Bakbakan Kung Bakbakan: Ang Nanggugulo, ang Ginugulo, at ang Dahas para sa Demokrasya

The UP Third World Studies Center invites the public to Bakbakan Kung Bakbakan: Ang Nanggugulo, ang Ginugulo, at ang Dahas para sa Demokrasya, the third installment of the 2025-26 UP TWSC Francisco “Dodong” Nemenzo Jr. Public Forum Series: Bugso at Bisa ng Magkakasalungat na Pagkilos sa Demokrasya.

📆 DATE: February 11, 2026 (Wednesday)
⏰ TIME: 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM
📍 VENUE: Pilar Herrera Hall, Palma Hall, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines Diliman
📝 REGISTER: https://bit.ly/TWSCBakbakan

“Do I condemn the angry people throwing stones and stuff? No. I may not agree with their tactics, but I understand their anger,” this was what activist Renato Reyes said after being hurt in the violent protest that happened in Mendiola on September 21, 2025. However, this is a take not everyone shares. Even before the peaceful mobilizations in Luneta and EDSA, people have been reminding protesters to refrain from engaging in any disruptive act. This appears to be a means to distinguish the Philippine anti-corruption protests from that of the riotous protests that transpired in Nepal and Indonesia. But why? What is it with violent expressions of rage against a corrupt government that Filipinos refrain from it? Why must anger be tempered?

The conflict between violence and non-violence shows predispositions that influence political organizing. Opinions on the matter may reveal class interests while some expose ideological alignments. Moral mindsets also play a role in threading the dichotomy. This binary has even been used by government actors to sow division amongst the people: those who properly exercise their own democracy and those who do not. This directs us to the lack of interrogation over the glorification of non-violent struggle and the adamant rejection of violent resistance, especially how it can be weaponized to make democratization unproductive. The post-dictatorship order may have sprung from an exemplary case of non-violent revolution, but violence still informs our current practices of democracy.

The third installment of the 2025-2026 Francisco “Dodong” Nemenzo Jr. Public Forum series explores the tensions between violence and democracy. The forum asks what the role of violence is in democracy—or whether it has a role in the first place. We interrogate how violence and non-violence are given meaning by the public and how they fit into the project of democracy. What principles influence the ascription of positive and negative attitudes on violence and non-violence? How does the promotion of non-violent or violent narratives overshadow the lived realities democratization intends to change? What do we have to lose and to gain if we ever choose between violence and non-violence?

ℹ️ Read more about the 2025-25 UP TWSC Francisco “Dodong” Nemenzo Jr. Public Forum here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16HRevt83h/

Source: UP Twsc Facebook