Since 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte has steered the Philippines with an iron first and a vulgar tongue. His six years in power were marked by a bloody drug war, attacks on press freedom, corruption scandals, environmental disregard, political oppression, disinformation campaigns, a haphazard pandemic response, and appeasement to Chinese bullying.

Yet despite these crises, the May 2022 Philippine elections sent a message of continuity, not revolution. More than 30 million Filipinos chose their future by electing their past — sending the once disgraced and exiled Marcos family back to Malacañang Palace. With BongBong Marcos Jr. as the country’s first majority leader, the elections also launched Sara Duterte, daughter of the incumbent president, to the second highest office in the land.

A Marcos-Duterte administration is now set to govern the Philippines. What lies ahead for this once promising liberal democracy?

“The Future of the Philippines Under a Marcos-Duterte Presidency” brings together leading Philippine scholars and practitioners to analyze how Filipinos got to this moment; what the responses are on the ground; and what this all means for Philippine, regional, and global democracy and human rights. Each panelist will contribute a unique perspective on Philippine politics and society:

• Vicente Rafael – Professor, University of Washington, Seattle (history)
• Cleve Arguelles – Lecturer, De La Salle University, Manila (social media/disinformation)
• Lian Buan – Reporter, Rappler (journalism)
• Cristina “Tinay” Palabay – Secretary General, Karapatan (grassroots activism)

Moderator: Patrick Peralta – Foreign Policy in Focus Intern, Institute for Policy Studies

REGISTER HERE.

Sponsors: Institute for Policy Studies, Foreign Policy in Focus, New York Southeast Asia Network, UC Berkeley Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University, Sulo: Philippine Studies Initiative at NYU, Global Philippine Studies Forum.