Newscriticism: "Destabilization efforts may be foreign-funded – Palace" (Philstar, November 21st, 2025)

[From Philstar's article.]

SUMMARY

Malacañang has called for a formal investigation into alleged destabilization efforts, warning that if foreign funding is proven behind recent anti-government rallies, it could amount to treason. Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro stressed that other countries should not interfere in Philippine politics. The Armed Forces of the Philippines, together with the police, are reportedly probing whether foreign entities financed a major protest by the United People’s Initiative, which included retired soldiers. The AFP has reiterated its commitment to defend the constitution, uphold democratic institutions, and ensure that public assemblies remain peaceful and lawful. Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police is boosting its security presence amid a recent surge in hoax bomb threats, according to officials.

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NEWSCRITICISM

A long time ago, not too far away, the Philippines in the 20th Century is wracked in an Age of Ideologies, where ideology becomes the centerpoint of society, not civilizations. The coups, protests, elections - all of the political activities in society - even though it is defined more by the Politics of Personality (see Presencing of Being and Other Essays for a description of the Three Modes of Politics), because of the existential zeitgeist of history at that time being where ideologies are more prominent because of, well, ideologies as the political force of civilization-societies in this era, which fuels both fervent loyalty and deep polarization among citizens. The Philippines during this time is where competing visions clash in the streets, in the halls of Congress through the persons themselves, and across the airwaves in television and radio, leaving ordinary Filipinos caught between idealistic promises and the harsh realities of political maneuvering. You have the New Society of Ferdinand E. Marcos clashing with the National Democracy of Jose Maria Sison during 1971-1972, and you have Aguinaldine National Socialism clash with the Liberal-Conservative establishment of Manuel L. Quezon during the 1935 Elections. One cannot forget the myriad of factions involved: in the 1930's you have the Sakdalistas and the Reformists under Aglipay, and in the 1970's one can't also forget the Islamists under Nur Misuari and the Liberalists under Aquino.

But today, in the 21st Century, those days are gone. The Age of Civilizations came. No longer are coups, elections, protests, and other political actions are the same way again in the Philippines. The Philippines is now smacked in the face of reality by the fact that in the current year of 2025, its either Oriental, or the Occidental (in Edward Said's model of civilization) - of the West, or of the East; of China, or of the United States. They don’t merely fight over ideologies anymore; rather, the battles are now over - as components of the broader clash of civilizations - alignment (which model of civilization should we adopt?), influence (should our be society be more like the East, West, or shall we turn to ourselves?), and strategic advantage (who has more benefits if we adopt and align with their model?), where foreign powers, economic natures, and global narratives shape domestic politics as much as local personalities do (but this time, the civilization, not the ideology) leaving Philippine democracy to navigate a precarious path between sovereignty and external pressures while ordinary citizens watch, participate, and sometimes become pawns in this new game of civilizations.

These rumors of a destabilization, even a planned civil-military junta as of this writing - are now a sign that the Filipino is now taking up sides once again. The pro-Western government under Bongbong Marcos is pitting up now against the pro-Eastern opposition of Sara Duterte: a clash between the Eastern Dutertists and the Western Bagong Pilipinas Loyalists is imminent, with the Ideocrats of the Leftist Opposition joining the three-way clash of civilizations in the Philippines. The protests from all of these three groups are something more than a mere destablization or a coup (or even a civil war!) will ever offer in history: something called geo-ideological contestation, where the struggle is not simply over domestic policies or personalities, but over which global framework—Eastern authoritarianism, Western liberalism, or a hybrid nationalist path—will dominate the future of the Philippines, shaping everything from economic models and military alliances to cultural identity and the everyday lives of its citizens.

In this contestation, the clash of civilizations may affect all of Philippine society. Expect that in the coming days, we will see religion fight against religion, culture against culture, and philosophy against philosophy (although the latter is rare in the Philippine context), each like a proxy: it will be everywhere and everyone at once. All of society is forced to participate in this contestation. In this contestation, a new digital front, the "social media wars" will become the frontline where hashtags, viral videos, and algorithmic amplifications act as new battlegrounds, shaping narratives, swaying public opinion, and mobilizing masses faster than traditional protests ever could, turning ordinary citizens into both spectators and combatants in a globalized ideological arena: every tweet, post, or meme becomes a vector in the struggle over the Philippines’ alignment, identity, and future in this 21st-century clash of civilizations. In the physical front, the people are entering a combative phase where life itself becomes an arena of activity erupting as expressions of allegiance, while civil institutions—schools, media outlets, and local governments—are pressured to pick sides or risk marginalization, forcing every citizen, from politicians to students, to navigate a labyrinth of influence, propaganda, and social expectation in real time as the nation teeters between sovereignty, subordination, and self-definition.

We might even see the return of the negative state of nature back again here in this country. Volatile religious lines in the country may reignite again - the Catholic and the Muslim establishments may ignite the keg again; and, if one factors the Nontrinitarian Christian groups in the Philippines, especially the Iglesia Ni Cristo, they might (or will!) intervene and start a three-way clash of religions in the country. Cultural lines too, may reignite; the Igorots and the Lumads might decide to clash with the Tagalogs, and the Chinese Filipinos may clash with the Tagalogs too, and the Visayans, because of the 'Imperial Manila' idea which they detest, might also join in the reignition.

And in each of these will force everyone to take sides in the coming clash of civilizations in the Philippines.

Should the Philippines teeter the fine line between stability and chaos, conditions that make this possible may go overboard and and trigger widespread fragmentation. Social cohesion dies under competing allegiances, and this may result in local conflicts escalate into larger confrontations, leaving communities, institutions, and even families divided along civilizational, cultural, and religious lines, as the struggle for national identity becomes inseparable from the pressures of global power politics, turning the everyday life of ordinary Filipinos spiraling towards violent struggle.

We might reach a point where the Filipino will now fight against a Filipino should a conflict break. Only a Filipino will kill another Filipino, and he himself, the Filipino, is a detriment to oneself more than any other colonial oppression will be in history.

Must there be a solution to this debacle? Even if one is rational, the turmoil in this country will spiral into irrationality the more this continues. No one is satisfied, we are reminded by human nature, about contemptment: struggle is the only factor of life, for life itself is a drama of actors trying to influence the world, and anti-actors trying to stop their ideals from happening. There is no rational ground in this world today, only struggle exists.

To the Filipinos of this country, I say, and comment, only this: I bid you all goodluck to all of us, for there is no hope under a yellow sun.

Only we can return to sanity again if one ideal triumphs for all of society to follow! Joshua Kyle T. Rovero

Estado Rovero

November 25th 2025