CenPEG’s 16th book launched
Posted by CenPEG, 24 Oct. 2022

CenPEG’s 16th book, The Marcos Restoration: The CenPEG Papers on Election 2022, had its public launch on Oct. 19, at the Oblation Room, University Hotel, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

The book is a political reportage of the twists and turns of the last presidential contest around its key personalities and events that climaxed in its stunning outcomes. A collection of critical analyses by CenPEG’s senior researchers and writers for a 17-month period from January 2021 to election day 9 May 2022, this work serves as a useful reference for understanding the complexities and nuances of Philippine politics and elections. It also seeks to capture the nuances and complexities of unfolding events on the ground while retaining a critical perspective on the whole process.

The articles hope to provide readers with a better understanding of the electoral process and results, especially of its many surprises, taking into account historical insights, the careful profiling of candidates and supporters, regular survey results, the tracking of political realignments, and the systematic use of various media platforms for disinformation campaigns.          Beyond these usual approaches to explaining electoral behavior, the commentaries further examine the continuing structural and institutional obstacles to having credible elections. These realities include the poverty and lack of education of many voters, massive vote-buying, the dominance of political clans, the weakness of political parties, and heightened state repression before and during the election period.

Moreover, the articles continue to shed light on the lack of integrity and accountability linked with the controversial use of the automated election system (AES) since 2010 under the supervision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and its foreign provider, Smartmatic. The articles also consider the impact on the electoral process of two unforeseen critical developments that unfolded during the period under study: the Covid-19 pandemic and the growing geopolitical tensions in the global and regional context, especially between the United States, Russia, and China.

Research for the book was provided by Godrick Espeña, Mr. Benille John Sanglay, and Ry Kesner.

The book is co-edited by Temario C. Rivera, CenPEG’s Board chair, and Bobby M. Tuazon, the Director for Policy Studies.

At the launch, book reviews were read by Prof. Maria Elize Mendoza of UP Diliman’s Dept. of Political Science and Rep. Raoul Danniel Manuel, Kabataan Party-list. The event was hosted by CenPEG Executive Director Natalie Pulvinar with Board member Hector Barrios giving the closing remarks. CenPEG