Book Review: Moral Politics in the Philippines: Inequality, Democracy and the Urban Poor, by Wataru Kusaka

Abstract

In February 1986, the world witnessed how Filipinos from various sectors toppled the dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. through peaceful demonstrations. The Philippines sud- denly became an international darling of democracy, inspiring some social movements elsewhere in their struggle against authoritarianism. A decade and a half later, in 2001 the Filipino middle class ousted the populist president Joseph Estrada after a series of politi- cal rallies on the same street where the 1986 protests took place – Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA). Yet, 3 months after, another mass of people – mostly urban poor – con- gregated on EDSA demanding the re-instalment of the deposed Estrada. These events ca..