IndexIntroductionExploring Philippine Politics in an Unchanging LandThe Impact of Ferdinand Marcos as a LeaderChallenges in Philippine Democracy and SocietyConsequences of Ferdinand MarcosConclusionReferencesIntroductionThe book "A Changeless Land", written by David Timberman , delves into the intricate political landscape of the Philippines. David Timberman, a policy analyst and development professional with extensive experience in Southeast and South Asia, offers a comprehensive exploration of political and governance challenges. Having served as a Visiting Professor of Political Science at De La Salle University in Manila, Timberman's expertise is evident in his focus on Southeast Asian politics and political reform in the Philippines. Among his works, 'A Changeless Land' stands out as a significant contribution to understanding the dynamics of Philippine governance and society, shedding light on the role of Ferdinand Marcos as a leader in shaping the trajectory of the nation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Exploring Philippine Politics in an Unchanging Land This book addresses Philippine politics and its elements of continuity and change over the past century. It spans the early 1960s through 1988 and involves three distinct phases: the decline of "traditional" elite democracy, the imposition of martial law and constitutional authoritarianism during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, and, above all, the restoration of true democracy under Corazon. The Aquino regime. By reading the contents of this book, you will be able to understand the factor that causes continuity and change in the past Philippine context. This book attempts to provide a part to understand the past political developments and events that happened in the Philippines. In chapters 1-3 the author explained the characteristics of the traditional pre-martial government, politics and socio-economic changes that were the factors in the imposition of martial law. The author believed that traditional elite-ruled democracy was not really imperfect or defective. For him, democracy is a failure due to the inability of citizens to truly engage in democratic systems within mainstream politics and economic leadership. In chapters 4-5 the author discussed the success and fall of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. It addresses how the Marcos administration is significant for the changes it brought to the nature of Philippine politics and government. He discussed Marcos in significant detail because of his important influence in politics, government, and economics during the Aquino administration and especially in the present day. Finally, in chapters 6-11, the author described how Corazon Aquino transitioned from Marco's authoritarian regime to a democratic government. It also showed the underlying factors that cause the restoration of democratic government which is very similar to the pre-martial law period or traditional democratic government. Impact of Ferdinand Marcos as a Leader A few years ago, there were major and important changes in Philippine politics and society. When Marcos was installed as president, Ferdinand Marcos rose to power by lobbying to keep the company afloat. He promoted the country to move towards change and made it prosperous. However, despite the positive outcome, we all know that on top of all this, numerous acts of violence and injustice occurred. Ferdinand Marcos' Declaration of Martial Law in 1972 marked a great history in the Philippines. He also claimed that his authoritarian regime was carrying out a revolution forcreate a new company. The collapse of the Marcos administration in February 1986 was due to a prolonged campaign of civil resistance against Marcos' regime of violence and violence.alleged electoral fraud. This was the people power revolution led by Corazon Aquino, the widow of the murdered Benigno Aquino jr. by the Marcos regime that triggered the revolt. The nonviolent revolution led to the imposition of Ferdinand Marcos, the end of his 21-year presidential rule, and the restoration of democracy in the Philippines. With Cory Aquino elected president after the fall of the Marcos regime, the restoration of democracy and change occurred after fourteen years of dictatorship. With little to no knowledge, she had been able to rule the country after Marcos. However, with these changes having occurred, it is still undeniably sad that Philippine society is characterized by poverty, injustice, and inequality, particularly in the way the government behaves. on the government of the people. We may be democratic in newspapers, but we are not in practice. Although the country is democratic, it has failed to develop it into a practical form that can address the country's social problems. According to Timberman it was not a failure of democracy, but the failure of the people to engage in it. There is also a long history of Philippine politics, society, and economic issues dominated by a group of small, elite conservative families. Furthermore, predictable accusations of electoral fraud, corruption, vote buying, nepotism and incompetence in the Philippine government. Furthermore, with the series of events that happened in the history of the Philippines, why did he do little or nothing? ? Why has Philippine society been characterized by poverty and injustice for a long time and has not caused any radical change? The effects of the change and Filipinos' attitudes towards it are mixed. The continuity and change of the Philippines is the transition of its government from an authoritarian type of government to a democratic one. The transition from authoritarian to democratic governance was global governance, especially in Asia. However, in the Philippine context, it is different from others because it is the society that attempted to bring its government back to a democratic regime. Cory Aquino's administration of political reforms assumed that the restoration of democratic government was desirable and possible. Challenges in Philippine Democracy and Society The author also discussed the political culture that could explain the attitude of Filipinos towards politics. To better understand Philippine society and its culture, we must also recognize their political culture. Political culture is society's views and opinions on politics, how they respond to government, and its effects on society. Society and culture can evolve over time. According to Lucian Pye "culture is undoubtedly significant, to some indeterminate extent, in shaping the aspirations and fears, preferences and prejudices, priorities and expectations of a people as they face the challenges of social and political change". Culture is rooted in our history through the years of colonialism, but we fail to recognize it. According to Almond and Powell, political culture “is the pattern of individual attitudes and orientations toward politics among members of a political system. It is the subjective sphere that underlies and gives meaning to political actions." Identifying a nation's political culture can help us explain the political behavior of Philippine society. After the fall of the Marcos administration, society has major problems of mistrust towards the government. This is due to Marcos' questionable actions during his tenure. This is whyCorazon Aquino's administration faced great problems especially on how to gain the trust of Filipinos at that time. If we take a closer look at the democratic governance of the Philippines before martial law, it is indeed questionable, especially because of the effectiveness and fairness of traditional elitesdemocracy governed by the families of the ruling elites. This was after the Philippines gained independence from American colonization, the elite accepted the challenge to prove themselves worthy of ruling the Filipino people. Families with large investments, family shares in land and industries, often control political and economic power. This group of elite families still has power to this day. There have been several elite families that emerged throughout Philippine history and some argue that the country's history can be seen as a competition between these families (Euginio, 2012). When examining the elements of continuity and change in the Philippines, and what the author is trying to convey to the readers is that this aims to explain four important things. First, it seeks to place both the Marcos and Aquino administrations in a much broader historical context. Second, it attempts to present a comprehensive history of Philippine government and politics during its early stages, especially in the era of Marcos and Aquino. Third, it attempts to explain the restoration of democratic government under the administration of Corazon Aquino. Finally, attempts to move beyond traditional approaches to current Philippine politics and pay more attention to the country's policies and institutions. The Aftermath of Ferdinand Marcos After fourteen years under the authoritarian Marcos regime, a traditional style of democracy re-emerged. Clearly, no society is immutable; there have been a number of changes in the traditional model of government and politics. The author's assessment of Aquino's Democratic administration is that it brought about many changes that still plague Philippine society today. President Corazon Aquino has led the country through the tortuous and difficult task of rebuilding the country from the problems created by the Marcos dictatorship. There were hopes and expectations that the 1986 revolution would lead to long-term changes in the country's political system. His administration called for participatory democracy, peace and economic growth. One of his goals was to get rid of the pro-Marcos and projects that resembled Marcos and was one of the major problems of the Aquinos administration, but they still failed. “The traditional democracy restored by President Corazon Aquino is not inherently unstable or unworkable,” Timberland said. We absolutely agree, this is because when Aquino was installed as president, she faced multiple challenges after the imposition of President Ferdinand Marcos. Such problems are the failure of the national government, foreign debts, and the loyalty of citizens to the fallen president Marcos. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion Changes and this country's inability to adapt to changes have greatly affected our society today. Being a democratic country can be good when the terms and conditions are read correctly in the constitution. However, they are simply words written on pieces of paper. A famous quote whose author we don't know said that “actions speak louder than words”. The actions of the democratic government and the people towards it are far from what is actually written in the constitution. Events that happened in the past may have.