The Filipino Pangulo System: A Critical Study of the Philippine Presidency, As Shaped by the Malolos Republic, Manuel Quezon, and Ferdinand Marcos

Date of Award

5-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts major in History (Option I: Thesis)

First Advisor

Francis M. Navarro, PhD

Abstract

This thesis investigates the development of the Philippine presidency, and by extension, the Philippine state, through its years of evolution. It argues that the Philippine presidency, due to being centered on patronage, is a modern development of the Southeast Asian man of prowess/orang besar. Through an analysis of various primary and secondary sources, it shows that even if the Philippines is a liberal democratic republic with roots in the Enlightenment, it still retains many precolonial Southeast Asian influences. These sources show that the Philippine pangulo system is a unique model, though American presidentialism and the Enlightenment ideas of the Propagandists influenced it. It is unique because unlike American presidentialism or European parliamentarism, the executive is supreme. Even if the executive is supreme, this system is libertarian in character, which is why it remained stable under Manuel Quezon. On the other hand, Ferdinand Marcos's pangulo system collapsed because he emphasized executive supremacy over civil liberties. Consequently, this thesis concludes that the pangulo system follows Remigio Agpalo's pangulo regime. The executive is supreme, but it exercises power through patronage. Even if the executive is supreme through patronage, a president must still respect the libertarian character of the system to avoid falling from power.

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