DEMOCRATIC INTERVENTIONS

People casting votes for their candidates; a mass action denouncing corrupt officials in government; students
rallying against successive tuition fee increases; consumers complaining through the media exorbitant prices of
basic commodities; and demonstrations in support of a country’s claim to territorial rights on contentious waters.
The mass actions and public clamor are eventually heeded by politicians whom people elected to formulate and
execute laws, maintain peace and order, pursue development, and forge ties with other nations. These
characterized a society where democracy rules.

Democracy means the “power of the people.” It originates from the Greek words demos, which means “people,”
and kratos, which means “strength or power.”
In a democracy, hereditary class distinctions and arbitrary class privileges are nonexistent. A democratic
government is one where the people hold the supreme power; where power is vented on the people; and where the
people possess the sovereign will.

Democracy is rooted from the Athenian democracy of the ancient Greeks and Romans Athenian democracy’s three
main branches were the Council of 500, the Assembly of the Demos, and the People’s Court. The legislative
function rested on the Council and the Assembly together with the temporary board of “lawmakers.” The idea of
democracy was also drawn from England’s Magna Carta of 1215. It was the document that started to challenge the
authority of the monarch and put him under the rule of law. It also contained provisions to protect the people from
the abuses of the feudal lords.

Types of Democracy

1. Parliamentary democracy – a democratic form of government that begin in Great Britatin. It is a system
of government in which citizens elect representatives to a legislative parliament to make the necessary laws
and decisions for the country. This parliament directly represents the people.

Example:
Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, and New Zealand.

2. Jeffersonian democracy – formulated by Thomas Jefferson (1790’s to 1820’s), it presupposed that all
male citizens were entitled to equal political opportunities. It underscored the need for leadership by those
with greatest abilities, to be chosen by the people. This was the ideology of the Democratic-Republican
Party, one of the two parties that dominated the U.S. political scene from the late 18 th century to early 19th
century. The other party was Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Party.

3. Jacksonian democracy – symbolized by Andrew Jackson (1820’s to 1830’s), it focused on the needs of
the ordinary people rather than on the needs of the elite and the educated. In pursuit of equality, it granted
more rights to the common people and extended suffrage even to men who did not possess property in
contrast to the political norm of the era.

4. Liberal or constitutional democracy – founded on the principles of free and fair elections, a universal
right to vote, and a competitive political process where qualified people can run and be voted for office. It
can be in the form of a (a) constitutional monarchy where the monarch’s power is limited by the
constitution such as in Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, Norway, Sweden, UK, Spain, and the

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 Netherlands or (b) constitutional republic which can be federal or unitary. A federal republic is composed
of self-governing states that have consolidated, thus forming a federation. They share some administrative
powers with a higher national or federal government. Examples of federal republics are India, Pakistan,
U.S, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Austria, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. A Unitary Republic is run as one
entity and has a strong central or national government as exemplified by the Philippines, Timor-Leste,
Vietnam, Bangladesh, Egypt, South Korea, Czech Republic, Malta, Panama, Uruguay, Peru and
Macedonia.

5. Social democracy – conceived in the 19th century, It promotes universal access to health education, just
compensation for workers, and social services. It seeks to reform capitalism through state laws and other
regulatory policies.

Dimensions of Democracy
The dimensions of democracy vary according to a writer’s perspective. For political economic writers, democracy
has one dimension only in terms of political rights in the form of fair and free elections. For Roger Betancourt,
political rights, civil rights, and political legitimation compose the dimensions of democracy. When people
participate in government affairs such as the election of officials and the creation of laws, they exercise their
political rights.

Civil rights are the individual person’s right to autonomy and to act freely without discrimination. They cover the
rights to life, asylum, fair trial, security, and privacy. They likewise refer the freedoms of assembly, of thought, of
expression, and of religion, among others.

Political and civil rights are limitations to the powers of the government vis-à-vis. The sovereign people and every
individual. But people must signify their acceptance and recognition pf their officials and should express
willingness to withstand what their leadership could offer. This is what political legitimization is all about. A
government not recognized by the sovereign people is an illegitimate government composed of illegitimate leaders
and officials who possess no right to rule and govern and thus are ignored by the people.

The modern means of political legitimation include proclamation by Congress, inauguration, and oath-taking
before a Supreme Court justice. In the olden times in Southeast Asia, political legitimization was demonstrated by
possessing and parading the kingly regalia, which includes symbols of power such as scepter, royal umbrella,
elephants, weapons, boxes of jewelry, slaves, candles of varying sizes, and betel nut boxes; Indianization or the
adoption of certain Indian political, religious, and sociocultural elements such as in the Kingdoms of Sukhothai,
Ayutthaya, and Chiang-Mai in present-day Thailand, in the Toungoo empire of present-day Myanmar, and in the
Khmer empire of present-day Cambodia; and Sinification or the adoption of certain Chinese political and
sociocultural elements as what happened in Vietnam.

It is important to know more of the dimensions of democracy to better comprehend what democracy is all about.
Michael S. Perry (2015) presents four dimensions of democracy as follows:

1. The sovereign people. This refers to the “body-politic” or the people who rule. They are in some sense a
unified people who exercise sovereignty either by direct means or through elected representatives. They
comprise the citizens and the registered voters during elections.

2. The principle of democracy. Equality is the underlying principle of democracy. It is the idea that the
people are the ultimate source of sovereignty.

3. The structure of democracy. This pertains to the various formulations, mechanisms, and institutions,
which are crafted to enable the people to actualize their sovereign will in the democratic processes. Usually

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 aided by technology and creativity, organizations and movements innovate mechanisms for their concrete
and sustainable involvement in ruling.

4. The practice of democracy. This involves the translation of the concept of democracy into reality or
making the rule of the people concretely manifested. A high turnout during election presupposes a strong
commitment to democracy whereas a low turnout signifies the opposite. No matter how good the principles
and structures are, if the people entrusted with authority show more commitment to personal interests than
to democracy, the failure of democracy is bound to happen.

Understanding the various dimensions of democracy enables you to see more clearly the path where a democratic
government or society is treading and the future it is heading to. It enables you to evaluate a government’s
adherence to or deviation from democratic principles and processes.

Some preferred Democratic Practices

a. Suffrage for eligible citizens and qualified, registered voters. Elections in the Philippines happen
periodically. Candidates have to meet certain requirements set by the Commission on Elections, which will
declare if a candidate is qualified to run or not. As to the body-politic, eligible voters (at least 18 years old,
male and female, of all ethnicity and socioeconomic status) should register with the commission. Voter
registration starts 15 months before the election month. Illiterate and disabled voters can get assistance to
write or sign the ballots. Suffrage or the right to vote, gives the people the opportunity to exercise
sovereignty by choosing the candidates who will govern and serve them.

b. Protest against election fraud. Election is one of the vital components of democracy. It expresses the
people’s choice of their representatives, who are tasked to carry out the sovereign will of the people, in the
government. It is, thus, necessary to safeguard the sanctity of the ballot, being a silent instrument by which
the people’s voice is expressed. This exercise of suffrage is not without controversies. Election fraud such
as vote buying and results manipulation surface during the election period. As responsible members of the
electorate, the people should be vigilant against election fraud. A good example of protest against election
fraud is the walkout of 35 computer programmers at the quick count for the 1986 snap election in the
country.

c. Communicating with local government officials as a civic responsibility. A citizen’s enjoyment of human
and political rights is coupled with his or her fulfilment of civic responsibility, which is composed of acts
and attitudes related to social involvement and democratic governance. These acts, though not required by
law, are nonetheless contributory to the well-being of the community. Voting, behaving ethically,
obedience to laws and regulations, and participation in community activities are some example of civic
responsibility.

d. Public assembly and consultation. Republic Act 88o, also known as “The Public Assembly Act of 1985,”
ensures the people’s exercise of their right to a peaceful assembly. This is in accordance with the ideals
embodied in the International Labor Organization. This act stipulates that rallies, demonstrations, marches,
public meetings, processions, or parades (collectively referred to as public assemblies) can be held in
public places to express opinions, to protest, or to air grievances on certain issues. Protesters for example
should be treated with maximum tolerance or the “highest degree of restraint” by the police. Law enforcers
are not allowed to interfere with as well as to assist and protect the people holding a peaceful march, rally,
or protest.

e. Conduct of a plebiscite to amend a constitutional provision. The constitution embodies the fundamental
laws of the land from which all other laws should be in accord with. Any initiative on the constitution such
as an amendment, revision, or change should be undertaken according to the law. The change in a

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 provision of the Constitution, such as increasing the number of years in a term office of the president,
cannot be carried

f. out without the approval of the people or general constituencies in a process called a plebiscite. A
plebiscite is an electoral process for approving or rejecting a change or amendment in the Constitution. For
the change, revision, or amendment to be valid, it should be ratified by a majority of votes cast in a
plebiscite within a period specified by law. Shortly after ratification, the amended provision is enforced.
This democratic practice is preferred as it allows the people to participate in political decision-making.

Benefits of Democratic Participation and Importance of Participation in Democracy

All of the mentioned preferred democratic practices demonstrate the benefits of democratic participation and the
importance of participation in democracy. Democratic participation is involvement or engagement with something
that is freely done, without coercion, and without threat or fear. It is through democratic participation that you, as a
citizen and a future voter, can actualize your power to rule through representatives, to control your government,
and to decide on issues of national concern. Low voter turnout during elections signifies the voters neglect in
exercising their political rights and in choosing the quality of government they would have. This can lead to the
erosion of democracy. Democratic participation gives you the opportunity to think aloud, without fear, about
concerns in your community and society, to influence those who govern, and to contribute to the charting of your
community’s future direction, which will ultimately impact your life condition. It also enables you to freely join or
form a political party that will field candidates during an election. People can demand for government action in
response to certain inadequacies in areas such as health care, education, recreation, water utility, road networks,
and housing. Participation in democracy is important, as it enables you to attain knowledge and experience of
these democratic processes and practices.

TRENDS, NETWORKS & CRITICAL THINKING IN THE 21ST CENTURY

LEARNING SEGMENT KIT
Quarter 4 - Week 12 - Lesson 10
Democratic Interventions (Democratic Inclination of Institutions)

Grade Level Standard: 12

Most Essential Learning Competency: The learner understands the emergence of trends and patterns.
Learning Outcomes:

 Explain the importance of participation in democracy.

 Distinguish and differentiate participatory
from representative democracy.

Representative and Participatory Democracies

Democracy has several types or forms. Two of the most popular types are representative democracy and
participatory democracy.

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Representative Democracy (also called indirect democracy) is observed to be more popularly exercised. It is a
political system where the qualified citizens exercise their political power through representatives.

Participatory Democracy quite similar to representative democracy is participatory democracy, whichc also
encourages a more active and wider involvement of citizens.

Undemocratic Practices in Democratic and Social Relations

Oppressive acts or practices that curtail human rights and obstruct the exercise of one’s free and sovereign will are
undemocratic practices. Their impacts can be gleaned from various factors.

1. Gender. One of the oldest areas where inequality, exploitation, and oppression exist is in gender or sexual
identity. Many traditional societies show preference for male offspring and bequeath less privileges and
rights to the female children. This practice exemplifies gender bias. Gender bias refers to the prejudicial
act or attitude toward males of females such as coeducational school accepting more boys when there are
more girl applicants who meet the requirements.

2. Wealth distribution and poverty. The widening gap between the rich and the poor, the diminishing number
of the “haves” and the increasing number of the “have-nots”, and the widening areas occupied by the
homeless throughout the world are only a few of the negative impacts of undemocratic practices in income
distribution, which is one of the major causes of poverty. The uprisings staged by peasants and farmers in
many parts of the world were often triggered by the lack or arable land or the loss of lands to the avaricious
rich landowners.

3. Race relations, suffrage, and political marginalization. Unless revoked by the law, every citizen is
entitled to exercise suffrage or the right to vote people to whom he or she entrusts the authority to govern.
However, there are societies and governments that discriminate against individuals and groups by virtue of
ethnicity, race, religion, and socioeconomic background.

4. Cultural domination, representation, and the politics of recognition. In a society nestling multicultural,
multireligious, and multiracial populations, domination by major cultural or ethnolinguistic groups over
cultural communities (formerly called minority groups) is not surprising. The major cultural groups enjoy
more government support and priority in terms of development projects, higher representation in
government and private offices, bigger budgetary allocation, and more seats in the government. The
opposite is experienced by those belonging to cultural communities. A crisis of representation ensues from
their lack of representation and in other areas of society as well. Recognition of their identity becomes
problematic if they are treated as less important and as if having a marginal existence.

Democratic Inclination of Institutions

Established democratic institutions possess the core elements of elections, political parties, lawmaking bodies,
interest groups, social movements, and mass media. How free these elements are is a matter of degree just as how
democraticocratic a political or social institution is. Moreover, certain values such as respect for human rights and
human dignity, racial and ethnic equity, equal access to and distribution of wealth and resources, social justice, fair
trial, and other civil liberties and political rights are considered as indicators of democracy and freedom. Thus,
social, and political institutions that adhere to many, if not all, of these values are perceived to be democratically
inclined and their people enjoy a higher degree of freedom.

Usually, it is the government that is subjected to assessment regarding its quality of democracy or its tendency
toward strong adherence to democratic processes. There are existing research bodies, publications, and agencies
evaluating governments and regimes, each having its own set of criteria.
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 1. MaxRange. Is a data that analyses political regimes and democratization processes from 18 th century to the
present, making it the largest and most comprehensive political regime data set in the world today.

2. Democracy Index. Is an evaluation of the state of democracy of countries. It is published by the Economist
Intelligence Unit based in the UK. Countries are rated as either full democracies (with scores of 8-10),
flawed democracies (6-7.9), hybrid regimes (4-5.59) or authoritarian regimes (below 4) based on the
following criteria: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation,
political culture, and civil liberties.

3. International idea. Which is based in Stockholm, Sweden, evaluates the country’s quality of democracy.
The Acronym IDEA stands for institute for democracy and electoral Assistance. The structure of its
assessment framework is based on popular control over (citizen participation, authorization of public
officials, equal representation of different groups, accountability of officials, transparency in government,
responsiveness to the needs of the public, and solidarity of the people)

4. Freedom in the World. Is an annual survey published since 1973 by freedom House, an NGO based in the
U.S. It ranks countries by political rights and civil liberties mostly derived from the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights. In its methodology, the countries are scored on separate categories of political rights and
civil liberties of the people; these scores correspond to a rating (1-7) based on set characteristics for both
categories.

These bodies serve to warn the governments and other sociopolitical institutions in various countries of the need to
be vigilant of their democracies, as enemies of democracy are just lurking at the sides, ready to attack when
opportunity comes.

The criteria used in the assessments can be sources for the creation of your own set of criteria in evaluating the
democratic or undemocratic tendencies of social or political institutions, especially governments.

Safeguarding Democracy

There is a tendency for democracy to corrode if not protected and nurtured. Democracy can be eroded if abused.
Democracy has to be strengthened and safeguarded against internal abuses and external attacks.

The vulnerability of democracy seems to be at its lowest in politics and mass media. The best political structures
will not work well if the elected representatives act according to their personal interests, oblivious of the
democratic principles they promised to uphold, and forgetful of the plight of their constituents.

The Philippines is said to have one of the freest media in the world. With the repression it experienced under the
Martial Law, the Philippines media now cannot tolerate restrictions on freedoms of expressions and of the press.
One could write almost about anything and everything to the extent of becoming irresponsible. Libel against
newspapers and media outlets abound in courts. The exercise of media freedom is neither a license nor a light to be
abused but a sacred one to be used with respect and prudence.
The citizens vigilance aided by information technologies can maintain and sustain democracy for the present and
future generations.

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 TRENDS, NETWORKS AND CRITICAL THINKING IN THE 21st CENTURY

Name: __________________________________________________ Score: _________________

Grade & Section: ________________________
Multiple Choice: Write the letter of the correct answer before each number.

________1. This practice exemplifies gender bias.

a. Race relations b. cultural domination c. gender

________2. The major cultural groups enjoy more government support and priority in terms of development
projects, higher representation in government and private offices, bigger budgetary allocation, and
more seats in the government.

a. Cultural domination b. wealth distribution c. Suffrage

________3. Voting, behaving ethically, obedience to laws and regulations, and participation in community activities
are some example of ________.

a. Conduct of plebiscite b. civic responsibility c. public assembly

________4. This involves the translation of the concept of democracy into reality or making the rule of the people
concretely manifested.

a. Public assembly b. Sovereign people c. Practice of democracy

________5. This refers to the “body-politic” or the people who rule.

a. Sovereign people b. Practice of democracy c. principle of democracy

________6. It focused on the needs of the ordinary people rather than on the needs of the elite and the educated.

a. Jeffersonian Democracy b. Jacksonian Democracy c. Johnson Democracy

________7. It promotes universal access to health education, just compensation for workers, and social services.

a. Social democracy b. Liberal democracy c. Parliamentary democracy

________8. It is a system of government in which citizens elect representatives to a ________.

a. Legislative Parliament b. Judiciary Parliament c. Executive Parliament

________9. Democracy means the “power of the people.” It originates from the Greek words _____, which
means “people,”
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 a. Demosy b. Daimos c. Demos

________10. Kratos means strength or ______.

a. Powder b. chowder c. power

Compare and contrast the two types of democracy by filling in the Venn Diagram provided.

Representative Participatory
Both