72
Chasing the Wind: Assessing Philippine Democracy
of the same list. The ARMM provinces show extreme variations in turnover
rates with Basilan having 5.0, Sulu with 3.5, Lanao del Sur at 2.5, Maguindanao
at 1.5 while Tawi-Tawi only had one. Moreover, the long history of violence and
the proliferation of loose arms in the ARMM may have contributed to a much
more unstable situation for elite consolidation.
On the possible relationship of turnover rates with HDI outcomes, the study
suggests that turnover rates for governors in the richer provinces show
virtually no difference with those of the poorer provinces as measured by HDI
rankings in 2006 (see Table 15). This implies that established political families in
the poorer provinces have as much capabilities of retaining power as their
counterparts in the richer provinces. Moreover, the greater political
competition that is assumed to exist with more political players in the richer
provinces does not seem to have significantly dented the resilience of these
established families. When some of these established families do suffer electoral
defeats they get replaced by families that soon consolidate into new centers of
political dominance.
Table 15: Average Turnover Rates for Governors : Top 20 and Lowest 20
Provinces by HDI Rank
Top 20
Provinces,
HDI 2006
Governors’ Average Turnover
Rate (1988-2007)
1.6
Average No.
of Political
Families per
province
2.8
Lowest 20
provinces,
HDI 2006
1.65
Average No.
of Political
Families per
province
2.0
Probing into the impact of good governance on electoral outcomes, a study
of the 2004 elections by a team of researchers from the National Statistical
Coordination Board (NSCB) also showed conflicting results (Virola et al. 2004).
Using the Good Governance Index (GGI) to classify the best and worst
provinces, Virola et al. found out that 8 out of the 10 incumbent governors from
the 10 best provinces in 2004 (Laguna, Batanes, Rizal, Benguet, Cavite, Bulacan,
Bataan, South Cotabato, Batangas and Siquijor) who ran for reelection as
governor or congressperson won, while two lost.26 But a surprisingly similar
result was obtained in the 10 worst provinces (Masbate, Sulu, Maguindanao,
Romblon, Northern Samar, Surigao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat,
Camarines Norte and Sorsogon) when 8 out of the 10 incumbent governors
who ran for reelection won, while two lost (one ran for Congress).
Further probing into the impact on electoral outcomes of socio-economic
indicators based on the HDI rankings of provinces in 2006, this study also
shows that incumbent reelectionist governors win not only in high HDI
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