Deep Currents and Displaced Settlers: Philippine Intergovernmental Policy Analysis

Conceptualized every time I commute between home and school, between the cities of Caloocan and Manila.

Today, I hereby lay copyright claim to the research and coining of "Displaced Settlers", dwellers who have no capacity to live a decent life in where they currently reside, because they do not have a real house but live in the streets or public areas. 

I also lay claim to the theorem premised that a single local government's action is not enough to help these people.  Founded on principles of my Masteral thesis "Federalism and its Potential Application to the Republic of the Philippines" (2011), I posit the alternative (the future Ronald's Law) that "the dynamics of local government networks is needed to solve the problem of displaced settlers".  This is done by giving them means to live a decent life in the scattered islands of the various regions of the Republic.  Instead of giving them fish in the metro, give them the capacity to fish or till the soil in the Philippines lush provinces.

University of Santo Tomas – Graduate School

New Student Research Proposal: Ph.D. (Political Science)

Ronald M. Castillo

Deep Currents and Displaced Settlers: Philippine Intergovernmental Policy Analysis

The Philippine Republic uses a unitary system of geographic allocation of power.  Being an archipelago, the country is composed of more than 7,000 islands, most of which are crisscrossed by mountains and dotted by forests, which pose strategic problems for national management of the country.  Yet, even with such political geographic hindrance, these islands are rich in natural resources, beautiful and are undiscovered havens for residence, commerce, and tourism. 

Currently, Metro Manila has a proliferation of street settlers.  This phenomenon is an endemic governance concern both in the national and local levels of the Philippine government.  This issue touches on areas of human life such as rights, crime increases, spread of diseases, and the swelling of the metropolis’ population. 

This dissertation proposes a two tiered approach in relation to the said situation.  First, it will analyze political institutions and political culture blockages to policy making and implementation using deep current set method as applied to a single country comparative study of the Philippines.  On the second stage, it will test bottom-up institutional dynamics theory as embedded in the writings of Robert J. Rotberg.  Through these, the dissertation aims to establish the grassroots level of local government as the true foundation of a stable unitary state.

Keywords:  unitary system, displaced settlers, deep current set, political institutions, local government 

Cause for Federation

"Federalist", eventually known as "The Federalist Papers" were 85 separate articles published by 3 of the founding fathers of the United States of America.  All three authors in publishing their thoughts and reasons for a federation used the same pen name - Publius.

Federalist no. 5 and 6 were both written by Alexander Hamilton.  Here he discussed the context of the possibility of dissension between neighboring contiguous states - states that share the same border within a particular continent or land mass.  He does not specify this quality of the state in his discussion, but he mentions neighboring states in his closing argument in Federalist no 5.  And this same idea of contiguous neighboring states can be deduced from the difference between Federalist 2-5 and that of Federalist 5 and 6.  

He does not directly argue here for a federation.  Rather he provides arguments that: 1) states by nature have the tendency towards rivalry, competition or even aggression towards each other; and 2) there are particular reasons why a divisive attitude can exist between states in the international politics.

Thesis of Federalist no 5.

Federalist no. 5 provides Hamilton's human nature argument on the existence of the divisive trait of states. To paraphrase the main thought of Hamilton in this publication - States are rivalrous because it is governed by man, and man is rivalrous.

States go to war because of the whims of men who exercise within it.  To this he mentions the story of Pericles and Wolsey.  It also does not exist in one gender, Hamilton also identifies: Madame de Maintenon (due to personal bigotry), the Duchess of Marlborough (due to personal petulance), and Madame Pompadour (due to involvement with a political cabal).

Hamilton also writes here rebuttals against two existing political systems that are supposedly meant to manage such dissensions.

1) republics which supposedly is pacific (remind you of a previous political philosopher).

2) commerce - or the state being engaged in it - which can a) "soften the of manners men" (Hamilton cf: Penn State University, 2001)."  and b) "extinguish enflammable humors (Ibid.)" which can lead to war.  Here Hamilton points our that supposedly commerce can make citizens pacific by molding both a) habit or manners and b) emotions or humors.

Both arguments though are invalidated Hamilton by reminding the reader that Republics and Commerce engaged states are still under the government of men.  Men who by nature are rivalrous.  The founding father implies that these two institutions are not enough.

Thesis of Federalist no 6.

Here Hamilton enumerates the causes of dissensions among states and explains each.  He also either directly links federation as a solution, or occasionally is ambiguous on it.

1. Territorial, proven on the nature of american colonial territories.  Hamilton directly points the importance of a federation to solve it.
2. Commerce - proven based on human habit and american achievement.  Ambiguous with regards to federalism.
3. Payment of public debt - proven based on american colonial experience and human nature.  Ambiguous.
4. The effect of laws on existing private contracts - proven on american colonial experience.  Federal union suppurted as Hamilton mentions have been discussed in the previous Federalist.

***

For your task, I have intentionally excluded from this discussion certain facts.  Which if you are reading this will raise questions. Such as who are the other two?  What are american colonial expereince with regards to payment of public debt.  These are just samples.

Cross reference this discussion on the reading as preparation for the quiz.

Pls. also note all other parts of animadversion.

Study well. 

Federalism and Its Potential Application to the Republic of the Philippines

For thesis advisees.

Download link for a copy of my M.A. Thesis.

ronaldmcmathesis.4shared.com

Some General Pointers for Presentations

In any subject, whether you're in 1st year or 4th year.

• Think outside the box - be creative.  The professor will not spoon feed you with the ideas of what to do, it's your call to take action to be impressive.
• Speak in the proper language.  - Begin in the accepted mode of communication, which is English.  If ever you need to speak in Tagalog, say it in a full sentence Tagalog.  Do not use taglish.
• Do not do a reading - either of your powerpoint or your note cards.  We all can read, if you're just going to read, just give it to us and sit down.  Explain what's being projected on the screen.
• Prepare well - Fortune favors those who are prepared (Niccolo Machiavelli) if you prepared well, failure will avoid you, and you can personally lay claim to the excellent output.  If you're prepared, there's really no need for getting nervous.

(Ronald Castillo presenting his initial thesis findings

2010 UST-GS Research Colloquium)

International Political Systems: Within the Confines of an IO

International Organizations (IO's) are the manifest institutions within the international political system (IPS).  To think of IO's though as the end-all and be-all of of IPS study is a fatal mistake not just for research but also for the practical applications of political science and international relations.  The phenomenon of a political system be it internal/national or external/international is both composed of matter and form.  This way of viewing the political world can be attributed to Aristotle cf. Cohen (2002) and Miller (2011) who applied his medical metaphysics to politics.

These  matter and form of the international political system are 1) international principles, customs, and protocol, and 2) international institutions respectively.  As social power allows a persons to exert his or her will in any given environment even in the presence of an opposed will, then both matter and form help shape how this power is exercised.  Let's say for example a particular international actor wants higher income from their foreign trade by lessening the economic barriers such tariffs and quotas on their goods.  Such actor will have to resort to two possible institutions: one will be an IO with an economic mandate (whether it be global or regional), another institution can be an international legal instrument such a bilateral or multilateral treaty regulating trade.

To view the system only through this lens incapacitates international actors.  The second aspect must be considered to provide a holistic view if one means to come up with a truly practical foreign policy.  There exists possible international principles, customs and protocol that will have an impact on any international actor's agenda.  If institutions constitute the "form" (since they are structured), then principles, customs, and protocol compose the "matter" of the system.  "Formal" international laws, the codified treaties and charters are actual "forms", principles, customs, and protocol are non-codified, hence they are material rather than formal.  Unwritten and unpublished they may be, these matters of the international system can confine political action, sometimes manifesting a force even stronger than law.

The Principle of Par in parem non habet imperium (trans "an equal has no power over an equal) elucidates the idea of non-intervention and external sovereignty of states.  Human Rights, on the other hand, are values that IO's incorporate into practice by codifying them in order to promote a new set of principles in the relations among states.

For your class output, each student of IPS must post a comment providing 2-4 "matters" in the international political system, and provide a short application for each (e.g. how does such matter shape the exercise of power in the international political system?). Some of these can be found from your readings.  Incorporate research to supplement this task and enrich your post.  Do not forget to use appropriate source citations.

 
Sources:

Cohen, M. (2002). Aristotle on Substance, Matter and Form. Retrieved 2012, from Washington University: http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/zeta17.htm#text1

Miller, F. (2011). Aristotle's Political Theory.Retrieved 2012, from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-politics/

Photo Credit:

Rlineurope. (2012). Flying Buttress Ceiling in Mont. St. Michel. Retrieved 2012, from Travelpod: http://www.google.com.ph/imgres?start=281&num=10&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=4Ur&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1600&bih=742&tbm=isch&tbnid=S1P1xFpnj7NqQM:&imgrefurl=http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/slideshow-photo/flying-buttress-celing-in-mont-st-