최근 필리핀의 선거정치와 사회적 변화: 변화와 지속성의 혼재

Abstract

This study is part of a research project that is undertaken to explore the changes and continuities in the political system and democratization process in the post-Marcos era in the Philippines, and to search for their implications and limitations. In particular, it attempts to identify an institutional advancement, if any, in the Philippine electoral politics under the post-Marcos regimes, its significance and imperfections; to find out the attributes of continuity in the political institutions and practices; and to examine the impact of changes and continuities in the contemporary Philippine politics on the actions and reactions of some important socio-political forces including civil society groups and the communist insurgents. The main findings are as follows: The examination of the last three elections shows us that a new stream of political elites has been entering into the arena of electoral politics and the legislature. Especially the implementation of party-list representation system from 1998 provided a fundamentally different opportunity structure for progressive political elites, particularly radical leftist ones, to be represented in the Philippine Congress and to compete in the elections. Nevertheless, the electoral politics and political society in the contemporary Philippines assume an aspect more of continuity than of change. The traditional political elites, either the descendants of old oligarchs or members of prominent political families, still dominate the national, provincial and local elections, and their clout is being strongly felt in the Congress—not only in their numbers but also in their socio-cultural hegemony. Likewise, the traditional political culture and practices—the culture of favoritism and personalism, money politics and corruption, the pursuit of pork-barrel and perk, election frauds and election-related violence, etc.—still hold good and continue to be practiced in the central political arena in the contemporary Philippines. Furthermore, this inertial tendency of stagnation in the electoral politics has led to the disillusionment and frustration on the part of the people, but allowed radical transformative movements of CPP/NPA to gain important momentum to double their efforts in their engagement with the governmental forces. The non-compromising and violent strategy and stance of the CPP/NPA prevents them from winning the popular support and sympathy. It only lets the ultra-rightist forces including the military find a pretext for oppressing the progressive elements both in the political and civil societies.