108 Chasing the Wind: Assessing Philippine Democracy, Second Edition The preceding chapters presented the institutional limits to democratization. These chapters lead us to believe that unless the state is cleansed of its patrimonial character with elite elements that are opposed to substantial redistributive measures, all other factors that could facilitate democratization or produce “substantive” democracy are rendered insignicant. The earlier chapters also point to the fact that Philippine democratization, like all democratization processes, has not progressed in a linear fashion and has, for all intents and purposes, been stalled. Fortunately, the Philippines has not seen a reversal of the democratization process. This chapter argues that the sustenance of “procedural” democracy in the Philippines lies in two arenas of contestation—civil society and local governments after decentralization. Both arenas conjure up an image of change, albeit limitedly. We elaborate on these limits in each section of this chapter. This chapter is divided into two sections. The rst section reviews the dynamics within civil society. In this section, we argue that while civil society has been a force that contributed to the political transition in 1986 and has successfully mobilized to deter a reversal of the democratization process, the arena has confronted horizontal and vertical limits. As regards the horizontal limit, we re-articulate the view that the ssures within Philippine civil society have diluted its power as a reform agency vis-à-vis the state. In relation to the vertical limit, this is divided into two levels. The rst level is the link between civil society organizations and the public where civil society groups have been decient in mobilizing a broader constituency for sustained political engagement. The second level is in the relationship between civil society organizations with the state where the latter possesses more power and has used this power to subdue pressures emanating from civil society. The second section provides an assessment of local governments after decentralization. The section starts with a recap of what have been noted as gains and concerns in the almost two decades since responsibilities and resources were transferred from central to local governments. In revisiting these assessments, the section identies three factors that have limited improvements in local governance and constricted the impact of such process on local development. These factors are classied as statutory, organizational, and systemic. Civil Society Like democracy, civil society is a contentious concept with many denitions given from the philosophical-normative to the practical (Anheier and Topler 2010; Civicus 2010; Alagappa 2004; Diokno 1997; Eberly 2000). It is not the intention, however, of this chapter to revisit all these denitions (Diokno 1997; Ferrer 1997; Wui and Lopez 1997; Civicus 2010; Alagappa 2004). It is sufcient to take on a denition that provides an inclusive view of what constitutes this