Philippine Politics and Society in the Twentieth Century

Philippine Politics and Society in the Twentieth Century Well over a decade has passed since the dramatic ‘People Power Revolution’ in Manila, yet until now no book-length study has emerged to examine the manifold changes underway in the Philippines in the post-Marcos era. This book fills that gap. Philippine Politics and Society in the Twentieth Century offers historical depth and sophisticated theoretical insight into contemporary life in the archipelago. Organised as a set of interrelated thematic essays rather than a chronological account, the book addresses key topics which will be of interest to the academic and non-academic reader, such as trends in national-level and local politics, the role of ethnic-Chinese capital in the Philippine economy, nationalism and popular culture, and various forms of political violence and extra-electoral contestation. Drawing on a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, as well as over a decade of research and work in the area, Hedman and Sidel provide an invaluable overview of the contemporary and historical scene of a much misunderstood part of Southeast Asia. This book fills an important gap in the literature for readers interested in understanding the Philippines as well as students of Asian studies, comparative politics, political economy and cultural studies. Eva-Lotta E. Hedman is Lecturer in Asian-Pacific Politics at the University of Nottingham. John T. Sidel is Lecturer in Southeast Asian Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Politics in Asia series Edited by Michael Leifer London School of Economics ASEAN and the Security of South-East Korea versus Korea Asia A case of contested legitimacy Michael Leifer B.K. Gills China’s Policy towards Territorial Taiwan and Chinese Nationalism Disputes National identity and status in international The case of the South China Sea Islands society Chi-kin Lo Christopher Hughes India and Southeast Asia Managing Political Change in Singapore Indian perceptions and policies The elected presidency Mohammed Ayoob Kevin Y.L. Tan and Lam Peng Er Gorbachev and Southeast Asia Islam in Malaysian Foreign Policy Leszek Buszynski Shanti Nair Indonesian Politics under Suharto Political Change in Thailand Order, development and pressure for change Democracy and participation Michael R.J. Vatikiotis Kevin Hewison The State and Ethnic Politics in The Politics of NGOs in South-East Asia Southeast Asia Participation and protest in the Philippines David Brown Gerard Clarke The Politics of Nation Building and Citizenship in Singapore Malaysian Politics Under Mahathir Michael Hill and Lian Kwen Fee R.S. Milne and Diane K. Mauzy Politics in Indonesia Indonesia and China Democracy, Islam and the ideology of The politics of a troubled relationship tolerance Rizal Sukma Douglas E. Ramage Arming the Two Koreas Communitarian Ideology and State, capital and military power Democracy in Singapore Taik-young Hamm Beng-Huat Chua Engaging China The Challenge of Democracy in Nepal The management of an emerging power Louise Brown Edited by Alastair Iain Johnston and Robert S. Ross Japan’s Asia Policy Singapore’s Foreign Policy Wolf Mendl Coping with vulnerability Michael Leifer The International Politics of the Asia- Pacific, 1945–1995 Philippine Politics and Society in the Michael Yahuda Twentieth Century Political Change in Southeast Asia Colonial legacies, post-colonial trajectories Trimming the Banyan tree Eva-Lotta E. Hedman and John T. Sidel Michael R.J. Vatikiotis Constructing a Security Community in Hong Kong Southeast Asia China’s challenge ASEAN and the problem of regional order Michael Yahuda Amitav Acharya Philippine Politics and Society in the Twentieth Century Colonial legacies, post-colonial trajectories Eva-Lotta E. Hedman and John T. Sidel London and New York First published 2000 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” © 2000 Eva-Lotta E. Hedman and John T. Sidel All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Hedman, Eva-Lotta E. Philippine politics and society in the twentieth century : colonial legacies, post-colonial trajectories / Eva-Lotta E. Hedman and John T. Sidel. p. cm. – (Politics in Asia series) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Philippines–Politics and government–20th century. 2. Philippines–Social conditions–20th century. I. Sidel, John II. Title. III. Series. DS685 H43 2000 959.904′7- dc21 00-028445 ISBN 0-203-99201-6 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-415-14790-5 (hbk) ISBN 0-415-14791-3 (pbk) To our families in Sweden and the United States and to those who took us into their homes in Manila and Cebu. Contents vii Contents Series editor’s preface ix Acknowledgements xi List of abbreviations xiii 1 Introduction 1 2 Trasformismo and Philippine democracy 13 3 Morbid symptoms and political violence in the Philippines 36 4 ‘Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown’ 65 5 The Last Hurrah revisited 88 6 Malling Manila: images of a city, fragments of a century 118 7 From Pugad Lawin to Pugad Baboy: the making of the ‘new native’ 140 8 The Sulu zone revisited: the Philippines in Southeast Asia 166 Bibliography 183 Index 199 viii Contents Series editor’s preface ix Series editor’s preface The study of Philippine politics has tended to take the socio-cultural legacies of a lengthy Spanish rule as its intellectual point of entry. Although the impact of a succeeding American colonialism has not been disregarded, especially in contri- buting to economic dependency, the overall emphasis of scholarly enquiry has been on political continuity rather than on political change. Indeed, such an emphasis would appear justified with the political reversion attendant on the downfall of the late President Marcos and the restoration of constitutional democracy. This set of interconnected essays by Dr Eva-Lotta Hedman and Dr John Sidel represents a scholarly attempt to redress the balance of analysis in interpreting the nature of Philippine politics during the course of the Twentieth Century and, in particular, during its last two decades. Their declared interest is to highlight the factor of political change during the last century through illumina- ting the impact of capitalist development on Philippine society. Moreover, they stress the peculiarly American nature of the Philippine state as a consequence of the structures erected and imposed during the course of its colonial era. Instead of just registering the evident resilience of a predatory oligarchy and the way in which democracy has been bent to its will, the authors pay special attention to the centrality of elections and the formative role that this American-bequeathed institution has played in patterns of class and state formation. These engrossing and well-researched essays, which invoke the perspective of comparative historical sociology, stand at the cutting-edge of social science research on the Philippines. The authors, with evident modesty, suggest that this volume is not intended to serve as a definitive work. That may or may not be the case but it is very likely that these highly readable essays will make an important contribution to revising conventional interpretations of Philippine politics. Indeed, it is possible that through their impact, the study of Philippine politics will be obliged to change. For that reason, this volume is to be commended both to country specialists and to students of Comparative Politics. Michael Leifer x Series editor’s preface Acknowledgements xi Acknowledgements This book is the culmination of more than a decade of research and writing on Philippine politics and society, and the debts we have incurred over the years are too numerous to be fully acknowledged here.Taken separately and as a whole, the essays written individually by Hedman (Chapters 2, 3, and 6) and Sidel (Chapters 4, 5, and 7) and co-authored by Hedman and Sidel (Chapters 1 and 8) draw heavily on the influence, insights, and inspiration provided by fellow Philippinists, colleagues, and teachers. In particular, Fenella Cannell, Eric Gutierrez, Ben Kerkvliet, Al McCoy, Resil Mojares, Vince Rafael, and Rosanne Rutten have been a source of inspiration, support and guidance over the period during which this book was written. The influence of our first teachers at Cornell University, Ben Anderson and Sid Tarrow, has been formative and is evident in various chapters and the conceptualisation of the volume as a whole. We would also like to express our gratitude to Michael Leifer and Victoria Smith for their support, encouragement, and patience throughout the long process of writing, editing, and publication. Most of all, the work that went into this book was made both possible and enjoyable by friends and colleagues in the Philippines, whose good company and supportive

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