From Scandalous Politics to Public Scandal: Corruption, Media, and the Collapse of the Estrada Regime in the Philippines

Abstract

In January 2001, a peaceful urban revolt ousted President Joseph Estrada of the Philippines amid evidence of the president's involvement in illegal gambling. Using Estrada's ouster as a case study, this article examines the ground-up process that turns everyday criminality in the Philippines into public scandal. It contends that scandalous politicsacts of illegality perpetrated by the political elite in various localities-are a constant feature of the Philippine state. However, it is only when these acts become legible to the observers of national politics that a public scandal occurs. In examining the nexus between scandalous politics and public scandal, the article views scandal as a mediated phenomenon, one premised on the concerns of middle-class politics in Manila.Noong Enero 2001, natanggal sa pwesto si Pangulong Joseph Estrada nang malantad ang katibayan ng kanyang pagkasangkot sa ilegal na pagsusugal. Sa pamamagitan ng halimbawa ng pagkatanggal ni Estrada, kinikilatis ng artikulong ito ang proseso kung saan ang mga pang-araw-araw na krimen sa Pilipinas ay nagiging pampublikong iskandalo. Ginigiit nito na ang maiskandalong pulitika-mga gawaing ilegal ng mga elit sa iba't ibang lokalidad-ay isang patuloy na katangian ng estado sa Pilipinas. Subalit nagiging pampublikong iskandalo lamang ang mga gawaing ito kapag napapansin ito ng mga tagapagmasid ng pulitika sa sentro ng bayan. Sa pagkilatis ng koneksyon ng maiskandalong pulitika at pambulikong iskandalo, tinitingnan ng artikulong ito ang iskandalo bilang isang penomenang nakabatay sa mga isyung mahalaga sa burgis na pulitika sa Maynila.

Does public approval shape news? Competing legitimacies and news headlines in the Philippines from Ramos to Aquino III

“…Whereas the practical meaning represents what has actually happened, the symbolic facet represents the public's opinion of the event. Political events have practical relevance for inviting attention to a violation of due process (Markovits and Silverstein 1988;Claudio 2014;Rottinghaus 2015), or immoral transgressions of social norms (Nyhan 2014). Distinct from economic crises which are usually characterised by a sudden collapse of markets or the national economy (Henning 2011), political crises involve either a threat to a country's regime (Gonzales 2008), or efforts to weaken government capacity through mobilisation or political violence (Solimano 2005).…”

“…In emerging democracies such as the Philippines, politics is not driven by performance alone but also by reputation and personality (Thompson 2000). Political events, such as scandals and crises, can be weaponised by the opposition to delegitimise incumbents (Simon and Ostrom 1989;Green et al 2018;De Neve et al 2018) and mobilise citizens towards change (Claudio 2014;Dixon 2018). In the Philippines, an independent and critical press is recognised not only for its role in restoring democracy but for putting government mishaps into public scrutiny (Ables 2003;Coronel 2010).…”

Beyond victims, criminals and survivors: Performing political agency after the world’s strongest storm

“…Cable news television is one of the most privileged sites of discourse in the Philippines. Viewership is low compared to radio and free-to-air television, but its target viewers are middle class and elites who hold the privilege of setting the tone of national conversations (see Claudio, 2014). While Marissa led the campaign on local radio, it was Elfleda Bautista who took part in cable news talk shows, with various guest appearances on national TV cable news talk shows and in international cable news broadcasts.…”

Short-Term Event-Driven Analysis of the South-East Asia Financial Crisis: A Stock Market Approach

“…Another event considered was the successful presidential campaign of Mr. Joseph Estrada in the Philippines (Claudio 2014;Ringuet and Estrada 2003), representing the political party PMP, becoming president after winning the elections in 11 May 1998 (event 6). Estrada won the election with a populist message (Hedman 2001), promising alleviating poverty.…”