ABSTRACT
The Republic of the Philippines has had longer experience with the formal structures of democracy than any other Asian nation. The Philippine Revolution was Asia's first nationalist, anticolonial struggle. Filipinos fought to liberate themselves from Spanish rule, and inspired by the enlightened ideas of the polymath Jose Rizal, they planned a democratic, liberal, and constitutional government. Except during the years of Marcos's dictatorship, Filipinos have enjoyed full voting rights since independence in 1946. The Philippines has the freest press in Southeast Asia. Amnesty International estimated in 1994 that there were more than three hundred political prisoners in the Philippines. Elections in the Philippines have not fit the ideal model of citizen involvement in the running of the government. If Thailand has been a model of economic development in a rural society, the Philippines has served as an example of what not to do. For democracy to flourish, the institutions of government must become more than facades for oligarchical rule.
