Current approaches to and implementation of information environment assessments in the context of public health: Rapid review

2025. JMIR Infodemiology. Background: With the advances in digital information sharing channels, democratization of content and access, as well as social shifts in information exchange, we live in increasingly complex information environments. How people process and manage this is layered with multiple determinants which can impact on information seeking, health behaviours and public health. Understanding…

Populism, Conspiracy Narratives and Governmentality in Duterte’s Philippines

2024. International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics 20 (2): 153–172 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…

Articulating Populism in the Philippines: The Rhetorical Strategies of Joseph Estrada and Rodrigo Duterte

2025. Asian Politics & Policy 17 (1): 1–24. 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 Political Logic of Populism in the Philippines: The Presidencies of Quezon, Magsaysay, and Marcos

2024. Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints 72 (3): 393–428. 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…

Populist Desires, Nostalgic Narratives: The Marcos Golden Age Myth and Manipulation of Collective Memories on YouTube

2025. Asian Journal of Political Science. 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…

Harnessing the Power of Mobile and Messaging Apps for Risk Communication and Intervention During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons from the Western Pacific

2024. Western Pacific Surveillance and Response 15 (3): 1–5. 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…

The Durability of Populism and Authoritarian Practices in Duterte’s Philippines

2024. Asia Review 14 (1): 237–274. 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…

Duterte’s Transactionalist Foreign Policy and the COVID-19 Crisis in the Philippines

2024. Asian Politics & Policy 16 (1): 113–129. 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…