Rodelio Cruz Manacsa and Alexander C. Tan, "Manufacturing Parties: Re-examining the Transient Nature of Philippine Political Parties," Party Politics, 11 (November, 2005), 748-765.

First Paragraph:
Political parties have made minimal difference to the operation of the Philippines' political system (Lande, 1996; Rocamora, 2002). They are temporary vehicles built by opulent families in their perennial competition for control of state power and its entitlements (Patino, 1998). As makeshift machines crafted for the sole purpose of winning elections, they soon collapse after a crushing political defeat or over disagreements about the division of the spoils. However, they are prone to resurrection when elections once again draw near (Adriano, 1992)

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Last Paragraph:
If we are justified in contending that the transient nature of Philippine political parties has been less the product of the resilience of patron-client ties and more the outcome of deliberate institutional choices, then the crafting of new institutions can facilitate the articulation of cleavages in society and the organization of new counter-elites. It is this type of analysis that is most pertinent to the challenge of political reform.