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…
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…
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…
2022. Asia Review 12 (3): 451–477. 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…