Democratic Erosion (also known as Democratic Backsliding) is an unsettlingly prevalent phenomenon in which competitive elections are undermined, individuals lose the right to mobilize or voice demands, and governments become less responsible. It entails a decline in the characteristics of democratic governance in any regime. It is a reduction in the quality of democracy in democratic regimes or in the democratic aspects of governance in autocracies (Lust & Waldner, 2015).

According to Tilly (2003), it occurs when political participation is constrained, equal access is eliminated, collective control over the government’s resources and activities is undermined, and the government’s arbitrary power increases. In addition, a number of scholars (Sanhueza 1999, Brambor and Lindvall 2014, and Weiffen 2013) have noted that democratic breakdown may be the result of relatively rapid military intervention, the gradual encroachment of incumbent elites, or, less frequently, mass mobilization and external intervention.

Changes that negatively impact honest elections, rights, and accountability comprise democratic erosion. It is difficult to envision how competitive elections, the
transparency required for effective surveillance, and hence accountability, can be retained in the face of restricted civil and political liberties. Tighter limits on press liberties, and the prosecution of certain professional journalists might also happen (Lust & Waldner, 2015).

Based on Philippine Consulate General (2014), on June 12, 1898, revolutionaries proclaimed the Philippines the first constitutional democracy in Asia. The Treaty of Paris surrendered the Philippines to America. On July 4, 1946, Manuel Roxas proclaimed the Philippines’ independence. However, the dictator, former President Ferdinand Marcos proclaimed Martial Law on 1972 to prolong his term.

According to Amnesty International, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, and other human rights monitoring organizations, the Marcos dictatorship was marked by 3,257 extrajudicial deaths, 35,000 documented tortures, 77 ‘disappearances,’ and 70,000 imprisonments (Human Rights Abuses of the Marcos Dictatorship, n.d.). The 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution brought together millions of Filipinos from all areas of society to protest President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ tyrannical dictatorship and usher in a new age of freedom and democracy.

Even though Martial Law was so close, there were still many murders, especially due to the war on narcotics and terrorism. Duterte’s cabinet has the most retired generals of any post-dictatorship government. Since Duterte’s rise, civil-military mismatch is another indicator of Philippine democracy’s decline (Arugay, 2021).

How is democratic erosion demonstrated through electoral campaign?
The Marcoses have worked hard since their overthrow in the 1990s to restore their family’s authority and glory. Imelda Marcos, Bongbong’s mother, served four terms in Congress. Bongbong and his sister, Imee, both won senatorial elections after serving as governors and lawmakers in Ilocos Norte’s northern district. He continued to praise his father and avoided criticizing himself. He’s competent in social media because he’s conducting a modern campaign targeting a younger market (Kristell, 2022). With PBBM’s election, democratic degradation in the Philippines has resumed. Without economic programs, the president can do nothing. As current-generation criticism has intensified, journalist deaths have begun.

What factors may affects the democratic erosion PBBM administration?
The factors that affect democratic erosion are not having political freedom because those who buy votes win as they can easily manipulate others with money, not having honest elections because there are a large number of broken machines for which the COMELEC did not take action, and the dissemination of false information. Both of these generations of Marcos men are significantly reliant on campaigns of lying and spreading false information. According to fact checking organizations, Marcos is the “top beneficiary” of disinformation. Despite this, it is unlikely that Twitter’s decision to suspend a few hundred accounts in support of Marcos will have a significant impact on Marcos’ popularity. In addition to this, a video that can be found on YouTube depicts Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., the son of the dictator, discussing his dependence on
a ‘troll army’ in order to “keep political fortunes alive” (Robles, 2022).

How does democratic erosion demonstrated now that Marcos has been elected as the president of the Philippines?
A professor at the University of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communication claimed that a network of disseminators has been widely disseminating a “bombardment” of “outright lies” regarding Marcos’s legacy online. By the commencement of the formal election season on February 8, 2022, these posts had amassed more than 187 million views, including a video that claimed no one had been detained during the martial law period. Another article that claimed martial law victims made up allegations of human rights violations to demand compensation from the government was published in 514 Facebook groups and had more than 89 million views. Repositories of historical information are being attacked at the same time that disinformation threatens to destroy accepted truths about the regime. The government ordered institutions to clear their libraries of “subversive” content, including accounts of the nation’s martial law era, in October of last year. Several bookstores carrying the same supposedly “subversive” publications were vandalized in March. State intelligence head Alex Monteagudo referred to the release of a collection of martial law-era children’s books by Adarna House as an effort to “radicalise the Filipino youngsters against our administration” when it was announced that it will be available for purchase in May. The journalists had been threatened, and there are speculations that YouTube vloggers will take their place.

Democratic erosion as a threat
Overall, democratic erosion would still be considered a threat to a nation’s democracy, as long as government officials continue to abuse their authority and the oppressed continue to suffer. Although these residents have the ability to elect anyone they choose, they have little control over the actions of these public figures once they are in power.

Democratic erosion happened in the Philippines
Similar to what occurred in the Philippines, even if the country has a democratic government, the powerful use the taxes for their own benefit. They are blinded by wealth and superiority. The majority of scholars of democratic erosion highlight electoral competitiveness and rights, citing electoral fraud, constraints on political parties, groups, and expression as threat of democracy.

Suggestion on how government can prevent democratic erosion
To overcome this situation, not only the government but also the people must take action. If a mistake occurs that disturbs fair and honest elections, the government and whoever oversees electoral processes should be held liable. People should also learn how to vote wisely because they hold the power during elections. They should be aware of the public official they are electing and vote for them if they have honest intentions of helping the country.

References:

The Philippines : History. 2014, May 26). The Philippines : History. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://chicagopcg.dfa.gov.ph/the-philippines-history

Human rights abuses of the Marcos dictatorship. (n.d.). Google
Arts & Culture. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/human-rights-abuses-of-the-marcos-dictatorship/g11f730zhsc?hl=en

Arugay, A. (2021, February 18).The Generals’ Gambit: The Military and Democratic Erosion in Duterte’s Philippines.Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://th.boell.org/en/2021/02/18/generals-gambit-military-and democratic-erosion-dutertes- philippines

Kristell, W. (2022, March 8). When History Repeats Itself. DEMOCRATIC EROSION. https://www.democratic erosion.com/2022/03/08/when-history-repeats-itself/

Robles, A. (2022, June 14). Marcos’ ‘confessions’: Philippine president-elect admits to ‘trolls’, needing guidance – and doing it for his parents. This Week in Asia. https://www.scmp.com/week-
asia/politics/article/3181416/marcos-confessions-philippines-president-elect-admits-trolls

Beltran, M. (2022, June 29). Disinformation reigns in Philippines as Marcos Jr takes top job. Social Media News | Al Jazeera. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/29/disinformation-reigns-in-philippines-as-marcos-jr- takes-top-job