Vote Buying in the Philippine Congress: the phenomenon of political lobbying in the Philippines and its effects on the legislation

Abstract

The Lobbying Act in the Philippines (Republic Act no. 1827) which serves as the framework of lobbying practices in the Congress was found to be outdated and was not able to respond to the political realities of the country. Hence, there is no concrete mechanism to limit and facilitate the activities of lobby groups and individuals. Lobbyists may apply various strategies to win the favor, in terms of votes, of the legislators : ethical or unethical. This includes presentation of position papers, public demonstrations or mass mobilizations and letter writing among others. However, those who have financial capabilities also have strategies called “envelopmental”1 and campaign funding. Varying degree of the effects of these strategies was explored through literature reviews, analysis of some latest policies and interviews with policy consultants/advisers, selected legislators and representatives of some mass organizations. It was then concluded in this study that mass mobilizations were perceived to be irrational and insubstantial by the legislators, thus making them less effective compared to the furtive and personal strategies of the business class. As a result, the great bills that mass organizations had been advancing through mass mobilizations remain to be pending in the Philippine Congress.