits them
instead of the people)
State becomes dependent on the social stability that
strongmen can guarantee, thereby making it captive to
these social forces.
Used of the big shuffle technique to remain in power

This undermines professionalism!

 PUBLIC OPINION AND
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the chapter, the students should be
able to:
 Define the concepts of the public and public
opinion.
 Discuss how public opinion is academically
monitored and how public opinion survey
findings are disseminated.
 Locate the public and public opinion in the
contemporary governance of democratizing
polities.
Public Opinion:
The concept and its Operationalization

Public is any group of people conjoined in

some specific interest and directly affected by
its management. Given the interest –be it
political, economic, social, or otherwise – the
manner in which society or any of its various
institutions regulates the interest spells
benefits and costs to the concerned public.
Public Opinion:
The concept and its Operationalization
Interest Regulation can be done through:
 FORMAL POLICIES
 Constitutional edicts
 Law
 Decrees
 Administrative Orders
 INFORMAL OUTCOMES

 Controlling Customs
 Traditions
 and similar biases
The people directly affected are collectively referred to as public.
Public Opinion:
The concept and its Operationalization
The broadest sense of public is the NATION.
 The general citizenry interested in the competent management of
at least their public order and safety, economic well-being, social
equity, cultural identity, territorial integrity.

 Below nation is a hierarchy of other, relatively more restricted,

publics, each one pursuing a definable sectoral or functional
interest: government, business, labor, military, religiousm
scientific publics, etc.

 Down the hierarchy would be associational publics like various

professional organizations, Friday gathering of like-minded people
Public Opinion:
The concept and its Operationalization
Public = General citizenry = Electorate
 What they see ~ perception
 What they think or believe out of what they perceive ~
opinions
 What they inclined to do ~ attitudes

 FILIPINO PUBLIC OPINION

Global Public Opinion (international publics)
 For common perception to numerous global concerns like
 Mass poverty
 Over population
 Terrorism
 Economic Inequities
 Ecological Degradation
Public Opinion:
The concept and its Operationalization
Problem?
 Others believe that it is serving corrupt elites, public
officials and politicians.
 Ignorant, fickle and readily manipulable masses.
 Stupid mass or general public

Challenge?
 Quality of citizenry that must define public
opinion~
 Sufficiently educated
 Relatively well-informed
 More mature in assessing public officials