Philippine Democracy Online

Radical Democracy in the Time of Duterte is a 2022 book by Christopher Ryan Maboloc (published by ElziStyle Bookshop, Cotabato City, with a foreword by Wataru Kusaka).  It is a collection of essays (comprising ten chapters) that the author developed over five years, chronicling and analyzing the six-year presidency of Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (2016–2022).  The book draws heavily on postmodern and post-Marxist political theory—particularly the concept of radical democracy as articulated by Belgian philosopher Chantal Mouffe—to frame Duterte's leadership style and policies. Core Thesis and Framework Maboloc argues that Duterte's approach represents a form of radical democracy in the Philippine context. Drawing from Mouffe's ideas, he portrays radical democracy as embracing: The permanence of conflict and antagonism in politics (rejecting illusions of perfect consensus or a harmonious collective will). The rejection of a homogeneous society or elite-driven libe...

  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...

By Christopher Ryan Maboloc  The Story of Christmas tells us that there was no available room at the inn that night. Jesus was born in a manger. What is the message of this? It means that for some, if not many, the heart remains closed. Love has no place in the way they treat others. The reasons can be many, but the reality is that we only listen to our own voice, or are too caught up in the ways of the world wanting to achieve success or our own happiness, so that we fail to see the pains of those who are hungry.  In short, people cannot love because they can be selfish. Sometimes, we only think of ourselves. We don't or perhaps refuse to see the suffering of other human beings. We are too eager in our own quest for fame, money, and power. In this way, we forget that when we turn away the poor, the needy, and helpless, we are also turning away Christ. Christ, to paraphrase Emmanuel Levinas, is the face of the other. He is the orphan, the widow, the homeless, the victim of cor...

By Francis Jeus Ibañez  During the 1st Bohol Island State University Research Colloquium, I successfully defended my paper on the madness of Philippine democracy. I drew my thoughts from Nietzsche, Foucault, Derrida, and Freud. In the context of Philippine democracy, I reflected on the highly contested radical democratic theory of Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc, which critics largely misinterpret. I reckon that what we need right now, given the many calamities our country suffers, is a type of radical action. Politics is not meant to serve the higher 20% of the population but the lower 80%, which means that those who label Duterte's policies and politics as popolism actually miss the point. Duterte represents the struggle of the Bisaya, especially those from Mindanao. Asked by Dr. Ferdie Mangibin about the relevance of the work of Maboloc, I said that it is not about him but what he wrote. It is about how Philippine democracy has been turned upside down so that liberals can no longer...

By Dr. Romulo Bautista  The lack of stricter environmental standards compounded by lack of stricter enforcement was evident in the Philippines during Typhoon Ondoy that caused massive damage to properties and massive loss of human lives. After many disastrous and catastrophic typhoons, climate change is now a growing national concern in the Philippines, especially after the devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda. [People are now beginning to realize its effects on their lives and the future of this country. - Eds]  Climate change is a two-fold phenomenon. For lack of adequate descriptions, one phenomenon might be described as “natural and constructive”, which is intrinsic in the nature of existing realities and is regulated by the laws of nature. The other phenomenon might be described as “man-caused and destructive”, which is extrinsic to the nature of realities and is regulated by ethical laws legislated by man. The Kyoto Protocol  In 1997, industrialized countries agree...