Regletto Aldrich Imbong – Assistant Professor of Philosophy, College of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines Cebu, Gorordo Avenue, Lahug, Cebu City, Philippines

Series: Asian Political, Economic and Social Issues; Human Rights: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives
BISAC: POL000000; POL035010; POL042030
DOI: 10.52305/JCVL4870

“Authoritarian Disaster: The Duterte Regime and the Prospects for a Marcos Presidency, a collection of scholarly but academically engaged essays on Duterte’s fascist rule and its continuing grip on Philippine society, is a long overdue book but is very timely. What makes the book different from other similar anthologies on Duterte’s regime, is that it embraces the polemical label of fascism with all its ideological ramifications while remaining historically faithful to the current Philippine class constellation. The essays of “engaged scholars” who contributed to this anthology will definitely be part of hauntological literature about Duterte’s so-called “authoritarian populism” and will provide a historical starting point to situate the past, present, and future fascist development in Philippine society from much needed class analysis. I would happily recommend this book as a primary reference for those who are teaching and studying the current prospects for the continuing persistence of Duterte’s fascist spectre under Marcos, Jr.’s regime of disinformation and historical denialism. But more than a reference, this book is a weapon of criticism, that if applied correctly to our current situation, will shed light on what is to be done.” – Dr. Gerardo Lanuza, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of the Philippines Diliman

“There are those who claimed that the ex-President, Rody Duterte, was the best President the Republic of the Philippines ever had. But, on the other hand, a segment of the country’s population vilified him as an authoritarian dictator with no regard for human rights, gender sensitivity and climate justice. Books written on Duterte have reflected this binary opposition. Comes now another book with, Authoritarian Disaster: The Duterte Regime and the Prospects for a Marcos Presidency, which is an anthology of essays written by Philosophy Professors of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, UP Cebu, Visayas State University and Silliman University. Collectively, they challenge the product of the disinformation campaign to put Duterte on a pedestal.  Through rigid research and comprehensive analysis using philosophical theories, they provide a profile of a fascist President ensconced in a populist mode of governance characterized by adopting a reign of impunity to wage a drug war, resorting to red-tagging to silence critics including media and church personnel, empowering the military to suppress the rights of indigenous communities, while protecting the interests of mining companies with no regard to protect the integrity of creation. This is a must-read book to debunk the Duterte mystique and place Duterte’s reign in its rightful place in our country’s history.” –Brother Karl Gaspar, CSsR, PhD, Author of Diwang Balaan/Banal: A Decolonial Discourse on Pinoy Spirituality

This book investigates Duterte’s brand of authoritarianism from a multidisciplinary approach. It brings together views from scholars and activists from diverse disciplines and areas of work to investigate the core of Duterte’s disastrous authoritarianism and how it takes specific forms in various contexts (e.g., the church, peace process, discourse, Lumad schools, state). The book and its contributors do not in any way hide behind the language of academic neutrality. What is at work here is an engaged scholarship that does not investigate the problem of authoritarianism from a neutral ground supposedly devoid of all values, beliefs, and interpretations. Rather, the book recognizes scholarship to be a political practice which aims to elucidate a theoretical position that intends not only to understand authoritarianism but also to imagine the prospects for a democratic future.

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