Regime change in the Philippines : the legitimation of the Aquino government

Abstract

The four papers in this monograph deal with Philippine politics at the time of Marcos's downfall and during the first eighteen months of Aquino's presidency. Anne Mackenzie describes the events leading up to Marcos's flight from the Philippines. But her main concern is to examine the background to the events and to assess the competing interpretations and explanations of them. Mark Turner traces Aquino's quest for political legitimacy through the drafting and popular approval of a new constitution. Discussion of the nature of political legitimacy in the Philippines provides the setting for the account of the latest constitutional developments. Marian Simms is concerned with the role of women and women's issues in the drafting of the 1987 constitution. These matters are dealt with in the general context of women and politics in the Philippines. Alan Robson examines the second of Aquino's major legitimating measures, the congressional elections of May 1987. He sorts out the protagonists, looks at the characteristics of their campaigns and of the polling, and analyses the results. He also outlines some of the major features of contemporary Philippine politics.