필리핀의 민주주의와 인권

초록

The political change of the Philippines from statist authoritarianism to liberal democracy has been accompanied by the cultural change from cultural relativism to rational universalism on human rights. The relativist justification of human right violations by Marcos had been nullified by the dismal failures in its promises of social relations from statism to liberalism, the perspective on human rights from relativism to universalism, and the scope of human rights from 'civil and political' to 'economic, social and cultural' rights. In this context, liberal democracy constitutes a necessary, if not sufficient, condition for human rights. As the democracy of the Philippines has progressed through 'transition' by Aquino and 'consolidation' by Ramos, there has been steady, through not remarkable, improvements in human rights. The speed and scope of their progress have been circumscribed by the continued armed conflicts owing to the deep and wide economic and religious cleavages in society, on one hand, and the still limited political capability of the state, on the other. In perspective, however, the liberal democracy of the Philippines should be credited for its achievements in its attempts at 'people empowerment', which will certainly contribute to the continued struggle of the people for human dignity.

키워드