44 Chasing the Wind: Assessing Philippine Democracy, Second Edition Some General Evaluations on the Philippine Transition from Authoritarian Rule The dynamics of the actual process of transition from authoritarian rule in the country had strategic outcomes on the process of democratization. Activated by a unique conuence of events, the tumultuous actions that climaxed in the ouster of the dictatorship in 1986 do not t nicely into any of the established models of democratic transition: structural, modernization, or elitebargaining. Experienced neither as a reform nor revolutionary process in the country, the end of the dictatorship was not also a consciously designed “pacta” between the dictator and the opposition elites. It occurred as the surprise endgame to a failed coup attempt against the dictator but it was also the product of several events coming together at various conjunctures: the growing popular resistance movement especially after the assassination of Sen. Aquino in 1983; the inter-elite antagonisms fueled by the deepening economic crisis starting in 1981; the split in the military and its politicization as an institution; the serious ailment of Marcos that provoked elite realignments; the calibrated pressures from the United States; and the emergence of a popularly accepted new leader of the legal opposition, Mrs. Aquino. One particular feature of this transition process includes an element of imposition coming from the combined effects of the rebel military's involvement in the process and the pressures and support of the United States but initially counterbalanced by the massive popular mobilization against the dictatorship. At least two strategic, critical outcomes resulted from such a process. First, an initially shaky but eventually stabilized modus vivendi facilitated the participation of leading elites from the dictatorship to be part of the transition government and eventually win and hold on to crucial elective positions. Such an arrangement also led to the restoration of the economic and political power of the old anti-Marcos elites whose resources were taken over by the ruling family and its cronies. Second, this grand restoration of elite rule foreclosed the possibility of the substantial redistribution of material resources such as landownership that could have signicantly empowered the traditionally poor and oppressed sectors. 2 Unlike many cases of “pacted” transitions where mass participation and mobilization were either absent or weak, the struggle that eventually ousted the dictatorship in the country was rmly anchored in mass organizing and mobilization especially by the left movement in the country. The robust presence of a vibrant and politically engaged civil society capable of resisting oppressive governments and working for transformative developmental projects has been a positive force for democratization. Undoubtedly, one of the more inspiring aspects of the transition process has been the continuing assertive activity of various civil society organizations in protesting repressive government actions, oftentimes at the sacrice of countless lives.