Indigenous Peoples’ Legislative Representation Through the Philippine Party-List System
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14764/10.ASEAS-0130Keywords:
descriptive representation, indigenous peoples, party-list system, Philippines, substantive representationAbstract
This qualitative study examines whether the Philippine party-list system effectively enables indigenous peoples’ legislative representation by reviewing documents from the Philippine Commission on Elections, the Philippine Congress, the Philippine Supreme Court, and the profiles of elected indigenous peoples’ party-list groups. Using Hannah Pitkin’s dimensions of representation, this study finds that, as a form of formal mechanism, the party-list system provides limited representation opportunities for indigenous peoples’ party-list groups. Additionally, although the elected sectoral representatives are members of indigenous communities, their socio-economic status differs from that of most of the indigenous peoples. Finally, the presence of indigenous peoples’ sectoral representatives in the legislature did not result in adequate substantive representation of indigenous communities, as most indigenous-related proposals have not passed into legislation. This study concludes that the mainstream electoral mechanism fails to effectively enhance the legislative representation of indigenous peoples.
References
Adel, R. (2016, May 19). COMELEC proclaims 46 winning party-lists. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/05/19/1584908/comelec-proclaims-46-winning-party-lists
Allad-iw, A. (2008, March 17). Advocate’s overview: Dams. https://nordis.net/2008/03/17/z/general/advocates-overview-dams
Allen P. (2022). Experience, knowledge, and political representation. Politics & Gender, 18(4), 1112-1140.
Arcala-Hall, R. (2015). When the fighting stops: Organic local conflict resolution in Iranun areas (Mindanao, Philippines). In R. Arcala-Hall (Ed.), No more guns: Documenting local conflict resolutions in selected Asian communities (pp. 1-10). UP Visayas.
Arnesen, S., & Peters, V. (2018). The legitimacy of representation: How descriptive, formal, and responsiveness representation affect the acceptability of political decisions. Comparative Political Studies, 51(7), 868-899.
Arquiza, Y. (Ed.). (2005). A journey of hope: Implementing the indigenous peoples’ rights act of the Philippines. International Labor Organization.
Bahatan, F. (2009, July 23). Looking forward and further back. Development and Autonomy Forum held at the University of the Cordilleras, Baguio City. https://car.neda.gov.ph/cordillera-autonomy-looking-around-and-farther-back-by-fernando-bahatan
Bello, W. (2020). The subversion of the Philippines’ indigenous people’s rights act. Presented at Chulalongkorn University, Social Science Research Institute, Sept. 18, 2020. https://waldenbello.org/the-subversion-of-the-philippines-indigenous-peoples-rights-act
Bernas, J. (2002). The 1987 Philippine constitution: A reviewer- primer. Rex Printing Company Inc.
Bionat, J. F. (2021). The Philippine party-list system and representation of marginalized populations. WVSU Journal for Law Advocacy, 1, 1-16.
Buendia, R., Brillantes, A., Mendoza, L., Guiam, R., & Sambel, L. (2006). Mapping and analysis of indigenous governance practices in the Philippines and proposal for establishing an indicative framework for indigenous peoples’ governance: Towards a broader and inclusive process of governance in the Philippines. UNDP Bangkok Regional Office.
Buhlmann, M., Merkel, W., Miller, L., & Webels, B. (2011). The democracy barometer: A new instrument to measure the quality of democracy and its potential for comparative research. European Political Science, 11(4), 519-536.
Cabacungan, G. (2012, July 4). Let public identify fake party-list reps, lawmakers say. Inquirer.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/223099/let-public-identify-fake-party-list-reps-lawmakers-say
Campbell, R., Childs, S., & Lovenski, J. (2010). Do women need representatives? British Journal of Political Science, 40(1), 171-194.
Cariño, J. (2021). The indigenous world 2021: Philippines. International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. https://www.iwgia.org/en/philippines/4243-iw-2021-philippines.html
Casiple, R. 2003. The party-list path to a broadened Philippine democracy. Public Policy Journal, 7(1), 1-22.
Castañeda-Tomawis, K. (2019, April 13). On Alif party-list. Sunstar Bacolod. https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/sun-star-bacolod/20190413/281569472113652
Celis, K., Childs, S., Kantola, J., & Krook, M. (2008). Rethinking women’s substantive representation. Representation, 44(2), 99-110.
Childs, S., & Celis, K. (2018). Good representatives and good representation. Political Science and Politics, 51(2), 314-317.
Celis, K., & Manzur, A. (2012). Hanna Pitkin’s “concept of representation” revisited. Politics and Gender, 8(4), 508-511.
COMELEC. (2008). Report on the 2004 national and local elections - party-list. https://comelec.gov.ph/?r=Results/2004NLE/Partylist
COMELEC. (2021). Report on the 2013 national and local elections - party-list. https://comelec.gov.ph/?r=Results/2013NLE/Partylist
COMELEC. (2022). Party list summary statement of votes by region. https://comelec.gov.ph/?r=2022NLE/ElectionResults_/PartyListSummaryStatementofVotes
De Guzman, S. (2016, April 24). Upholding the rights of indigenous peoples. The Philippine Star. https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2016/04/24/1576558/upholding-rights-indigenous-peoples
De Leon, H. (2005). Textbook on the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Rex Printing Company, Inc.
De Vera, D. (2007). Indigenous peoples in the Philippines. A country case study. Presented at the RNIP Regional Assembly, Hanoi, Vietnam, August 20-26, 2007.
De Vera, S. (2023, September 2). People vs. giant power projects. Indigenous communities in the Philippines’ mountainous north are having a case of déjà vu with a flurry of major dam projects there. https://adnchronicles.org/2023/09/02/people-vs-giant-power-projects
Dovi, S. (2015). Hanna Pitkin, the concept of representation. In J. T. Levy (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of classics in contemporary political theory. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198717133.013.24
Eaton, K. (2003). Restoration or transformation? Trapos vs. NGOs in the democratization of the Philippines. The Journal of Asian Studies, 62(2), 469-496.
Fermin, A. (2001). Prospects and scenarios for the party-list system in the Philippines. Ateneo School of Government and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/philippinen/50074.pdf
Flores, D., & Pintang, R. (2022, May 24). In 2022 poll, party-lists still ‘backdoor’ for political dynasties. Bulat-lat. https://www.bulatlat.com/2022/05/24/in-2022-poll-party-lists-still-backdoor-for-political-dynasties
Garboni, E. (2015). The impact of descriptive representation on the substantive representation of women at European and national parliamentary level. Case study: Romania. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 183, 85-92.
Gavilan, J. (2019, February 6). List: Political clans, powerful figures among 2019 party-list nominees. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/222846-list-party-list-nominees-2019-elections-political-clans-powerful-figures
Hirai, H. (2015). Indigenous communities in the Philippines: A situation analysis. Yuchengco Center, De La Salle University.
Hoffay, M., & Rivas, S. (2016, August 31). The indigenous in Latin America: 45 million with little voice. Glob-al Americans. https://globalamericans.org/indigenous-latin-america-45-million-little-voice
Holden, W. (2009). Ashes from the phoenix: State terrorism and the party-list groups in the Philippines. Contemporary Politics, 15(4), 377-393.
Jimenez-David, R. (2015, July 31). Understanding Moro history. Inquirer.net. https://opinion.inquirer.net/87172/understanding-moro-history
Kimura, M. (2013). Toward a more workable Philippine party-list system: Addressing problems of sectoral and proportional representation. Philippine Political Science Journal, 34(1), 62-82.
Llamas, R. (2001). The 2001 party-list elections: Winners, losers and political/legal contradictions. Ateneo School of Government and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/philippinen/50073.pdf
Lombardo, E., & Meier, P. (2019). The significance of symbolic representation for gender issues in politics. Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 27(4), 231-244.
Luithui-Erni, S. (2020). Status of indigenous peoples’ lands, territories, and resources in Asia. Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact. Chiang Mai, Thailand. https://aippnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Status-of-Indigenous-Peoples%E2%80%99-lands-territories-and-resources-in-Asia_website.pdf
Mansbridge, J. (1999). Should blacks represent blacks and women represent women? A contingent “yes”. The Journal of Politics, 61(3), 628-657.
Manzolim, H. & Quilang, L. (2016). Revisiting the traditional practices of the Itawis families of Isabela, Philippines. Conference paper prepared for the 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees: Good Governance and Transformative Leadership in Asia, Maha Sarakham, Thailand, May 31, 2016.
Meier, P., & Severs, E. (2018). The dark side of descriptive representation: Bodies, normalization and exclusion. Politics and Governance, 6(3), 31-42.
Minta, M. (2012). Gender, race, ethnicity, and political representation in the United States. Politics and gender, 8(4), 541-547.
Morris, S. (2021). Mechanisms for indigenous representation, participation and consultation in constitutional Systems: International examples to inspire Chile. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. https://doi.org/10.31752/idea.2021.106
Padilla, A. (2013, May 28). At least 29 out of the 53 party-list reps proclaimed by COMELEC are from political clans, former government officials, multimillionaires. A radical’s nut: Notes on Philippine economy and politics. https://arnoldpadilla.com/2013/05/28/at-least-29-out-of-53-party-list-reps-proclaimed-by-comelec-are-from-political-clans-former-government-officials-multi-millionaires
Patinio, F. (2019, May 22). 51 winning party list groups proclaimed. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1070522?fbclid=IwAR0ybQeH1clxaDrKS4tZ8lrcrcNTpRqzbZB-qIWpXNwwNlxaJt0iMRClkVI
Perez-Brito, C. (2021, September 9). No data, no story: What the absence of indigenous peoples’ specific data reveals. World Bank Blogs. https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/no-data-no-story-what-absence-indigenous-peoples-specific-data-reveals
Philippine Statistics Office (2021). BARMM poverty incidence. https://rssoarmm.psa.gov.ph/statistics/poverty
Phillips, A. (2019). Descriptive representation revisited. In R. Rohrschneider & J. Thomassen (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of political representation in liberal democracies (pp. 174-191). Oxford University Press.
Pitkin, H. (1967). The concept of representation. University of California Press.
Plotke, D. (1997). Representation is democracy. Constellations: An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory, 4(1), 19-34.
Prill-Brett, J. (1987). A survey of Cordillera indigenous political institutions. Working Paper. Cordillera Studies Center, University of the Philippines, College Baguio.
Protsky, O. (2010). A global overview: The representation of minorities and indigenous peoples in parliament. Interparliamentary Union and UNDP. https://www.ipu.org/file/816/download
Quimpo, N. (2018). The left struggling to make a comeback. In. M. R. Thompson & E. V. C. Batalla (Eds.), Routledge handbook of the contemporary Philippines (pp. 396-404). Routledge.
Rappler. (September 26, 2024). Government Workforce Grows, but Indigenous Representation Stagnates. https://www.rappler.com/philippines/government-workforce-grows-indigenous-representation-stagnates
Rimban, L. (2008, July 18). Messing with the party-list. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. https://old.pcij.org/stories/messing-with-the-party-list
Rosario, B. (2021, October 8). Kusug Tausug partylist seeks another win in partylist race. Manila Bulletin. https://mb.com.ph/2021/10/08/kusug-tausug-partylist-seeks-another-win-in-partylist-race/?amp
Rozbicka, P. (2023). Achieving democracy through interest representation? Revisited. Revista Agenda Politica, 11(1), 105-119.
See, B. (2021, August 28). Data: Leaving no indigenous peoples behind in the achievement of the SDGs. TEBTEBBA. https://www.tebtebba.org/index.php/news-and-updates/data-leaving-no-indigenous-peoples-behind-in-the-achievement-of-the-sdgs
Solang, B. (2017). Persistence and disintegration of indigenous socio-political systems and values. In B. Solang (Ed.), Dap-ay discourse uno (pp. 35-40). Northern Media Information Network.
Tangkia, F., & Harabadas, M. (2001). Party-list system: The Philippine experience. Ateneo School of Government and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/philippinen/50076.pdf
Tauli-Corpuz, V. (2010). The human development framework and indigenous peoples’ self-determined development or development with culture and identity. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Ninth Session. New York, April 19-30, 2010.
Torrejas, D., Canta, A. P., Salvaloza, J., & Magalzo-Bualat, G. (2023). The indigenous peoples in ASEAN: Critical analysis on development aggression. The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 6(2), 101-117.
Tuazon, B. (2016). Reform and abolition, the Philippine party-list system. In F. Miranda, T. Rivera, M. Ronas, & R. Holmes (Eds.), Chasing the wind: Assessing Philippine democracy (pp. 185-203). Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines.
UNDP. (2010). United Nations Development Program fast facts: Indigenous peoples in the Philippines. https://www.undp.org/philippines/publications/fast-facts-indigenous-peoples-philippines
Unsan, J. (2017, July 12). Maguindanao feuding clans end 20 years of conflict. Philippine Star. https://www.philstar.com/nation/2017/07/12/1718881/maguindanao-feuding-clans-end-20-years-conflict
Urbanati, N., & Warren, M. (2008). The concept of representation in contemporary democratic theory. Annual Review of Political Science, 11, 387-412.
Velez, T. (2007, April 3). Only 5 out of 91 party-list groups from Mindanao. Davao Today. https://davaotoday.com/politics/only-5-out-of-91-party-list-groups-are-from-mindanao
Virola, M. (2016, May 15). Mangyans now vote with more confidence. Inquirer.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/785633/mangyans-now-vote-with-more-confidence
Wangnerud, L. (2009). Women in parliaments: Descriptive and substantive representation. Annual Review of Political Science, 12, 51-59.
Wessendorf, K. (2001). Challenging politics: Indigenous peoples' experiences with political parties and elections. International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Shivanee A. Dolo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
For all articles published in ASEAS before December 2014 and after July 2022, copyright is retained by the authors. For articles published between January 2015 and June 2022, the Society for South-East Asian Studies (SEAS) is the copyright holder. Articles published in ASEAS before December 2019 are licensed under the following Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported. Articles published after that date are licensed under the following Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International. In both cases, this means that everybody is free to share (to copy, to distribute, and to transmit the work) under the following conditions:
-
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
-
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
-
NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
