Episode 13: How does change come about?

The more things change, the more they stay the same, it seems. Corruption reigns, political families reign, now drugs and criminality, secession and rebellion persist. Much of our society is still mired in poverty. How do we achieve real, lasting change? We look at the context, prospects and pace of change in the Philippines in this episode. Erratum: Tocqueville's Democracy in America was published in 1835, not in the late 1700s as mentioned in the piece.
Read the transcript here.

Episode 11: Duterte on a similar path as Daang Matuwid?

Both Daang Matuwid and the Duterte’s Tapang at Malasakit sought to reshape society through moral rectitude: the former by fighting corruption, the latter by fighting drugs and criminals. The problem was that both the LP and DDS (Duterte Defense Squad) took extra-legal and extra-judicial shortcuts to achieve their objectives, thinking that their democratic mandate justified this.

But democratic accountability and rule of law can sit side by side with robust and effective law enforcement. Achieving this requires both administration and opposition to work together towards a national consensus around workable solutions. Purposeful evolution rather than revolution is needed.

Get the show notes to the podcast here.