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Acknowledgement

This thesis would not be possible without the help of the following:

First of all, to The Almighty God for giving us the wisdom and the strength to overcome

the trials and to finish this study and also for giving us our lives and the gift of wisdom and

skills. We offer all of this for the greater glory of Him.

We would like to thank our parents for providing us always with all our needs and for

taking care of us for the whole of our existence. If not for them, we would not be here on earth in

the first place.

We would like to thank Professor Lindsey Espina, moderator of the SMP and coordinator

of the Political Science Program of the University of Mindanao. Without him, the coordination

between our group and their respective clubs will not be possible.

Many thanks to James Sagal, president of SMAP of Holy Cross of Davao College.

Without his patience, we can’t get the necessary data that we need. Thanks also to Mr. Marlan T.

Jose, OSA director of Holy Cross of Davao College for providing us access to their school and

coordinating with James Sagal for our thesis.

Thanks also for my own classmates in the Political Science program here in Ateneo de

Davao University for providing us information and their patience for answering our

questionnaires.

1



Many thanks to Mrs. Rosena Sanchez, our adviser, for tirelessly helping us in the

improvement of our thesis. I would like to thank her for her great patience especially in the times

that I am having difficulty coping up in her subject.

Thanks also for Mrs. Rhodalie Emilio, our mentor, for helping us in our thesis and

lending her talent and time to improve our paper.

For those whom we forgot to mention, many thanks to all of you for making this thesis

possible.

2



Unit of Analysis ---------------------------------------------------------------

14

Sampling Procedure ---------------------------------------------------------------

14

Research Instrument ---------------------------------------------------------------

14

Data Collection ---------------------------------------------------------------

17

Data Analysis ---------------------------------------------------------------

17

Ethical Considerations ---------------------------------------------------------------

18

Variables and Measures ---------------------------------------------------------------

18

Part IV. Data Analysis and Interpretation

Presentation of Data and Analysis ---------------------------------------------------------- 22

Part V. Summary of Findings and Recommendations

Findings ---------------------------------------------------------------- 35

Appendix

Chapter I

4



Introduction

Background of the Study

Political theorists, from the Ancient to the Medieval periods up to the Contemporary

times, recognize the importance of civic participation among individuals within a body politic.

Aside from being a tenet of democracy, political participation is both a right and a privilege of

every citizen, more so in a democratic state.

In this note, college students who major in Political Science are presumed to be well-

aware on the significance of civic participation. Students who focus their undergraduate studies

on this field of study should recognize the idea that the involvement in the politics of the state

attempts to improve their lives and the societies’ welfare as a whole and create a good society.

Moreover, as well-informed in this science, Political Science Students are assumed to have been

made aware that political participation is an aspect of democracy, and should exercise this right

in order to live up to the democratic principle. And as a collective, a Political Science club,

which is composed of undergraduate Political Science students, is also presumed to help increase

political awareness of members.

In the past two semesters, the Ateneo de Davao University’s SAMAPULA, had not been

recognized as a club in the said university. This limited the activities proposed by the said club.

This alarmed the researchers who are also members of this club. Moreover, the researchers also

observed the limited political participation of fellow members especially in their voting behavior,

5



among others. Thus, the researchers would like to examine the nature and extent of political

participation of the members of Political Science clubs, not only within the Ateneo de Davao

University, but also selected colleges and universities in Davao City.

Objectives of the Study

This study aims to:

1. To present the socio-demographic characteristics of members of the respective Political

Science Club

2. To determine the nature and extent of political participation of the members and the

Political Science Club

3. To present the problems and constraints faced by the members and the organization

Theoretical Considerations

The rise of civilization, progress, and modernization, has always been attributed with

politics of the state. In antiquity, Athens and Rome had a vast political landscape, which

contributed to the further betterment of mankind in terms of the society’s economic, cultural, and

social lives. From the time of the ancient Greeks, participation of the constituency is said to be a

vital part in the further alleviation of the society in terms of economics, politics, culture, military

power, among others. This made ancient Greece one of the greatest societies in history. From the

theories of Ancient down to the Medieval Periods, to the 16th and 18th Century political

theorists like Locke and Rousseau, up to the contemporaries, participation of individuals in

politics is placed with great significance.

6



For aspiring politicians:

This study may show the availability of the clubs as conduits for campaigning and

propaganda. This may prove to be a new source of material for such circumstances.

For the respondents:

This study may prove to be a source of new knowledge that would further develop facets

of the person they choose to. Moreover, this study may prove useful in assessing their collective

political participation as club members and act upon such with their discretion.

For the Club Administration:

This study may prove to be useful in assessing the club’s political participation. The

information may be able to let future club administrations to act upon certain circumstances that

previous administrations have gone through.

For aspiring politicians:

This study may show the availability of the clubs as conduits for campaigning and

propaganda. This may prove to be a new source of material for such circumstances.

Operational Definition of Terms

1. Socio-demographic characteristics – refers to the sex, age, year level, religion, civil

status, school, and the Political Science club affiliation of the respondent

8



Review of Related Literature

Some significant readings regarding and related to political participation, political

organizations in educational institutions and youth engagement in politics will be mentioned in

relation with this study. This chapter includes related literature, related studies and readings both

in the international arena and the local arena as well.

Meaning of Political Participation

Political Participation applies to all political actions of individuals. These actions include

specific activities such as the individual’s involvement in local and national elections, attendance

in community gatherings, in forming a group to work on local problems, active voting behavior,

or affiliation in one’s initiation an organization which influences its members to discuss political

issues and keeps its members informed about politics. According to Milbrath and Goel, it is

however possible to belong to one mode of participation and still perform other modes.

Moreover, the more activities one is being involved in, the wider his political participation is.

Political participation is defined as any activity by private citizens that are more or less

directly aimed at influencing the selection of government officials, the decisions they make, or

the actions they take on public policy issues (Verba and Nie 1972, 2). Political participation

includes activities such as voting, lobbying, writing or calling a public official, writing letters to

the newspaper, calling talk radio shows, persuading friends to vote for a particular candidate, and

being active in private organizations for political purposes. Civic participation is defined as any

activity by private citizens that bring them into contact with other citizens for the purpose of

pursuing common ends. Civic participation includes political activity, but it also includes

participation in other private organizations that establish and transmit community, civic, or

10



cultural values such as churches, business organizations, labor unions, athletic clubs, and

fraternal organizations, among others. (From http://www.umassd.edu/cfpa/docs/parts.pdf)

Forms of Political Participation

Voting may be the most common form of political participation. But political

participation is not confined to the individual’s voting behavior alone. Other activities which are

political in nature can be considered as forms of political participation. Other than voting there

are other conventional forms of participation. These include: working for a candidate or political

party, attending campaign rallies, and persuading others to participate in the campaigns.

Moreover, joining committee activities, contacting activities, and signing up for an interest group

membership, can also be some of these activities. Taking part in protest politics such as

demonstrations, boycotts, and civil disobedience, moreover, are unconventional forms of

political participation. (http://kiosk.polisci.umn.edu/courses/fall1999/1001/l15.html)

Individual Motives for Participation in Politics

People are politically motivated depending on their attitudes, beliefs, opinions, interests,

and values (Lawson, 1997). For some, there is an inherent, unverbalized feeling that dictates

within them that of what should be the right thing to do. An individual’s inherent attitude can be

a relevant, core motive to one’s involvement in politics. Beliefs, or personal convictions, can

motivate a person to choose one candidate over the other, to be apathetic or reactionary on a

newly revised bill, to be cynical about the newly elected administration, or to involve himself of

herself in a political organization. Also, opinions, beliefs which have a normative freight,

encourage a person to speak out and influence other persons through socialization to accept his

or her opinion.

11

http://kiosk.polisci.umn.edu/courses/fall1999/1001/l15.html

http://kiosk.polisci.umn.edu/courses/fall1999/1001/l15.html



Attitudes, beliefs, opinions, interest, and values, vary from one person to another. Hence,

the innate drive for a person to participate in the political arena still varies in extent. Moreover, it

is up to the external environment and outside factors of the person to instigate a drive for him or

her to increase his or her political involvement. Also, a person’s individual involvements like

voting or participating in the elections can be motivated by political groups and organizations to

further stimulate one’s political participation.

Influences of Socialization on Political Participation

Involvement in extracurricular activities and political socialization, especially in high

schools or college/university creates a potential avenue for increased political participation

(Carlos, De Maria, et.al., 2004) . This is because these activities could give the student more

political interest, community leadership, and political awareness. Moreover, socialization would

be an avenue for many leadership opportunities for the student, and in turn would be more active

in engaging in political activities. Inculcating political awareness, especially on current political

issues, therefore, could develop a sense of political participation within the individual level and

the societal level as a whole.

Access to Media and Voting

In the same study by Ray Carlos, Diane DeMaria, et al. of the Indiana State University,

one of the most important ways to improve attitudes towards voting is to use appropriate media

channels utilized by the youth (Carlos, De Maria, et.al., 2004). Television, newspapers, and the

internet are influential to youth voting behavior since most of the youth today are more exposed

to technology and these types of mass media. Consequently, accessibility to media affects voting.

12



Peer Influence and Political Participation

Political Involvement is also increased through peer influence. Peer groups with above

average expertise, social intimacy, and homogeneity engage in more political discussions and

current events (Klofstad C., 2006). Those who are more exposed to political issues are more

likely to share information about civic actions and on how to be civically active with one

another. Active involvement in Political Clubs or Organizations makes an individual develop a

high level of interest in politics, and engage in more regular instances of civic action.

Therefore, affiliation in these clubs can generate higher levels of political participation.

Political Science Clubs or Organizations: Roles, Functions, Definition

Political Science Organizations are non-profit, non-sectarian, non-partisan organizations

duly recognized by the university. These are composed of Political Science majors which share

the same ideals meant to accomplish the goals and objectives of the academic club.

In the United States, undergraduate Political Science Organizations intend to harness

students’, especially Political Science Majors, awareness of the political landscape both locally

and internationally. The University of California Berkeley’s Undergraduate Political Science

Organization (U.P.S.A),for example, aims to enhance the students’ educational experience while

making the campus community more aware of the local, national, and political issues. Moreover,

the UPSA provides networks for other students to help and seek help from others with regards to

discussions in line with political matters.

The University of the Philippines Association of Political Science Majors, for one, was

created to promote, encourage, and support, the objective study of the University of the

Philippines’ Political Science Program. The UP APSM organizes discussion groups among its

13



Political Science Majors members, and initiates symposia on relevant issues in relation to the

field of the discipline they belong. Moreover, regular forums are held to discuss national issues

that are timely and relevant. Aside from holding discussions and forums related to the program,

the UP APSM addresses socio-political concerns by initiating outreach programs and activities.

The organization also actively participates in interschool organizational activities. As a matter of

fact, the UP APSM is an active member of the Association of Political Science Organizations of

the Philippines (APSOP). The University of the Philippines Association of Political Science

Majors (UP APSM) is currently on its 25th year and still continuously maintains the

organizations’ thrust.

The Role of Educational Institutions in Developing Political Participation of Youth

Educational Institutions provide an avenue for students to be active in the democratic

process. Keine and Westheimer argued that schools need to teach democracy, uphold social

volunteering, and promote students’ interest in the democratic process. Moreover, they conclude

that to secure democracy, students must be participative in community activities initiated by the

school. Moreover, the school must heighten the level of knowledge their students have with

regards to politics conceiving themselves as members of the society (Kahne, J. & Westheimer, J.

2003 Teaching Democracy: What Schools Need to Do. Phi Delta Kappan, 85, 34-40, 57-66).

Moreover, schools can help facilitate their students to be politically active adults in the future by

inculcating democratic values and practices while these students are still in school. In line with

this, the school can acknowledge the role of campus clubs and organizations to encourage and

strengthen students’ awareness, knowledge, and participation in politics. Furthermore, schools

also play a role as a political socialization agent, along with peers, family, and mass media, in

order for the youth to gain political insights and concerns.

14



Importance of Political and Civic Participation

First, political and civic participation is what defines a vibrant democracy by providing for the

representation of citizens’ interests. Second, political and civic participation are important

aspects of building a healthy local, regional, and national civil society – that is termed by Robert

Putnam as “social capital”—through organizations that include political parties, labor unions,

parent-teacher organizations, sports clubs, fraternal organizations, political action committees,

churches, and many other institutions that bring citizens into contact with one another. By

participating in this diverse array of civic institutions, people influence the goals, values, and

resource allocations of the community. Finally, participation is important not only because it

communicates citizen’s preferences to government officials, but because it generates other

psychic benefits that reinforce democratic institutions. Participation provides a sense of

membership in the democratic community, a sense of satisfaction and efficacy when civic action

is successful, and it is an educational device that teaches the civic virtues of a democratic society

(e.g., freedom of press, speech, lawful assembly, rule by law, rotation in office, etc.). Thus,

political and civic participation are both a means to an end (representation) and an end-in-itself

(democracy).

15



Chapter III

Methodology

This chapter presents the steps undertaken by the researchers in obtaining the data to

effectively answer the objectives of the study. The procedure includes the following : the

identification of the research design and locale of the study, sampling procedure, data collection,

and variables and measures.

Research Design

The research design used in this study is descriptive. This is done using the survey

method through the use of questionnaires and an interview schedule. The study would seek to

illustrate the nature and extent of political participation of the members of different Political

Science Clubs, thus mean, frequency distribution, percentage distribution, and the Likert scale

would be used to analyze the data.

Qualitative data were used to derive answers regarding the problems and constraints

encountered by the respective Political Science Club.

Locale of the Study

The study was conducted in three selected college and universities within Davao City

namely : Holy Cross of Davao College, University of Mindanao, and the Ateneo de Davao

University. Holy Cross of Davao College is located at Sta. Ana Avenue while University of

16



Mindanao and the Ateneo de Davao University are located at Matina, Davao City and at Corner

Roxas - Jacinto Sts., Davao City respectively.

Unit of Analysis

The respondents of this study are confined only to the official members of the Political

Science Club of the selected college and universities. Club membership varies according to the

respective club’s policies which means that belonging to the political science program may or

may not automatically make one a member of the organization (like that of the Ateneo de Davao

University’s SAMAPULA). Therefore, respondents of the study would be limited only to the

official, and registered members of the political science organization only. For the University of

Mindanao’ LLP and SMP, respondents are 3rd year and 4th year regular and irregular students,

including club officials, who are currently enrolled in their respective university and the said

program in the time of the study. For the Holy Cross of Davao’s SMAP, members include 2 nd

year, 3rd year, and 4th year students taking up their undergraduate major in the study of Political

Science.

Sampling Procedure

The sample size was determined using the random and quota sampling methods. Each

Political Science Club for a college or university is given thirty (30) questionnaires to be

answered by 30 students chosen randomly. The students were given an ample time of 40 minutes

to answer the 2-page questionnaire.

17



Randomly picked respondents were also made to testify problems encountered by their

Political Science Club.

]

Research Instrument

A structured questionnaire and an interview schedule were used in order to collect the

necessary data for the study. Queries in this questionnaire were designed to provide answers in

order to attain the objectives of this research study.

For the first objective, respondents were asked to fill in their names (optional), sex, age,

year level, religion, civil status, school, and the name of their respective Political Science Club,

on the blanks provided for each number.

The second part of the questionnaire seeks to ask the voting behavior of the respondent,

whether he or she had campaigned for any candidate, and whether he or she himself or herself

had ran as a candidate last elections. This is part of the second objective of the study which aims

to ask the nature and extent of political participation of the members.

The third part of the questionnaire also seeks to ask the nature and extent of political

participation of the members. To obtain this, a Likert scale was designed using these scales of

measure:

5 – Always

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4 – Often

3 – Sometimes

2 – Rarely

1 – Never

Further, this part of the questionnaire is divided into three subparts namely: the political

participation of the respondent in the individual level, the participation of the respondent within

the club, and the Political Science Club’s influence on the political participation of the

respondent.

The first sub-part, which is about the nature and extent of political participation of the

respondent in the individual level, is a self-assessment of the respondent with regards to the

frequency and the degree of his or her participation in the following political activities:

attendance in protest meetings, attendance in public street demonstrations, persuading others to

vote, expressing political views through contributing articles with political content to campus

and/or local newspapers, using other means (e.g. writing blogs on the internet, text brigades) to

express political views, and reading newspapers and watching national and local news to keep

updated with politics.

The second sub-part is about the participation of the respondent within the club.

Participation is measured still in Likert Scale using these following variables / political activities:

giving monetary contributions for the club, organizing and planning events for the club,

participation in information dissemination, and attendance in the club’s meetings and assemblies.

19



The third sub-part’s queries are about the participation of the respondent in the activities

of the Political Science Club. This part asks if the club encourage the respondent to participate in

demonstrations, protests, rallies, or other political activities outside school, if the club sponsor

forums related to political issues, if these forums help increase political awareness, if the club

follow strict rules with regards to the attendance of members in these activities, and if the

members of the club participate actively in these activities.

Answers for the Problems and Constraints encountered by the Political Science Club

were derived from an open-ended question given. Moreover, respondents were picked in random

for a testimony asked by the researchers regarding the problems and constraints encountered by

his or her respective Political Science Club.

Randomly selected respondents were also asked about the political activities they

participate. They were also asked regarding as to whether they had voted during the last elections

and why they had participated in those political activities.

In interpreting the results, a point system was followed. For, third part of the

questionnaire, a tally was obtained from the sum of the variables for each sub-parts.

For the political participation of the respondent in the individual level, those respondents

who got 6 – 14 points are categorized as having a low political participation, 15 – 22 as having

an average political participation, 23 – 30 as having a high political participation.

For the participation of the respondent within the club, those respondents who got 5 – 13

are categorized as having low political participation, 15 – 22 as having an average political

participation, 23 – 30 as having a high political participation.

20



Regarding to what extent does the club influence the political participation of its

members, results ranging from 5 - 12 indicate that club has a low influence on the political

participation of its members. Brackets 13 – 19 and 20 – 25 were categorized as having an

average influence and high influence respectively.

Data Collection

Primary data was obtained through the use of survey questionnaires and in-depth

interview with randomly selected respondents.

After securing the necessary permission from the Political Science Club Moderators of

each college and university, the researchers went to the respective campuses to conduct their data

collection. The researchers found the data collection convenient within the vicinity of the Ateneo

de Davao University as respondents were available and accessible. However, for the other two

campuses, the researchers conducted the survey after a general assembly and a class meeting for

the Holy Cross of Davao College and University and Mindanao respectively.

The 30 randomly selected respondents from each Political Science Club were then given

survey questionnaires and were given ample time to answer the said data collection tool.

Data Analysis

Different methods were used to analyze the data in this study. This includes frequency

distribution, percentage distribution, and percentage allocation. In interpreting the data, tables

and graphs were used. The questions in the survey questionnaires were designed to be answered

through a Likert scale in order to obtain the level of participation of each respondent to a given

type of political activity. Analysis of data to answer the study’s objective of enumerating the

21



problems and constraints faced by the club is done through noting down the common answers

and responses of the respondents as indicated in the questionnaires. Some testimonies from

respondents were also stated.

Ethical Considerations

This study only aims to describe the nature and extent of the political participation of the

members of the selected political science organizations here in Davao City, thus at the onset

there are no major ethical considerations except for the acquiring of the necessary permission

from the respective universities which make up the locale of the study. However, if the

respondents would deem it necessary for their identities and/or the identities of their

organizations be hidden due to sensitive information, the researchers would immediately grant

their requests.

Variables and Measures

The following were the variables and their corresponding measures used in this study:

Variables Measures

Socio-demographic characteristics of members

- Age Actual age

- Sex

Female

Male

- Year level

First Year

Second year Third Year

Fourth Year

- Religion CatholicUCCP

Protestant

22



Islam

BaptistTaoist

Born-again Christian

Iglesia ni Kristo

- Civil Status SingleMarried

- School

Ateneo de Davao University

University of Mindanao

Holy Cross of Davao College

- Name of Political Science Club affiliated in

SMAP / LLP

SAMAPULA

Nature and Extent of Political Participation of Members

- Voting in the last elections Yes, No

- Other political organizations outside school

affiliated inActual names of organizations affiliated in

- Campaigned for a candidate in the lastelections

Yes, No

- Ran as a candidate in the last elections Yes, No

- Attendance in protest meetings Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always

- Attendance in public street demonstrations Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always

- Persuading others to vote Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always

- Expressing political views through

contributing articles in newspapers Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always

- Reading newpapers, and other forms of

media to be updated with political news Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always

Nature and Extent of Political Participation of Political Science Clubs as an organization

- Encourages members to be politically

involved Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always

- Encourages members to participate in

demonstrations, protests, rallies, or other

political activities outside school

Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always

- Sponsorship of forums related to political

issues Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always

- Follows strict rules in attendance Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always

- Officers do their functions effectively Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always- The club encounters problems and

constraints Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always

- Officers of the club provide solutions to

problems Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always

Problems and Constraints of the Political Science Club

- Problems and Constraints As enumerated and testified by members

23



and officers of the organization

24



Chapter IV

Data Analysis and Interpretation

I. Socio-demographic Characteristics of Respondents

Table 1. Age

LLP and

SMP

SAMAPULA SMAP Total %

17 and below 0 3 5 8 9%18-20 23 20 15 58 44%

21-23 6 6 9 21 23%

24 and above 1 1 1 3 3%

Total 30 30 30 90 100%

Age. Mostly college students, the respondents ages are predominantly ranging from 17 to

24 years old. And since most members of the Political Science Clubs are in their junior or senior

year, the 18 to 20 age bracket is the most concentrated among the given categories.

Table II. Sex

LLP and SMP SAMAPULA SMAP Total %

Female 12 14 11 37 41%

Male 18 16 19 53 59%

90 100%

25



Sex. Incidentally, there are fifty-nine percent and forty-one percent male and female

respondents, respectively, chosen through random sampling as what is specified in the data

gathering procedure.

Table III. Year Level


2nd Year 0 0 4 4 5%

3rd year 16 12 21 49 54%

4th Year 14 18 5 37 41%

Respondents from the University of Mindanao’s SMP and LLP and the Ateneo’s

SAMAPULA were all third year and fourth year students. SMAP from Holy Cross had the only

sophomore respondents. This was due to the availability of the respondents during the survey

and the probing. The SAMAPULA respondents were third year and fourth year students

because at the time of data collection, the there had been no recruitment. Moreover, due to the

non-recognition of the SAMAPULA the club was not able to recruit or open itself for

membership.

Table IV. Religion

LLP &

SMP

% SAMAPULA % SMAP % Total %

Catholic 23 77% 26 87% 22 73% 71 79%

Protestant 2 6% 3 10% 3 10% 8 9%

Islam 1 3% 0 0% 0 0% 1 1%

Others 4 13% 1 3% 5 16% 10 11%

100% 100% 100% 90

26



Religion. Respondents in this study, encompassing all three schools, are predominantly

Catholics with 77 percent, 87 percent, and 73 percent, for the LLP and SMP, SAMAPULA, and

SMAP respectively.

Table V. Civil Status


Single 28 30 29 87 97%

Married 1 0 0 1 1%

No response 1 0 1 2 2%

Ninety-seven percent of the respondents stated their civil status as single. Only a percent of

90 respondents is married. The remaining one percent left the particular query on the

questionnaire blank, and therefore had no response to this question.

II. Nature and Extent of Political Participation

1. Voted in the last elections

Table VI.

LLP &

SMP


Yes 17 57% 22 73% 15 50% 54 60%

No 13 43% 8 27% 15 50% 36 40%

Voted in the last elections. Seventy-three percent of the members of SAMAPULA have

voted in the last elections, while SMAP has fifty percent of its members who voted in the last

elections. This shows that the youth, especially from the various schools here in Davao, has

greatly participated during the last elections.

This could be attributed to the availability of and accessibility from media of these

respondents. Since these respondents go to urban-based college and universities, television,

27



radio, newspapers, and the internet, are of reach. Through these forms of media, political

awareness regarding the importance of the youth’s participation in elections has gained positive

exposure, and eventually influenced youth, especially in urban areas, to vote during elections.

Due to the fact that, Urban Davao is densely populated, precincts used as voting centers, are

densely concentrated in the urban area. Thus, another factor that we could attribute to the high

participation of the respondents in the last elections is the accessibility to voting centers in the

city from the respondents’ residences and home addresses.

Education has placed a significant factor in the active voting behavior of respondents.

Recognizing the significance of elections in shaping the future of the society, as Political Science

Club members and as Political Science students, the respondents took an active participation in

voting for the last elections.

2. Involvement in other Political Organizations outside school

Table VII.

LLP &

SMP


Yes 11 37% 12 40% 3 10% 26 29%

No 19 63% 18 60% 27 90% 64 71%

Involvement in other Political Organizations outside school. Almost all of the

members or ninety percent of SMAP have never been involved in other Political Science

Organizations outside their school. LLP & SMP and SAMAPULA have more members that have

involvement in other political organizations than SMAP, having forty and thirty – seven percent

of their members.

In general, 71 percent of the total respondents had not been involved in other political

organization outside of their campuses.

28



The large percentage of non-involvement with other organizations outside the school

could be attributed to the availability of time of the respondents'. As college students, the

respondents may have other activities which are more prioritized, like academics. Also,

involvement in organizations outside the school would mean that the students would have to

sacrifice more of their time in order to participate in that organization's activities.

“Busy na nga kami kapag sa school at sa Org namin. Masyado ng

mahirap kapag sumali pa kami sa labas kasi baka demanding din yung

Org na yun and baka di na namin magawa yung mga dapat namin gawin

as students.”

- RE, SAMAPULA member

3. Campaigning for a candidate in the elections

Table VIII.

LLP &

SMP


Yes 13 43% 6 20% 12 40% 25 27%

No 17 47% 24 80% 18 60% 65 73%

Campaigning for a candidate. Forty percent of SMAP members have campaigned for a

candidate in the last elections while the majority of the members of LLP & SMP and

SAMAPULA, comprising sixty – seven and eighty percent, has never campaigned for a

candidate during the last elections.

This could be attributed to the respondents' standpoint in politics. Though members of

organizations of Political Science, the respondents have different points of view with regards to

Politics within and outside the school. These differences in the points of view greatly affect their

willingness to campaign for a candidate. Therefore, being afraid to be different from other

people's, especially from the other club members themselves, disallows them to campaign for a

candidate. Some may have been hesitant to exude this kind of political participation due to the

differences that they could have expressed.

29



“Medyo mahirap magcampaign para sa electoral candidates kasi

kailangan i-express namin yung political point of view nila. Syempre,

paminsan, di naman namin kaya yun kasi hindi naman talaga ganun yung

pinapaniwalaan namin.”

- KH, SMP member

Also, as a student, the respondents may have been inclined on other activities that would

make them incapacitated to campaign for a candidate. Campaigning could be a difficult task

because it requires dedication in terms of time and other material resources. Thus, the

respondents could have not been able to campaign for electoral candidates due to its taxing

nature.

“Kapoy magcampaign. Paminsan pa, unappreciated naman din. Kaya wag

na lang.”

- BB, SAMAPULA member

Another factor that would attribute to this would be the age of the respondents. The

respondents' age mainly range from 17-20 years old. This says that maybe they have not yet

acquired the needed skills to effectively campaign for a candidate. Thus, rejecting the task

automatically.

“Di ko naman alam kung paano magcampaign. Chaka mag-focus muna

ako sa studies ko.”

- LR, SAMAPULA member

However, there are also some who actively participate in campaigning for a candidate in

the elections.

“…avenue man gud ang elections para maka-extra-extra pud mi (funds),

kay manghatag man nang mga pulitiko ug campaign funds, ug dako-dako

pud baya, depende lang”

- LC, LLP member

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4. Running as a candidate in the elections

Table IX.

LLP &

SMP


Yes 2 7% 5 17% 3 10% 10 11%

No 28 93% 25 83% 27 90% 80 89%

Running as a candidate in elections. The three schools have a more or less

homogeneous response for this query. Only a small percentage of the respondents have ran for

candidacy for a local or national government post during either the last local or nationalelections.

The large percentage of the respondents who did not run for elections could be attributed

to their age. The respondents' ages range only from 17-20 years old. This disallows them to

participate by running because the respondents are only limited to positions such as being a part

of the SK or Sanggunian ng Kabataan. Therefore, their age limits their participation in this

aspect due to the minimal availability of the positions where they can run as candidates.

“SK lang naman ang pwede ko takbuhan. Ang dami ng tumatakbo, kaya

mahirap. Buti sana kung pwede pa sa ibang positions.”

- E, SMAP member

Political Participation in the Individual Level

For statements regarding the nature and extent of political participation in the individual

level, the type of political activities undertaken by the individual member are specified. Political

Activities assigned in this category includes attending protest meetings, attending public street

demonstrations, persuading others to vote, expressing political views through contributing

articles with political content to campus or local newspapers, using other means (such as writing

blogs on the internet, text brigades) to express political views, and reading newspapers, articles,

watching national and international news, to keep updated with politics.

31



Table X.

LLP and

SMAP

% SAMAPULA % POLSOC % Total %

6 – 14

Low

14 47% 14 47% 13 44% 41 46%

15 – 22

Average

12 40% 16 53% 16 53% 44 49%

23 – 30

High

4 13% 0 0% 1 3% 5 5%

100%

In the individual level, therefore, as presented in the tables, would show that most

respondents have low to average political participation. This means that they perform the

political activities specified above rarely, sometimes, or on occasion only.

Majority of the respondents in the four political science clubs showed average or low

participation in the individual level. This means that they perform political activities specified

above rarely, sometimes, or on occasion only. Since these are students, factors that contribute to

the low participation rate of students are also student-related e.g. academic priorities, personal

and family problems and issues, and many more that bothers the average college student today

other than participating in these kinds of activities. We can also consider the political climate of

our country today where students engaging in such political activities especially those activities

linked to left leaning organizations are being repressed by the government. At the same time, the

economic crisis makes the students prioritize academics even more in order to land a career or a

job to support their own families, thus contributing even more to the lowering participation rate

of the students.

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Participation within the Political Science Club

Table XI.

LLP

and

SMP


5 – 13

Low

8 27% 15 50% 7 23% 30 33%

14– 22

Average

15 50% 15 50% 22 73% 52 58%

23 –30

High

7 23% 0 0% 1 3% 8 9%

The large percentage of non-involvement with other organizations outside the school

could be attributed to the availability of time of the respondents’. As college students, the

respondents may have other activities which are more prioritized, like academics. Also,

involvement in organizations outside the school would mean that the students would have to

sacrifice more of their time in order to participate in that organization’s activities.

“Busy na nga kami kapag sa school at sa Org 33aming. Masyado ng

mahirap kapag sumali pa kami sa labas kasi baka demanding din yung Org

33aming and baka 33amin 33aming magawa yung mga dapat 33aming

gawin as students.”

- LM, SAMAPULA member

The data would show that there are 58 percent of the respondents who have average

participation within the activities of their respective Political Science Club. Only 9 percent of the

respondents actively participate in the activities formulated or organized by the club.

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III. Problems and Constraints faced by the Political Science Club

The problems that were encountered by the members of the clubs are presented hereon

through statements by the respondents as quoted by the researchers.

In the SAMAPULA ( Ateneo de Davao University)

“The non-recognition of our club is a problem. When a club is not

recognized kasi we have a hard time in doing activities for the club.”

- HM, a fourth year SAMAPULA member

This reaction was shared by a relatively large number of SAMAPULA respondents. Non-

recognition of a club within the Ateneo de Davao University means that a club may not be able

to use the facilities and the name of the school in any of their activities. (CCO, bi-laws) This

reduced the ability of the club to do activities because it had been concerned with the filing of

recognition in the past year, more so that the circumstance reduced the capability of the club to

conduct activities within the school and prompted the club to limit such activities.

“… di man gud mutabang ang ubang members ba, mao di makalihok ang

club…”- Ban, a fourth year SAMAPULA member

The lack of participation or of help that come from the members severely reduce the ability

of the club to do its activities. Manpower and logistics that were integral to information

dissemination and organization of programs and of other members were inefficient due to the

lack thereof. According to other respondents, the problem was further exacerbated by other

Political Science students who became members of the club yet did not contribute to the club

during their tenure as a member.

The perceived lack of information dissemination had further reduced the efficiency of the

SAMAPULA in terms of updating its status for the convenience of the members.

“…ha? Di lagi mi giingnan ana ai” (pertaining to a question raised that

the SAMAPULA had not been recognized)

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- K, a third year SAMAPULA member

“… it is not our fault naman eh, yung previous administration ng

SAMAPULA, sinayang lang yung pgkarecognize kasi di sila nakapagpasa

ng “minimum” requirements for the recognition of the club this year,

nakakahinayang kasi yung previous administration (the one before the

previous administration) talagang pinaghirapan yung

pagpaparecognize,tas yun lang ang ginawa ng admin last year… 35aming

lang…”

- BFC, a third year SAMAPULA member

The perceived lack of efficacy of the previous administration in passing set requirements for

the club also led to its current status. As this opinion is shared by more than one of the

respondents, it suggested that the current problems of the club can be traced to the lack of

efficacy by the previous administration.

The lack of finances was also pointed out as a problem that was faced by the club. A fourth

year member who asked that his/her name not be included said:

“…I don’t know what happened to the money that we gave them nung

nagpamember kami… hindi felt yung bayad 35aming…”

“kahit nagbayad kami nung time 35aming and the other times na

pinabayad kami, walang natira, wala tuloy magamit ngayon…”

- Randy, an associate of the current SAMAPULA treasurer

The lack of finances reduced the club’s ability to conduct any activity that needed financial

resources. Moreover, this had served to discourage other members from participating in the club

activities due to the biased idea of having to pay for the activity.

“Nganung kinahanglan mubayad para sa isa ka activity? Kami ang

mubayad para ang tanan ang makabenefit, murag unjust man…”

- a fourth year student

35



The perceptions of the lack of finances, much like that of the non-recognition of the club,

were partially due to the lack of efficacy by the previous administration. This suggested that

some of the problems had been offshoots of the problems of the past administrations but have

been exacerbated by the previous administration.

In the University of Mindanao

SMP

The lack of participation in the case of the SMP is relatively less of a setback.

“We have a problem, di naman gaano, pero problem siya kasi yung ibang

members di sumisipot paminsan…”

- LC, an SMP member

“tinitext 36aming sila kung naa man meeting and we don’t give it

a big deal if sisipot sila or hindi…”

- Joe, a third year SMP member said.

However, due to the University of Mindanao having two political science clubs a sense of

competition can never be avoided.

“… it can’t be helped na usahay naa’y competition between the two clubs,

even though healthy siya, competition gihapon… usahay gani muabot sa

point na murag duha ka teams mi sa basketball na grabe jud ang

hunger…”

- Budi, 4th year LLP member

The membership requirement of the SMP had become a problem at certain times.

“at times para kang dumadaan sa butas ng karayom, tuloy

nadidiscourage yung iba kasi paminsan napakahirap ng requirements in

becoming a member eh…”

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- JV, 3rd year SMP member

Most members of the SMP had also stated that at times becoming a member was difficult,

some even felt discouraged to go further because of such.

The relationship of the club with the school administration had to be amicable. However, one

student had added :

“…it would be kung kalabanin naming ang administration, at one side,

makaulaw, next is basin mawala mi sa ilang favor, so dapat okay among

relationship, though more or less ginapabayaan lang mi until mupasa

napud mi ug requirements…”

- Joe

In the Holy Cross of Davao College

SMAP

“Bag-o lang man ang among club, so naa pa mi growing pains kung

baga… Bag-o ang among constitution and more… so yah problem siya ka

yang uban sa amua are experiencing difficulties…”

- Cris, a third year SMAP member

Like that of the other clubs, answers in the open-ended question provided in the

questionnaire about problems and constraints, lack of participation by the members is the most

common answer of the respondents. This includes non-attendance in the meetings of the club,

financial constraints, and lack of proper and effective information dissemination.

37



38



- The results of the data collection would show that political activities such as attending

protest meetings, attending public street demonstrations, persuading others to vote,

expressing political views through contributing articles with political content to campus

or local newspapers, using other means (such as writing blogs on the internet, text

brigades) to express political views, and reading newspapers, articles, watching national

and international news, to keep updated with politics, are participated only rarely,

sometimes, or on occasion only. Having showed the results in the table, the researchers

found out that there is low extent of political participation from and among the

respondents for the selected college and university in Davao City.

- Within the political science club, the data results show that there is an average

participation of the members of the members within their respective political science

club.

- Common problems and constraints faced by the members and the Political Science Club

as a whole includes : lack of participation from the members, financial and monetary

constraints, lack of efficacy, lack of proper and efficient information dissemination.

finalized partial

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