Moral politics in the Philippines : inequality, democary, and the urban poor / Wataru Kusaka.

Includes notes, bibliography, and index.

List of illustrations--Foreword to the Philippines edition--Preface--Introduction: Philippines democracy and moral politics--Analytical framework--Formation of the dual public sphere--People power and moral antagonism -- Moral antagonism in elections--Moral antagonism in urban governance--The revival of moral nationalism--Beyond moral politics--Addendum: Duterte as a drastic medicine--Afterword--Notes--Bibliography -- Index.

The people” famously ousted Ferdinand Marcos from power in the Philippines in 1986. After democratization, though, a fault line appeared that split the people into citizens and the masses. The former were members of the middle class who engaged in civic action against the restored elite-dominated democracy, and viewed themselves as moral citizens in contrast with the masses, who were poor, engaged in illicit activities and backed flawed leaders. The masses supported emerging populist counter-elites who promised to combat inequality, and saw themselves as morally upright in contrast to the arrogant and oppres-sive actions of the wealthy in arrogating resources to themselves.