The Evolution of Political Organization in the Philippines

To understand present-day Philippine politics, one must consider the evolution of the country's political structure since late Spanish and early American colonial times. The current two-party system emerged from an earlier pattern of purely local politics. In 1898, with the onset of American colonial rule, each municipality was dominated by wealthy and educated Filipino families whose rivalries for influence dated back to the Spanish colonial period. Members of these leading families competed for the post of municipal mayor through an electoral college chosen by lot, a pattern that persisted in the early years of American governance.