Peer-Reviewed Articles
Populism, Conspiracy Narratives and Governmentality in Duterte’s Philippines
Talamayan, Fernan. 2025. International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics 20 (2). https://doi.org/10.1386/mcp.
This article examines the semantics of populist rhetoric and conspiracy narratives in the Philippines to understand how they can be operationalized for governmental purposes. Focusing on Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency (2016–22), I argue that conspiracy narratives simplify socio-economic issues and aid the transformation of collective discontent into an instrument of governmentality. Evidence from public speeches, news articles and online ethnographic research shows that these narratives enable populist actors to emotionally charge the political landscape, framing society in moral binary terms: the virtuous people, depicted as victims of corruption, vs. a morally compromised elite. In this context, populism simultaneously forges an antagonistic frontier and promotes an elitist agenda, thereby silencing dissent and leaving little space for resistance. The findings suggest that while populism can inspire and mobilize marginalized communities, its co-option for governmental purposes can subvert its emancipatory potential.
Articulating Populism in the Philippines: The Rhetorical Strategies of Joseph Estrada and Rodrigo Duterte
Talamayan, Fernan. 2025. Asian Politics & Policy 17 (1): 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.70001
The article compares the rhetorical strategies of two of the most popular post-martial law presidents in the Philippines, Joseph Estrada (1998–2001) and Rodrigo Duterte (2016–2022). Adopting Laclau’s definition of populism and localizing De Cleen and Stavrakakis’s analysis of socio-spatial dichotomies, I examine the political logic that guided the consolidation of the people and the formation of antagonistic frontiers during the Estrada and Duterte presidencies. I identify the nodal points in their articulation of sympathy, compassion, elite opposition, political will, and belongingness, and plot them on a down/up and in/out axes. In uncovering the operation of populist logic in their political speeches, the article finds that leveraging people’s frustrations and unsatisfied demands reinforced Estrada’s and Duterte’s ability to mobilize support and project themselves as the people’s protector and champion. Through an in-depth interrogation of their populist articulation, the article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of populism’s durability and enduring appeal.
The Political Logic of Populism in the Philippines: The Presidencies of Quezon, Magsaysay, and Marcos
Talamayan, Fernan. 2024. Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints 72 (3): 393–428. https://doi.org/10.13185/2244-1638.5007
The article examines the foundation and formation of populist logic in the Philippines, focusing on the presidencies of Manuel Quezon, Ramon Magsaysay, and Ferdinand Marcos—leaders who relied heavily on populist rhetoric. Combining grounded theory and critical discourse analysis, I trace the populist logic in past articulations of people’s sentiments and demands to identify populism’s linguistic and discursive features, as well as its reproduction of unifying and polarizing signifiers. By casting historical light on populism, I unveil the rhetorical strategies, moral justifications, and temporal perspectives that shaped and continuously shape its articulation and practice in the country.
Populist Desires, Nostalgic Narratives: The Marcos Golden Age Myth and Manipulation of Collective Memories on YouTube
Talamayan, Fernan, and John Lee Candelaria. 2024. Asian Journal of Political Science. 33 (1): 55–73. DOI: 10.1080/02185377.2024.2416116
This article investigates the Marcos golden age narratives on YouTube before the 2022 Philippine presidential elections. Despite evidence of brutality during the Marcos years, many Filipinos reminisce about his tenure as a period of peace and progress, influenced by selective historical accounts propagated through digital media. Expanding Laclau’s theory of populism, we identify affective storytelling techniques prominent pro-Marcos YouTubers employ to glorify the Marcos era and examine them to understand how the populist logic of difference and equivalence guides the articulation of a romanticized past and endorses the vilification of elites and Marcos critics. Our analysis underscores the potency of nostalgia in populist and authoritarian politics, demonstrating their capacity to foster a collective yearning for a mythic past and stoke a collective desire for Marcos-brand authoritarianism. Ultimately, this article contributes to understanding the dynamics of historical revisionism and its implications for political discourse and historical consciousness in the digital age, emphasizing the role of YouTubers in shaping political landscapes through nostalgia and the manipulation of social memory.
Harnessing the Power of Mobile and Messaging Apps for Risk Communication and Intervention During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons from the Western Pacific
Talamayan, Fernan, Lieke Visser, Babatunde Olowokure, Nancy Wong, and Wenyajing Zhang. 2024. Western Pacific Surveillance and Response 15 (3): 1–5. DOI: 10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.3.1156
Problem: The spread of mis- and disinformation on mobile and messaging apps during the COVID-19 pandemic not only fuelled anxieties and mistrust in health authorities but also undermined the effectiveness of the overall public health response.
Context: Mobile and messaging apps help users stay informed and connected to their families, friends, colleagues and communities. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, these apps were also one of the primary channels where mis- and disinformation were circulated.
Action: Recognizing the importance of including mobile and messaging apps in risk communication and emergency response strategies, the World Health Organization (WHO) and some countries in the WHO Western Pacific Region independently piloted initiatives to reach messaging app users, meet their evolving information needs, and streamline health ministry communication.
Outcome: The enhanced use of mobile and messaging apps enabled consistent and timely communication and improved coordination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leveraging their features also helped identify and potentially fill crucial information gaps, mitigating the harms of mis- and disinformation and fostering stronger trust in health authorities.
Discussion: The findings from the work carried out by WHO and countries in the Western Pacific Region identified some promising innovative communication interventions using mobile and messaging apps. While these interventions should be further explored and evaluated, they have demonstrated that interventions need to be proactive, flexible, and able to adapt to changes in mis- and disinformation content being shared through messaging apps.
The Durability of Populism and Authoritarian Practices in Duterte’s Philippines
Talamayan, Fernan. 2024. Asia Review 14 (1): 237–274. DOI: 10.24987/SNUACAR.2024.4.14.1.237
This article revisits Duterte’s populist and authoritarian performances, analyzing reports that reflect the connection between the populist logic and democratic backsliding in the Philippines. Through a systematic examination of Duterte’s real and perceived achievements, the article explains how rhetorical strategies and actions, guided by the logic of populism, help sustain popularity and justify authoritarian practices. Fulfilled promises celebrated and failures constantly dismissed by Duterte supporters are identified, using them as indicators of their consent to Duterte’s leadership approach. The article finds that Duterte supporters welcomed authoritarian measures and considered them as manifestations of their champion’s political will crucial for satisfying their practical demands. As Duterte supporters maintained, disciplining or eliminating government opponents and fully supporting the administration were prerequisites for progress. With the Duterte presidency marking a critical juncture in Philippine democracy, there is a pressing need to reevaluate his legacy and delve deeper into the allure of populist rhetoric and authoritarian practices in the Philippines.
Duterte’s Transactionalist Foreign Policy and the COVID-19 Crisis in the Philippines
Candelaria, John Lee, and Fernan Talamayan. 2024. Asian Politics & Policy 16 (1): 113–129. DOI: 10.1111/aspp.12730
This article contributes a new layer to the existing analyses of Duterte’s foreign policy by arguing that he epitomized a transactionalist approach to Philippine foreign policy. This approach favored bilateral to multilateral relations, focused on short-term wins rather than long-term foresight, adhered to a zero-sum worldview, rejected value-based policymaking, and did not follow a grand strategy. Most of these qualities have been apparent in Duterte’s relationship with China, Russia, and the United States but became even more prominent during the COVID-19 crisis. The analysis revealed that Duterte’s transactionalist foreign policy rhymed with his domestic politics, and his obsession with winning now resulted in contradictions in his foreign policy, indicating a lack of a grand strategy that informed his decision-making. This article contributes a real-world case of a transactionalist foreign policy while considering whether it would persist in future policymaking in the Philippines.
Patenting Sociality: Uncovering the Operational Logics of Facebook through Critical Patent Analysis
Hlongwa, Lungani, and Fernan Talamayan. 2023. Media, Culture and Society 45 (6): 1135–1155. DOI: 10.1177/01634437231154759
While the growing influence of digital platforms on social life is now widely recognized, scholars continue to grapple with the operation of digital platforms and their mediation of social life. This article examines some of Facebook’s operational logics to shed light on the company’s social imaginary. Our argument is that Facebook imagines a sociality that can be broken down to machine-readable signals which can also be patented for capital accumulation. This argument is based on a critical analysis of Facebook patents that revealed key operational logics underpinning the platform, namely: data extraction, user surveillance, profiling, ranking, and preemption. Through critical patent analysis, we unveil not only the platform’s configuration but also its creators’ orchestration of human actions and interactions. At a time when companies are more inclined to protect their innovations through patents, perhaps now more than ever, is an opportune moment to examine what their inventions make possible.
The Philippine Pivot to China and Russia: Duterte’s Foreign Policy Revisited
Talamayan, Fernan. 2022. Asia Review 12 (3): 451–477. DOI: 10.24987/SNUACAR.2022.4.12.3.451
Reexamining Rodrigo Duterte’s tirades against Western power blocs and the results of his diplomatic efforts to obtain Chinese and Russian assistance has never been more relevant, considering the measures his successor adopted to reinforce or reconfigure his foreign policy. To this end, the article revisits Duterte’s pivot to China and Russia, refining the discussion of their rationale and providing a qualitative assessment of their outcomes. Through a critical review of presidential speeches and news reports, the article unpacks the connection of the strategy to the following: first, Duterte’s anti-colonial narrative; second, his drug war; third, the desire to improve the country’s military, trade, tourism, and infrastructure; and fourth, the management of the South China Sea conflict. While the foreign policy considered the country’s geopolitical and economic realities, the article found that it failed to achieve its desired outcomes. With mounting pressure at home to demonstrate the gains of his Beijing-friendly policy and the political and economic repercussions of transacting with Moscow, Duterte appeared to have recalibrated the strategy before he left office. The policy’s failures should offer lessons to international relations researchers, the administration that succeeded Duterte, and, more importantly, to less powerful nations engaging with competing major powers.
Commodifying Cultures, Negotiating Identities: The Reproduction and Performance of the Cordilleran Cultural Heritage in Tam-Awan Village
Talamayan, Fernan. 2022. The Cordillera Review: Journal of Philippine Culture and Society 12 (1 and 2): 69–91.
Tourism, as a practice, involves a projection and performance of identity in response to what the market desires. Museums convey a message through the collection, preservation, and exhibition of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. While the coverage of the two varies, their principles and operations often overlap, especially in the case of indigenous tourism and living museums. This study examines the reproductions of Cordilleran cultural heritage in Tam-awan Village, a “living museum” envisioned to preserve and promote Cordilleran culture and identity. Using ethnographic and historical data, it makes intelligible the complex connections among colonial stereotypes, the commodification of culture, negotiation of identity, and the emergence of paradoxical perspectives in a contemporary living museum. The study found that in the attempted preservation of culture and reappropriation of colonial signifiers, a new culture is generated-one in which the marginalized are simultaneously objectified, commodified, and empowered.
The Politics of Nostalgia and the Marcos Golden Age in the Philippines
Talamayan, Fernan. 2021. Asia Review 11 (3): 273–304. DOI: 10.24987/SNUACAR.2021.12.11.3.273
The increasing incidence of disinformation in the Philippines promotes romanticized recollections of Ferdinand Marcos’ martial law (1972–1981). While the general scholarship remembers the era for its horrors and atrocities, narratives circulated online claim that Marcos’ rule made the nation great and that several groups and institutions conspired to distort people’s memory, serving the purpose of Marcos’ political enemies. These narratives, shared by Marcos and Duterte supporters, echo a desire to return to a fantastical “golden age.” This study investigates the nostalgia for the Marcos golden age, magnifying the salient features of whitewashed memories of Marcos’ martial law in online communities, as well as techniques that turn the Marcos propaganda into a basic grammar that frames people’s articulation of their frustrations and aspirations. The study found that the described propaganda embeds the light-darkness-light perspective in its us-versus-them narrative. Within such a framework, nostalgia can set the stage for the expression of polarizing phrases, hate speech, conspiracy theories, discontent, and hope, which complete the grammar of the Marcos propaganda.
Advertising as Propaganda: The Promotion of Pro-Filipino Consumption Behavior in the 1930s
Talamayan, Fernan. 2021. Southeast Asian Media Studies Journal 3 (2): 25–49. https://seamsa.org/seamsj-vol-3-no-2/
In the 1930s, several advertisements appealing to nationalist sentiments bore the mark of NEPA, or the National Economic Protectionism Association. NEPA was formed by Filipino business magnates who embraced Manuel L. Quezon’s call for the strengthening of the Philippine economy and its industries. For almost half a decade, NEPA was used as a brand that advanced ‘pro-Filipino’ consumption behavior. While the brand’s pro-Filipino posturing seemed to resist the colonial rhetoric, a more nuanced assessment of the elements, orientation, and mobilization of such branding suggests that it was systematically produced and promoted to serve political and economic elite interests. To shed light on the brand’s essence and intentions, this article examines several advertisements for NEPA branded products from 1934 through 1941. It analyzes the brand’s historical and institutional contexts to establish the link between its notion of ‘nationalism’ and the state’s and entrepreneurs’ political, cultural, and economic motivations. Ultimately, this study demonstrates how NEPA’s advertising campaign attempted to engineer Filipino consumption behavior and generate a ‘basic grammar’ in which the articulation of pro-Filipino in the 1930s was framed.
Policing Cyberspace: Understanding Online Repression in Thailand and the Philippines
Talamayan, Fernan. 2020. Journal of ASEAN Studies 8 (2): 129–145. DOI: 10.21512/jas.v8i2.6769
Social networking sites have become increasingly relevant in the study of democracy and culture in recent years. This study explores the interconnectedness of social networks, the imposition of state control, and management of social behavior by comparing various literature on the operation of repression in Thai and Philippine cyberspaces. It examines the overt and covert policing of daily interactions in digital environments and unpacks governmental technologies’ disciplinary mechanisms following Michel Foucault’s notion of government and biopolitical power. Subjugation in the context of social networks merits analysis for it sheds light on the practice of active and passive self-censorship—the former driven by the pursuit of a moral self-image and the latter by state-sponsored fear. In tracing various points of convergence and divergence in the practice of cyber control in Thailand and the Philippines, the study found newer domains of regulation of social behavior applicable to today’s democracies.
Americanization of the Filipino Food and Kitchen: Promoting Refrigeration and Ice Cream in the 1920s
Talamayan, Fernan. 2019. Southeast Asian Media Studies 1 (1): 15–30.
Curricula, cookbooks, and advertisements published in the early 1900s provide a means by which we can see the various ways that the Americans attempted to influence all aspects of Filipino life following their colonial agenda. How did the Americans use food and technology so foreign to Filipinos to entice them to participate in modernization? Through the use of alternative sources, this study offers a socio-historical narrative of the American rule in the Philippines as it explains how the Americans tried to colonize the Filipino taste and palate by (1) teaching Filipinos the American ways and ideals in schools and (2) portraying the “American” as modern and cosmopolitan in advertisements. In discussing the implementation of the American colonial project, this paper looks at the popularization of American imports such as the refrigerator and ice cream in the 1920s to examine the role of education and media in the creation of new desires and the promotion of a new lifestyle in the country.
NEPA and Women: A Study of the Relationship between the Representation of Gender, Fulfillment of a Role, and Acceptance of an Identity
Talamayan, Fernan. 2013. Plaridel: A Philippine Journal of Communication, Media, and Society 10 (2): 49–67.
The oppression, marginalization, and discrimination of Filipino women are prevalent in Philippine colonial history—from the misrepresentation of the image of the babaylan to replace them with friars during the Spanish colonization, to the relegation of Filipinas to an inferior position as the brawn and political aptitude of men were seen as more important for nation-building during the American occupation. In embracing patriarchy, the image and identity of women were bounded by and associated solely with the kitchen and household. This image proliferated through advertisements, fliers, newspapers, and many others. This study seeks to analyze the National Economic Protectionism Association or NEPA and the media materials the institution released in the 1930s. Using the structure of the association and its media text, the study aims to show how the role of the women in society was represented from 1934 to 1941, and how this representation translated to the creation of Filipina identity in this critical period of nationhood. Finally, the study seeks to understand why some Filipino women appear to have accepted and embraced this misrepresentation even in the light of activism among women during the Commonwealth Period.