From Duterte to Marcos Jr: a forum

This online forum examines the transition from the Duterte administration to the incoming presidency of Marcos Jr. With the Duterte presidency widely considered a rupture in Philippine politics, we ask: What are the main legacies of the Duterte administration that will impact the new Marcos Jr administration? Will the incoming administration largely follow in the footsteps of Rodrigo Duterte or forge new agendas and policies?

Speakers address these questions with particular attention to the rule of law and the judiciary, patterns of political mobilisation, and media and disinformation.

Opening Remarks/Facilitator:

Mary Joyce Bulao is a PhD student in the Department of Political and Social Change at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs. Her work is mostly focused on Philippine elections, political machines, alternative politics, and participatory governance. She finished her BA and MA in Political Science from the University of the Philippines and De La Salle University, respectively. She is a faculty member of the Ateneo de Naga University in the Bicol region of the Philippines.

Speakers:

Cleve V. Arguelles is a political scientist doing research on populism in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. He is PhD candidate in the Department of Political and Social Change at the ANU Bell School and Assistant Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Development Studies at De La Salle University. His research on democracy, disinformation and youth have been published in Asian Politics & Policy, Democratic Theory, Review of Women’s Studies, and Southeast Asian Affairs.

Cristina Bonoan is a lawyer and a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law. Specialising in governance and human rights, her research is concerned with issues of judicial politics, rule of law, and access to justice.

Björn Dressel is an Associate Professor at the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy. His research is concerned with issues of comparative constitutionalism, judicial politics and governance and public sector reform in Asia. He has published in a range of international journals, including Governance; Administration & Society; International Political Science Review, and Pacific Review. He is the editor of The Judicialization of Politics in Asia (Routledge, 2012) and co-editor of Politics and Constitutions in Southeast Asia (Routledge, 2016) and From Aquino II to Duterte: Continuity, Change–and Rupture (ISEAS, 2019). You can follow him on twitter @BjoernDressel.

Ross Tapsell is a senior lecturer and researcher at ANU specialising in Southeast Asian media, digital cultures & disinformation. His recent publications include ‘Divide and rule: Populist crackdowns and media elites in the Philippines’ in Journalism, 2021 and (with Jon Ong) ‘Demystifying disinformation shadow economies: Fake news work models in Indonesia and the Philippines’ in Asian Journal of Communication, vol 32, 2022.

This event was jointly sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Coral Bell School.