The declaration of a state of emergency, the possibility of a military coup, and the rising chance of mass street protests are all challenges to democracy in the Philippines. After twenty years following the original People Power Revolution, it’s high time that all of the country’s stakeholders begin to respect the rule of law. Especially the military. While President Arroyo’s declaration of emergency may be both shady as well as bad politics, especially in light of her lost legitimacy following a corruption scandal last year, the military has done more to undermine democracy in the Philippines than any other single player. It must be purged of any members who want to influence politics in the country in any way if the country is to ever develop democratic institutions.

Though the state of emergency smacks of the martial law imposed by the Marcos dictatorship, as protests have been blocked, newspapers censored, and leftist politicians arrested, it could be over in less than a week and is being challenged in the Supreme Court even now. The army isn’t even patrolling the streets. What kind of sad excuse for martial law is this anyway?

That’s because it isn’t. In the hysteria sweeping the worldwide media, it has subsequently come to our attention that it was not just a few low-ranking officers planning to stage a coup, but even the commanding general of the elite Marines division. Arrests and replacements within the military are being made constantly now. Those not loyal to constitutional law and order, who do not refrain from interfering in politics, are being purged. After twenty years and no less than a dozen coup attempts, it’s about time.

Steps will then need to be taken in order to change the structural foundation of the military that cause such open rebellion. Pay is extremely low, so low that many soldiers resort to graft and black-market dealings in order to make extra income. Need a grenade?… For a military that’s fighting a constant hit-and-run conflict with Marxist guerrillas, low pay, poor housing conditions, and humiliating hazing sessions is no way to gain its loyalty.

Once the military has been effectively neutralized, it will be time to start truly building the democratic institutions that allow reform and public policy to be enacted. The constant threat of military coups has left these institutions fundamentally weak. In a democracy, populism is the ugly underbelly that sometimes erupts, and when institutions are too weak, it results in the constitutional system being usurped by charismatic leaders. In the Philippines’ case, it has led to multiple people power movements following the original that have put into place governments no better than the previous ones.

The main characters supporting the current government and those opposing it are all comprised of a group of elites who have dominated the country since Marcos’ downfall twenty years ago. In the meantime, work-a-day Filipinos are still trying to put food on their plates. At the end of the day, they don’t care that the opposition considers Arroyo illegitimate because both sides have proven themselves ineffective. They want a government that works. The only way for this to ever happen is if they lay to rest the notion the idea of using people power coups when anything goes wrong and develop the institutions that make democracy work.