Beyond Geopolitics: The Philippines in the New Marcos Era
About the publication
At the midpoint of the Marcos Jr. presidency, questions about the direction of Philippine governance have taken on new urgency. Coming to power in the wake of a violent populist regime, the administration faces heightened expectations: How will it distinguish itself from its predecessor? What major political, economic and social developments have unfolded so far? Why has policy progress emerged in some areas but stalled in others—and how effective are the new approaches being pursued? And how will the administration manage its own factional splits and internal infighting?
This edited volume provides a timely and comprehensive assessment of the Marcos Jr. administration at midterm. Bringing together eighteen chapters by leading scholars and practitioners, it examines the administration’s performance, priorities and evolving governance style across five thematic parts: Governing at Midterm; Contested Narratives; Oligarchic Continuities; Challenges in Development and Delivery: Infrastructure and Agriculture; and Emergent Areas of Governance.
While the administration has maintained several practices from the Duterte period, it has also marked out new directions. Taken together, the contributions reveal a complex and at times contradictory governance landscape—one in which entrenched oligarchic interests, political survival and shifting domestic and geopolitical pressures intersect.
Offering clear-eyed analysis and forward-looking insights, this volume equips scholars, students, policymakers and observers with an essential guide to understanding the political and policy landscape of the Philippines under Marcos Jr. It also identifies critical areas for reform to address democratic fragility, uneven development and polarization.
Contents
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Beyond Geopolitics: The Philippines in the New Marcos Era
[Whole Publication, ISBN: 9789815361049], by Cleo Calimbahin, Björn Dressel, authors -
preliminary pages
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1. Introduction: The Marcos Jr. Administration at Midway: Dynastic Entrenchment and Competition in a Patronage Democracy, by Cleo Calimbahin, Björn Dressel, authors
- PART I: GOVERNING AT MIDTERM
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2. The Marcos Jr. Administration: From Populism to Reformism?, by Carmel V. Abao, author
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3. Shaky Recovery, Misplaced Priorities: The Philippine Economy Under Marcos Jr., 2022–25, by Jan Carlo B Punongbayan, author
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4. Environmental Update: Tracking the Energy Transition in the Philippines, by Kristian Karlo Saguin, author
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5. Love in the Time of Geopolitics: After Duterte, Marcos Gets Out of China’s Embrace, by Marites Vitug, author
- PART II: CONTESTED NARRATIVES
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6. A Past That Does Not Pass: Memory and Forgetting in the New Marcos Era, by Jocelyn S. Martin, author
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7. Deadly Intersections: Historical Distortion, Fake News and Red-Baiting in the Philippines, by Michael D. Pante, author
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8. “Some Dance to Remember, Some Dance to Forget”: Insights from Writing on Activism, Insurgency and Martial Law in the Philippines, by Soliman M. Santos, Jr., author
- PART III: OLIGARCHIC CONTINUITIES
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9. Constitutional Change Under the Marcos Jr. Administration: The Politics of Oligarchic Competition, 1987–2024, by Cristina Regina Bonoan, Björn Dressel, authors
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10. Not the Usual Oligarchs? The Emergence of the Politician-Owned Firms, by Marianne Juco Rodriguez, author
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11. Oligarchic Politics and the Privatization of Government, by Antoinette R. Raquiza, author
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12. Local Power, National Influence: The Bongbong Marcos Administration (2022–25) and the Politics of Imee Marcos, by Athena Charanne Presto, author
- PART IV: CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY: INFRASTRUCTURE AND AGRICULTURE
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13. From Build Build Build to Build Better More and Beyond: A Break from the Past?, by Joseph J. Capuno, author
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14. Agriculture: The Achilles Heel of the Philippine Economy, by Fermin D. Adriano, author
- PART V: EMERGENT AREAS OF GOVERNANCE
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15. The Mandanas-Garcia Ruling of the Supreme Court: New Challenges in Balancing Function and Finance in Philippine Devolution, by Weena Gera, author
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16. The Marcos Regime at Your Fingertips: Networked News Consumption Among Filipinos in Australia and in the Philippines, by Earvin Charles B. Cabalquinto, author
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17. Between Promise and Reality: Overcoming Development Challenges in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), by Acram Latiph, author
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18. Bridging the Policy-Practice Gap in Climate Adaptation: Towards a Political Economy Approach to Vulnerabilities in the Philippines, by Justin See, author
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Index
