"Militarizing the Bureaucracy" Military Personalities in Philippine Politics and the Voting Behavior Towards Them

Abstract

In this point in time, there is a discernable increase in the number of former military personalities that are entering politics through appointments in key civilian posts or through elections. The thesis studied the voting behavior of Filipino voters towards military personalities who ran for Senate during the 2007 Elections. The study also include the reason behind the entry of military personalities to politics, their military culture, the reason why they were voted, and the impact of their victory to politics. The researcher conducted literature reviews, key informant interviews, and a survey on the Filipino voters for the realization of the study. Data from various literature and key informant interviews accumulated were coded for themes and sub・themes. Pieces of information coming from these sources were mainly about the military's politicization, the military culture, the military candidates, and the their impact to politics. The survey was conducted on 200 respondents of Metro Manila chosen through a multilevel sampling method. Respondents were asked regarding their awareness of military senatorial candidates, their perception on them, their voting behavior towards them, and their awareness of the military culture The study found out that military personalities enter politics due to various factors of politicization such as: the inefficiency of the government to solve societal ills, exposure to reality (poverty), strong linkages with politicians, and experience in handling of power among others. There is also the existence of a distinct military culture, which includes: the objectiveness of the military, the top-down organization, the cohesiveness, and a strong sense of discipline. In the aspect of the voting behavior towards military personalities, the respondents primary reasons for voting for military personalities is their being principled, courageous, and being a part of the opposition. The respondents voted for the image that these military personalities are trying to portray and most of them were not aware of the military culture. The researcher hope that this study has explained the voting behavior of Filipinos towards military personalities and that it will be able to educate the people regarding the existence of a military culture that will help them to become politically-mature voters.