Typhoon Yolanda Survivors Need More than Pro-poor Rhetoric from Politicians
March 22, 2016
Written by Pauline Eadie. Market researchers in the Philippines stratify socioeconomic classes into A, B, C, D or E classes. The distinction between the classes is not absolute however it is clear that the D and E classes make up around 90% of the electorate. Therefore politicians have to appeal to the ‘masa’ vote in …
Manny Pacquiao is the Anita Bryant of the Philippines
March 21, 2016
Written by John Andrew Evangelista. Fired for her religious convictions, Anita Jane Bryant, famous U.S. endorser and singer, led the “Save Our Children” campaign in the late 1970s. The campaign wanted to repeal laws meant to protect LGBT rights in different American states. Backed up by different religious groups and several conservative politicians, Bryant’s campaign …
Marcos and Duterte: Authoritarian Nostalgia in the Philippines
March 17, 2016
Written by Jeremiah Reyes. Our country is said to be in the midst of ‘authoritarian nostalgia.’ According to a study of six countries in Asia, the Philippines exhibits growing yearning for strongman rule and sympathy for a military intervention in government. Among the countries studied, the Philippines rejects authoritarian rule the least. The study used …
Philippines 2016: Is America’s military presence affecting the Philippine elections?
March 15, 2016
Written by Elliot Newbold. On the 28th of January, 2016, only days before the official start of the Philippine elections, United States Ambassador Philip Goldberg outlined his nation’s vision for military cooperation between the Philippines and the United States. Under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (E.D.C.A.), the United States has earmarked over $60 million to …
Philippine Politics is Still a Man’s World
March 9, 2016
Written by Julius Ryan Umali. With two female Presidents in tow, it looks like we can boast of being a country where women can aspire to serve in government and succeed. But the milestones aside, the current situation of women in Philippine government is wanting. With this year’s Women’s Month coming on the heels of …
The 2012 Delhi protests: towards a scalar analysis
March 8, 2016
Written by Srila Roy. The brutal gang rape and murder of 23-year-old Jyoti Singh Pandey in Delhi in December 2012 has come to constitute a ‘critical event’ in contemporary India. This is largely ascribable to the unprecedented public protests that the event propelled. The protests are one critical and representative moment in a changing landscape …
The EDSA revolution at 30: what does it mean for the poor in Philippines 2016?
March 7, 2016
Written by Pauline Eadie. It has been 30 years since the EDSA People Power Revolution in the Philippines. Filipinos unified across the class spectrum to rid the Philippines of the Marcos family. Sectors of society that were traditionally at odds with each other such as the military, the church and the left overcame their differences …
Dangerous Freedoms: Some thoughts on Gender, Caste and Development in India
March 3, 2016
Written by Kalpana Karunakaran. Gender violence cannot exist on the scale it does in India unless there is endorsement and social sanction for it or at least for the conditions that breed violence against women. To understand better the idea of social sanction, I suggest we see gender violence, not only as the horrific acts of …
The Crises of Representation in the Philippines and the Role of Charter Change
March 2, 2016
Written by Aries A. Arugay. The Aquino Administration would like to believe that it has made strides in improving transparency and accountability. While there is empirical support for this, corruption is not the only gripping problem of Philippine democracy. There is also a need to improve government responsiveness, political inclusion, and popular participation. There is …
Democratic Dysfunction in the Philippines: “Pateros ” as a Microcosm
February 29, 2016
Written by Ernie R. Gonzales. Democracy run by patriotic democrats empowers the masses whom they represent, and facilitates the attainment of genuine justice, freedom, peace and progress. But kept in the hands of Kleptocrats, democracy becomes dysfunctional and pushes society into the depths of poverty, hunger and modern slavery. Social life becomes locked into systemic …
