Fourteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Participation is essential to democracy. High levels of participation translate to a healthier democracy. Through participatory governance, governments are able to forge partnerships with the civil society, non-government organizations, business organizations, and the like in order to take into consideration their perspectives that could play significant roles in the formulation and implementation of certain programs or policies at the national, regional, and even city level. Despite its many benefits, this paper argues that the participatory governance model provides an opportunity for electoral dominance at the city level. Naga City is known to have adopted a participatory governance model from the time of Jesse Robredo as city mayor. Naga City’s governance model centered on partnership and participation through establishment of and support to different organizations of almost every sector; this has gained the city government numerous recognitions worldwide. However, there is a flipside to the coin. An in-depth analysis of qualitative date collected from interviews and focus group discussions shows that a highly personalized machine is cultivated and maintained to ensure a hold on power. This paper outlines how a participatory governance paves way for electoral dominance. It offers an alternative view to participation in governance.