2nd CALL FOR PAPERS
The work of Dr. Ian Clark Parcon on agonism and its possibilities for Philippine democracy is instructive and supplements the critical assessment of Benjiemen Labastin on the subject matter. Rooted in historical data and bereft of any ideological bias, the two works represent the mature understanding of what Philippine democracy is. Wataru Kusaka's writings on the concept of moral politics is an important element in putting into context the rise of Rodrigo Duterte to the presidency. The thesis of Christopher Ryan Maboloc on the subject matter depends largely on what he claims was the failure of EDSA People Power to transform Philippine Society, an observation first advanced by the political scholar Dr. Julio Teehankee. A recent review of Maboloc's book rightly shows how the anti-elite narrative enabled Duterte’s rise to power.
As a matter of fact, it is important to put things into context and not be misled by the prejudiced judgment of those who disagree with Duterte's radical leadership. Several works on the subject matter note that the Philippines remains to be under the control of the oligarchy. But while this is so, the agonism one finds in Duterte's style is apparent in terms of his impact. A case in point is the Bangsamoro. Duterte at the time represented the marginalized Muslim community in the South. He was the first President to carry the agenda of Muslim Filipinos in terms of rectifying the historical injustices they suffered from Spain and under ilustrado politics. Labastin's paper, which distinguished the substantive from the procedural aspect of democracy, remains critical. The same is the anti-thesis to the Manila-centric and left-leaning arguments against the past Duterte administration.
This special issue of the SES Journal hopes to gather the insights of emerging researchers and scholars on what has become a pivotal moment in the history of the country's intellectual progress, which is evident in the growth of the literature on the subject matter, originally found in the works of Chantal Mouffe. Gerry Arambala's book on the rise and fall of the Parojinogs of Ozamiz is a good example of the progress of local scholarship and research. What needs to be understood here is that any advance in true scholarship goes beyond mere exposition and must argue with vigor and courage to do real justice to the questions that matter, not just for the philosopher but the ordinary reader as well, who is often a victim of the idiosyncrasies and biases.
The specific areas of concern can be wide ranging, including Democracy and Human Rights, Leadership and Good Governance, Peace and Conflict Studies, Hegemony and International Relations, the Bangsamoro Region, and Religion in the Public Sphere. Manuscripts are due on November 30, 2023. This Special Issue is scheduled to be released in early 2024. Dr. Ian Clark Parcon and Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc are co-editors. Articles must be at least 5,000 words. The limit is set at 8,000 words. Please send your completed manuscript to any of the co-editors: crbmaboloc@addu.edu.ph or icrparcon@addu.edu.ph