"Timek ti daga ken danum" [the voice of land and water]: analysis of the perception of farmers on political representation in local councils and its relations on people empowerment and agricultural development

Abstract

This paper is intended to provide an overview of the perception of farmers towards political representation and how representation in local councils such as the City Agriculture and Fisheries Council can help in achieving agricultural development in Cauayan City, Isabela. The nature of the concept of political representation is a blur on its own. It has intrinsic and multidimensional nature prevents scholars from giving it an ultimate definition. Most of the definitions given to this concept focus on its structural elements as in the relationship of the representative‟ to the represented‟. According to Cotta, et.al, studies show that under a historical perspective, the most empirical manifestation of political representation is the modern representative democracy, thus political representation is defined as an institutionalised system of political responsibility, realised through the free electoral designation of certain fundamental political organisms (Cotta, 2002). In the Philippines, the idea of political representation is seen in its laws with Article VI of the 1987 Constitution creating the House of Representatives and the Senate, and through Republic Act 7941 also known as the Party-List System Act. The former was crafted, Article VIII, Section 1 stating that, “The legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the Philippines which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives, except to the extent reserved to the people by the provision on initiative and referendum.” On the other hand, the latter emphasizes the need for marginalized sectors to be represented in the House of Representatives. The question, however, is that if we will try to go to the grassroots level or the city or municipal level, is there such an idea as political representation? Is there a need for representation of the marginalized sectors in the local level?