POPULISM AND PHILIPPINE CIVIL SOCIETY

Book excerpt: Four years into presidency, with thousands of Filipinos killed and his self-imposed timelines for campaign promises unfinished, President Duterte has polarized once strong coalitions, people’s organizations, and networks. While some remain supportive and hopeful of the President with two more years in power, some have also withdrawn their support from the strongman. Civil society organizations and organized sectors grapple with the populist methods of the current administration while attempting to do the impossible task of balancing conflicting interests. This study by INCITEGov on populism aims to look at Philippine society today and civil society’s engagement with government. It engaged the sectors to voice out their opinions and widen the discourse on leadership and governance. It asks the difficult questions and explores answers which can shed light on why unity seems like a daunting task for civil society today. It looks back, tracing the history of civil society engagement with the government and the private sector, identifying the divergent perspectives of CSOs and people’s organizations on democratic leadership and governance.