Presidentas and People Power in Comparative Asian Perspective

There have been a dozen dynastic female leaders in ten countries in Asia over the last half-century. They were the widows, wives, or daughters of male politicians arrested or killed by political opponents. What distinguishes Philippine presidentas from previous women in power in the region is their revolutionary role. Dynastic politics was a factor in Corazon C. Aquino’s rise to presidential leadership, but her gendered “moral capital” was decisive in defeating a dictatorship. Yet “Cory’s” moral standing proved of little help once in power as she faced male politicians claiming she should be reduced to a symbolic role, reigning but not ruling. Aquino’s fragile government could only be stabilized through a revival of dynastic politics. The revolutionary legacy of people power in the Philippines was evident when another female leader arose during a mass uprising in 2001, although this time against an elected president accused of corruption. Chosen as a constitutional fig-leaf for what was in fact a people power putsch, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had to rely more on traditional politics than Aquino because she had less moral capital. Although Arroyo has been able to fend off renewed insurrectionary challenges, corruption scandals and charges of electoral manipulation have undermined her legitimacy. Female-led people power in the Philippines has come full circle: from a moral stance against authoritarian rule to dynastic politics that threaten democratic stability.