ARTICLES

Imagining Marcos Jr. as the “Strong Leader” in an Age of Digital Disinformation

Jason Vincent A. Cabañes|Fernando A. Santiago, Jr.

Digital disinformation has been menacingly deployed to distort historical narratives about the Philippines’ Martial Law period in the 1970s and early 1980s. This tactic, bolstered by social media technologies, has masterfully resonated with the yearning for a “strong leader” who is independent of the country’s elites and able to discipline the nation’s masses.

Local Matters in the 2022 Philippine Elections

Maria Ela L. Atienza

With most eyes on the national posts in the May 2022 Philippine elections, it is easy to overlook important governance issues at the local level. A new Supreme Court ruling will allocate more fiscal resources to but also demand more responsibilities from local governments. Yet lingering structural and political challenges prevent them from efficiently delivering basic services, initiating local development, and empowering the people.