Philippine Government: Characteristics & Demography

• Ms. Rowellyn V. De Leon, MPA, introduces the characteristics of Philippine government.
• The session aims at identifying the demography of the Philippines, covering population, ethnicity, education, health, and economic status, and discussing the concepts and frameworks of the Philippine government.

Demography of the Philippines

• Demography refers to the characteristics, structure, and population trends defining the country's human resources.
• Philippine demography is complex and dynamic, presenting both challenges and opportunities for the country's future.

Population of the Philippines

• As of May 1, 2020, the Philippines had a total population of 109,035,343, as per Proclamation No. 1179, dated July 6, 2021.
• The population increased by 8,053,906 from 2015, translating to a 1.63% annual population growth rate.

Ethnicity of the Philippines

• Philippine ethnicity is characterized by diverse cultural and linguistic groups shaped by migration, colonization, and indigenous development.
• With over 175 ethnolinguistic groups, the Philippines is one of Southeast Asia's most culturally varied regions.

Major Ethnic Groups

• The Tagalog people primarily reside in Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, and Metro Manila, with about 26% of the population speaking Tagalog as their first language.
• The Cebuano ethnic group, or Bisaya, is concentrated in the Visayas, especially in Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Bohol, and parts of Mindanao.
• The Ilocano people mainly come from Northern Luzon provinces like Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Abra, and Ilocano is one of the most spoken languages in the northern regions.
• Hiligaynon or Ilonggo people mostly come from Western Visayas, especially Iloilo, Negros Occidental, and Capiz.
• The Hiligaynon language is spoken by about 9% of the population.
• Bicolano people primarily come from the Bicol Region (Southern Luzon), including Albay, Camarines Norte, and Camarines Sur, and the Bicolano language has several dialects.

Indigenous People

• The indigenous peoples are referred to as Lumads, especially in Mindanao.
• Over 100 recognized Indigenous groups exist, each having a language, culture, and traditions.
• Indigenous groups are a significant part of the Filipino ethnic fabric and have legal protections.

Key Indigenous Groups

• The Aeta are one of the earliest inhabitants of the Philippines, known for dark skin and distinct culture, and found in the Zambales mountain range and parts of Pampanga.
• The Igorot primarily live in the Cordillera Administrative Region of Northern Luzon and include groups like the Bontoc, Ifugao, Kankanaey, and Ibaloi.
• The Ifugao are known for creating the Banaue Rice Terraces.

More Ethnic Groups

• The Mangyan are indigenous to Mindoro and include tribes like Hanunuo, Tadyawan, and Buhid.
• The Mangyan are known for their unique writing system, Surat Mangyan.
• The T'boli people come from South Cotabato in Mindanao and are known for their intricate weaving of T'nalak cloth, which has cultural and spiritual significance.
• The Badjao are maritime people traditionally living on boats or stilt houses in the Sulu Archipelago, known for fishing and boat-building skills.

Moro Ethnic Groups

• The term Moro refers to Muslim ethnic groups primarily in the Mindanao and Sulu Archipelago regions and share a common Islamic faith but have distinct ethnic identities.
• The Maranao live around Lake Lanao in Mindanao, are one of the largest Moro groups, speak Maranao, and have a culture rich in traditional arts like weaving and metalwork.
• The Maguindanao people come from the Maguindanao province in Central Mindanao.
• The Tausug, meaning "people of the current," reside in the Sulu Archipelago and parts of Mindanao.
• The Banguingui live in the Sulu Archipelago and western parts of Mindanao, speaking Banguingui, part of the Sama-Bajau linguistic group.

Ethnic Geographic Concentrations

• Ethnic linguistic groups are often concentrated in specific regions, mainly due to the country's archipelagic nature.
• Luzon is home to Tagalog, Ilocano, Kapampangan, and Bicolano groups, with the Igorot people in the Cordillera Mountains.
• The Visayas is home to Cebuano, Hiligaynon, and Waray-Waray ethnic groups, spread across Cebu, Negros, Leyte, and Samar provinces.
• Mindanao is home to several ethnic groups, including Tausug, Maguindanao, Maranao, and the Lumad indigenous people. Cebuano and Hiligaynon are also widely spoken, especially in the central and northern parts.

Cultural Linguistic impact

• With over 175 languages spoken, the Philippines is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world.
• While Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English are official languages, Cebuano, Ilocano, and Hiligaynon are also widely spoken.
• Cultural integration exists between ethnic groups, especially in urban areas. Ethnic and cultural identities are strong in many regions, particularly among indigenous groups, Moro communities, and regional linguistic communities.

Educational Status in the Philippines

• The educational status has undergone transformations due to reforms expanding access and improving learning quality.
• Educational attainment refers to the highest level of education achieved by individuals. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and related reports provide insights into the education levels across age groups in the Philippines.

Structure of the Education System

• The Philippine education system includes pre-school, primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
• The K-12 Program added two years of Senior High School (SHS) to the basic education cycle.

Basic Education

• Kindergarten is now mandatory, with increased enrollment rates due to the government's push for early childhood education, with about 95% of 5-year-olds enrolled nationwide, per the Department of Education (DepEd).
• The vast majority of children complete elementary education, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), around 95% of Filipinos aged 6 to 24 years have completed elementary school.
• Around 80-90% of students who complete elementary school proceed to high school.
• Junior High School (Grades 7-10) has a high completion rate, though there are still challenges related to dropouts, especially among students from poorer families.
• Approximately 85% of individuals aged 15-24 years have completed at least junior high school, per the PSA.
• The Senior High School (SHS) program, part of the K-12 reform, raised enrollment, though some students still face financial constraints or other socio-economic factors.
• In 2020, 76% of Filipino youth aged 18-24 were enrolled in Senior High School, based on the 2018 Labor Force Survey.

Tertiary Education

• Tertiary education contains colleges and universities that offer undergraduate and graduate programs.
• About 40% of Filipinos aged 25 and above have attained tertiary education, per the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
• Enrollment in public universities has increased due to the Free Tuition Law.
• Higher Education Completion: Increased enrollment however graduation rates in tertiary education have not kept pace.
• According to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the graduation rate in universities is still relatively low compared to global standards. The Philippine Education for All (EFA) report also identifies significant gaps in completion rates for marginalized and disadvantaged populations, particularly those from rural areas.

Literacy Rate

• The literacy rate is a key indicator of educational status, with data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and UNESCO.
• The Philippines has a 98.2% adult literacy rate, with most Filipinos aged 15 and above able to read and write in at least one language, whether Filipino, English, or a regional language.
• The youth literacy rate (ages 15-24) is even higher at 99.1%, reflecting successful educational policies.

Regional Disparities

• There are significant differences between urban and rural areas in terms of educational status.
• The National Capital Region (NCR), or Metro Manila, has educational attainment levels while provinces in Mindanao, Sulu, and parts of Visayas, face challenges.
• Urban areas have higher educational attainment levels due to better access to schools, qualified teachers, and infrastructure.
• Indigenous groups like the Aeta, Igorot, and Lumad, face additional barriers to education, including lower literacy rates and higher dropout rates.

Educational Challenges

• Access to education is a challenge.
• Financial constraints, child labor and the lack of schools in rural areas can be significant barriers.
• Quality of education is a concern, particularly in rural areas that often lack proper facilities, teaching materials, and qualified teachers.
• Dropout rates remain high, especially in secondary education, and are influenced by economic factors, and the increasing costs of education.
• In 2020, the dropout rate in elementary education was estimated at 5%, while in high school it was about 9%.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has brought distance learning challenges, such as lack of internet access, digital literacy, and resources especially for low-income households, exacerbating educational inequalities.

Education Reforms

• K-12 Education Reform extended basic education by adding two years of Senior High School.
• Free Tuition Law: With the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, free tuition in state universities and colleges (SUCs) was provided, increasing enrollment and reducing financial burden.
• Digital Learning initiatives were launched to improve digital literacy and expand access to online learning, though the effectiveness varies across regions.

Healthcare System in the Philippines

• The healthcare system has public and private sector involvement and is characterized by decentralization and efforts toward universal health coverage.
• In 2019 the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act (RA No. 11223) was signed into law to provide universal health coverage for Filipinos with the following goals: Automatic inclusion into PhilHealth, access to primary healthcare services, expanding health services in remote areas and strengthening PhilHealth comprehensive coverage.

Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth)

• PhilHealth ensures financial protection by providing insurance coverage for inpatient, outpatient, and selected specialized services and reducing financial barriers to healthcare.
• PhilHealth's reimbursements often do not fully cover the actual cost of services, especially in private hospitals.
• Concerns exist regarding fraud, mismanagement, and inefficiencies in the system.

Health Workforce

• The Philippines has health workforce shortages, especially in rural areas which affects healthcare services.
• The migration of healthcare workers (the nurse brain drain) is also an issue.
• The government enacted programs to train and keep health workers, such as incentives for those residing in remote regions.

Health Disparities

• There is a significant disparity with healthcare access between urban and rural areas.
• Metro Manila tends to have adequate health infrastructure, whereas rural areas often lack access to basic services and medical professionals.
• The government is working to address this by using programs such as Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) and mobile health units, due to geographic isolation this remains a barrier.
• The available budget is not enough to meet demand due to funding constraints.
• The rising instance of non-communicable diseases, require long-term care and pose a burden on families and government, is straining the healthcare system.

Healthcare Developments

• During the COVID-19 Pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities, strained the healthcare system and posed challeneges.
• The Philippines faced the COVID-19 pandemic leading to an increase in the vaccination population and preparedness initiatives.
• With Telemedicine and Mobile Health this increased the use of health technologies that have seen traction during the pandemic as an opportunity to expand care access.

Economic System

• The Philippines economic system is characterized by a mixed economy combining both market and command economies. The economy is influenced by services, manufacturing, agriculture, and remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Philippine Economy Overview

• The Philippine economy system has private sector engagement and regulation. The government ensures the competitive market is fair, plans the economy for regulations.
• The economy is dependent on determining the resources and costs, due to market economics. Encouraging private sector investments, with economic approaches to attract foreign funding since the 1980s.

Economic Sectors

• Services account for 60% of GDP.
• Industrial sector 30% of GDP.
• Manufacturing is concentrated in sectors of textiles, food, electronics.
• Agriculture 10% of GDP.
• Remittances, supporting to domestic consumption by the 10 million OFWs.

Economic Growth and COVID-19

• GDP was 6 to 7% before the pandemic between 2010-2019 due to investment, strong consumer and remittances.
• During 2020, there was an economic impact of the pandemic which brought a lock down, chain supply issues and a slower economy. From 2021-2022 there was a rise showing improvements to the exports.

Economic policies + Reforms

• Since the 1980s, the Philippines government has liberalized the reduction of business and more foreign direct investment.
• Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, improving the tax, making progressive contributions to the country.
• Build, Build, Build: The Duterte Administration making flagship development to improve roads, bridges leading stimulating growth and reducing logistic costs.

Labor and Employment

• The Philippine consists of 45 million work force, with a demographic at the age of 24 shown to be advantages as the government invests in skills training and education programs.
• Unemployment and Underemployment is still an issue for younger graduates.
• Remittances have contributed billons thanks to the Overseas Filipino Workers, especially in the Middle East, Eastern Asia, and Northern America. Adding consumption, contributing to reduction in poverty.

Industries and Economic Sectors

• A huge contributor is the business industry due to customer service, technical support and IT.
• Potential in manufacturing industry for automotive, chemical and food processing with high tech growth to increase exports and employment.
• Contributing tourism sector attracting foreign visitors annually due to Boracay, Palawan and Cebu islands.
• Decline of GDP continues to push agriculture as an important area contributing to rice, coconut corn contributing to climate change effects.

Economic Challenges

• Inequality and poverty remain due to impressive growth economically. Over 16% of Philippine citizens reside below the povertyline as told by the World Bank
• Environmental Issues which lead to damage and hinder the economy from typhoons, and Volcanic euruptions.
• Climate Change, with higher frequency in disaster which will be an impacting factor over time. Increased spending while the pandemic happened caused debt and fiscal issues making the country unstable while handling infrastructure and welfare social to manage the moving forward.

Philippine Government

• The government operates under a democratic system that is presidential and republican, including the executive legislative and judicial branches.

Government concept

• The Philippines government serves a sovereign state with a unitarian framework following the 1987 constitution protecting citizens based on democracy, government, powers and the rule of law.

Framework Concept

• The local government is made of units (LGUs) consisting of cities provinces and Barangays that are lead by members of the local officials.
• 1987 constitution the power is divided among three branches and outlined by the government structure.

Government Political Parties

• Elections are held between three years for local offices with the election between the president and VP every six years.
• Multi Party system exist between dynasties that have been part of the political environment such as the (LP) and Partido Politiko, with office terms serving one president term.

Executive Branch

• The Executive branch implements laws and enforces them as lead by the president who formulates all operations of the government by policy
• There are six year term appointed officials under the commander and armed forces in laws bills to the president.
• The VP who is incapacitated takes the role as the president, who serves separately.
• Cabinet that assists in policy and implementation formed by officials leads different departments.

Legislative Branch

• The legislative system has the responsibility of having the Bicameral congress compose the senate laws and reviewing annual treaties.
• Composed by the 24 Senates elected, creating approving presidential appointments while reviewing laws.
• Representatives that are elected create a party list for bills to be introduced to congress and then be approved in senate. President then will overide in chamber for two thirds vote.

Judicial and Balances

• Checks balances serve the legislative branch to ensure no one is too in power with the separation between powers.
• There are safeguards in place with supreme court having executive unconstitutional powers with courts of municipal levels with constitutional rights.
• Judicial is responsible for interpreting laws ensuring its up holding and that the rule of law is upheld and independent.

Checks and Balances System

• The president vetoes bills if not in favor which consists as a legislative branch that leads appointment
• The hold between power and may not fund executive which is determined by legislative vs executives congress funds the executive when is disagrees.
• Judicial review, the judiciary acts as safeguards to violate citizens due to the rule of law upheld by the supreme court actions.

Final Questions

• Why is it important for public administrators to study study the demographic profile of the philipines and how it infulences implementation and formulation of government policies?