Philippine Democracy Online

By Jamil Matalam Ateneo de Davao University                                      Ryan Maboloc, in his recent political article, mentions as problems of Philippine politics the lack of human dignity in Philippine society and the lack of the principle of subsidiarity in the government. The former, he means that lack of recognition of the dignity of a fellow human person; and as a consequence the lack of care for their welfare. In lieu, he advances what he refers to as a centrist principle, whereby he means that political policies should not simply cater to the interest of the few rich, but above all everybody, especially the poor. The latter, he means the lack of recognition of the capabilities of small governmental units for chartering their welfare; a sort of autonomy. These problems tell us of the totalitarian or imperialistic tendencies of our government. Maboloc is trying to suggest that we democratize our institutions based on the said principles, together with the idea of a str

By Christopher Ryan Maboloc Ateneo de Davao University                                   Philippine society is ruled by political clans. While political parties present their principles in public, there is no clear direction as to how these principles are fundamentally practiced. The ultimate point there being is power. Power is above all. But this power is not meant for the common good. The reason is that many politicians hold public office based on purely material and utilitarian grounds.