Beyond Duterte: Conceptualizing a Research Agenda of Populism Research in the Philippines

Abstract

This article is an attempt to carve out a research agenda for an enriched populism research in the Philippines. Specifically, it analyzes journal articles drawn from academic database collections, examines its domains of publication, and core analytical approaches. Then, it situated these studies within the broader landscape of the Philippine political scholarship. The results suggest a thriving and flourishing populism research in the Philippines. Yet, it also suffers from the same theoretical and empirical obscurities that typifies global research on populism. The article contends that future Philippine populism studies must (a) adhere to a minimalist theoretical anchor, (b) be methodologically pluralistic and innovative, and (c) be thematically grounded on a host of other significant domains of Philippine politics that go beyond Duterte. Ultimately, the article urges prospective scholars to strongly engage with these arguments and suggested line of political inquiries in order to refine the scholarly enterprise of populism in the country.

Are Filipinos Really Hate Duterte’s Leadership?

“…Open Access: https://ejournal.papanda.org/index.php/ijess Philippines through strict policies and law enforcement operations. While this approach did lead to many arrests, it was also criticized for human rights violations and overcrowded jails (Lamchek & Sanchez, 2020;Pernia, 2019;Ochoa & Ong, 2022).…”

“…Duterte"s presidency focused on a "war on drugs" campaign, attracting global attention and causing debates about its effectiveness and impact on human rights (Lamchek & Sanchez, 2020;Pernia, 2019;Ochoa & Ong, 2022). His time as president reflects a complicated era in Philippine history, where people are still figuring out the results of his decisions and what it means for the country (Baclig, 2021).…”

Confronting the Philippines' war on drugs: A literature review

“…The premise is that a tough position against criminal and anti‐social activity reflected in policies that implement harsh punishment is popular, at least in certain societies (Johnson & Fernquest, 2018; in Kenny & Holmes, 2022). Penal populism is characteristic of corrupt governance that rejects liberal democracy (Iglesias, 2020; Pernia, 2019; Thompson, 2016; Untalan, 2016) in favour of brute force (M. Thompson, 2022a) and efficient justice (Gaspar, 2016). The securitization of drugs (Aculana et al., 2019; Apriellio, 2021; Utama, 2021) and the performance of crises (Lasco, 2020) through the manipulation of the media (Parmanand, 2023), coupled with attacks on institutions and mechanisms of accountability (Brooke et al., 2023), allow proponents of the WOD to justify punitive though ineffective policies and isolate critical voices (Iglesias, 2022; Johnson & Fernquest, 2018).…”

Do Filipinos Really Hate Duterte’s Leadership? Uncovering Duterte Controversies in the Philippines

“…His "war on drugs" campaign aimed to quickly eradicate the drug problem in the Philippines through strict policies and law enforcement operations. While this approach did lead to many arrests, it was also criticized for human rights violations and overcrowded jails (Lamchek and Sanchez 2020;Pernia 2019;Ochoa and Ong 2022).…”

“…Duterte's presidency focused on a "war on drugs" campaign, attracting global attention and causing debates about its effectiveness and impact on human rights (Lamchek and Sanchez 2020;Pernia 2019;Ochoa and Ong 2022). His time as president reflects a complicated era in Philippine history, where people are still figuring out the results of his decisions and what it means for the country (Baclig 2021).…”