Ferdinand Marcos and the Philippines: The Political Economy of Authoritarianism

Sobrang nasa wish list ko ang librong ito ni Dr. Albert F. Celoza.

Mula nang mabasa ko sa Google Books ang ilang pahina nito habang nagsasagawa ako ng online research tungkol sa batas militar noong isang taon, pinangarap ko nang mapasama ito sa aking library.

Masalimuot ang buong kuwento ng batas militar. Upang lubos itong maunawaan lalo ng mga tulad kong paslit pa noong panahong iyon, kailangang lalo pang pag-aralan ang bahaging ito ng ating kasaysayan.

Sabi nga ni Prof. Luis Teodoro, napakarami pang mga Pilipino ang kulang ang kaalaman tungkol sa batas militar: “About the martial law period they have nothing to remember, and they won’t know it when they see it.”

Kaya nga para mas matuto, kailangang basahin ang mga aklat gaya nito. ‘Yun nga lang, hindi kaya ng powers ko sa ngayon na bilhin ito kahit $87 na lang ito sa Amazon ngayon.

Si Dr. Celoza, ang may-akda, ay UP alumnus na propesor ngayon sa Phoenix College. Isa siya sa mga tumanggap ng parangal na Twenty Outstanding Filipino-Americans noong 2006.

Narito ang description ng Ferdinand Marcos and the Philippines: The Political Economy of Authoritarianism mula sa Greenwood Publishing Group, ang publisher ng aklat at pinagkuhanan ko ng larawan ng pabalat:

Ferdinand Marcos came to power in the Philippines in a  coup d’état in 1972 and ruled absolutely, in the name of order, until his dramatic overthrow in February of 1986. This study examines how the authoritarian regime of Marcos remained in power, sometimes in the face of massive opposition, for 14 years. Repressive regimes may seem undesirable, but they are often able to elicit the support of significant sectors of society. Marcos was able to maintain authoritarian rule through the support of bureaucrats, businessmen, and the military–all with the assistance of the United States government. He maintained this network of support through a patron-client system with a centralized bureaucracy as its power and resource base. In order to reward his supporters, he expanded the authority of government. But to minimize the political cost of expansion, he maintained the legal and constitutional forms of democracy. The Philippine experience in despotism is not unique; many Third World countries are under authoritarian rule. This subtle and nuanced analysis, therefore, provides an examination of the levers of power available to absolute rulers, to better understand the political economy of authoritarianism.

Photo of Marcos monument by Boy Yñiguez from “People Power: The Philippine Revolution of 1986: An Eyewitness History.”