Populism and Historical Revisionism

Populism and historical revisionism are two concepts that represent phenomena that can be examined and analyzed separately. This piece argues that despite this separation, there is a deep connection between the two as shown in the Philippine case. The Philippine populist leader, President Rodrigo Duterte, campaigned and won in 2016 because of messaging that drew from the “strongman rule” imaging of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. At the same time, Duterte’s populism promoted historical revisionism and thereby paved the way for the normalization of the Marcoses and the reentry of another Marcos (the son) into the presidency in 2022.