Philippine Democracy Online

  By Dr. Romulo Bautista Philosophy teachers from various schools in Mindanao have organized themselves into a Social Ethics Society, in order to help solve and/or bring the moral aspect of socio-political-economic problems for solution to political leaders of Mindanao. The Social Ethics Society laments the fact that the elite leadership of democracy in Mindanao has not done enough to improve the socio-economic fortune of the poor in the rural and in the urban areas. In terms of real income, the poor are even poorer today than they were in previous years. Empty of moral component, the political leadership of the elite few is passed from one elite group to another elite group. Contrary to the republican vision of our Constitution, the elite leaders used their delegated authority from the voters who are mostly poor, to further their vested interests at the expense of the best interests of the poor. It is time for Social Ethics Society to teach, educate, and enlighten voters at the gr...

  By Francis Jeus Ibañez I am exploring a theory of democracy that is based on the Philippine context through its own madness. It is not the radical democracy as explained by Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc. Instead of Chantal Mouffe, I will use Jacques Derrida in what I consider as a radical approach to democratic theory. Derrida in his post modern approach rejects any foundation. This decentering means we move the fulcrum away from a central figure. In Philippine society and in Maboloc's case, former President Duterte. His critics are also wrong for insisting on strictly appropriating Mouffe. The Philippines has a different context.  Maboloc's approach is being questioned for misappropriating radical democracy. But one has to admit that given the context, his approach can be considered as a radical theory of democracy. Dr. Ian Clark Parcon enjoins Jurgen Habermas to explain Mouffe's agonism and find a middle ground between dialogue and struggle.  But I beg to differ from b...