Leni Robredo's Drop Of Public Trust Ratings Isn't Proof That Democracy Is Dying Or Even Dead In The Philippines

It's very easy for the Dilawans to shout "DEMOCRACY IS DEAD." because their ideal democracy is one under the rule of the Aquinocracy. But first let's define democracy in layman terms by Dictionary.com:

1.
government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
2.
a state having such a form of government:
The United States and Canada are democracies.
3.
a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights andprivileges.
4.
political or social equality; democratic spirit.
5.
the common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power.

Is an Aquinocracy a democracy? Only for the Aquinotard. If they want a democracy it must be a form of government that is where a free electoral system is being used. This is where people participate in the voting process. Here's another definition of democracy from Stanford.edu in the article "What is Democracy" with its four key elements:

1. A political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections.

2. The active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life.

3. Protection of the human rights of all citizens.

4. A rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens.

Unfortunately, the Philippines has been a mock democracy based on that example. The reason is because not only do we have electoral processes that favor stupid people but also we have the Commission on Human Rights that focuses on defending criminals instead of the victims (and this doesn't protect human rights) and it's not a rule of law but rule of the mob. Also if your idea of democracy is a dysfunctional sense of freedom like how the Yellowtards think then it's already a dictatorship of the mob. Remember that George Orwell said that democracies too can become dictatorships. They may install a dictator in power or the crowd becomes the dictator that controls the country without any fair give and take.

What is a fair democracy?

Here's more from "What is Democracy" from Stanford.edu has to say:

If democracy is to work, citizens must not only participate and exercise their rights.  They must also observe certain principles and rules of democratic conduct.

People must respect the law and reject violence.  Nothing ever justifies using violence against your political opponents, just because you disagree with them.

Every citizen must respect the rights of his or her fellow citizens, and their dignity as human beings. 

No one should denounce a political opponent as evil and illegitimate, just because they have different views.

People should question the decisions of the government, but not reject the government’s authority.

Every group has the right to practice its culture and to have some control over its own affairs, but each group should accept that it is a part of a democratic state.

When you express your opinions, you should also listen to the views of other people, even people you disagree with. Everyone has a right to be heard.

Don’t be so convinced of the rightness of your views that you refuse to see any merit in another position. Consider different interests and points of view.

When you make demands, you should understand that in a democracy, it is impossible for everyone to achieve everything they want.

Democracy requires compromise. Groups with different interests and opinions must be willing to sit down with one another and negotiate.

In a democracy, one group does not always win everything it wants.  Different combinations of groups win on different issues. Over time, everyone wins something.

If one group is always excluded and fails to be heard, it may turn against democracy in anger and frustration. 

Everyone who is willing to participate peacefully and respect the rights of others should have some say in the way the country is governed.

If democracy is to work, citizens must not only participate and exercise their rights.  They must also observe certain principles and rules of democratic conduct.

People must respect the law and reject violence.  Nothing ever justifies using violence against your political opponents, just because you disagree with them.

Every citizen must respect the rights of his or her fellow citizens, and their dignity as human beings. 

No one should denounce a political opponent as evil and illegitimate, just because they have different views.

People should question the decisions of the government, but not reject the government’s authority.

Every group has the right to practice its culture and to have some control over its own affairs, but each group should accept that it is a part of a democratic state.

When you express your opinions, you should also listen to the views of other people, even people you disagree with.  Everyone has a right to be heard.

Don’t be so convinced of the rightness of your views that you refuse to see any merit in another position.   Consider different interests and points of view.

When you make demands, you should understand that in a democracy, it is impossible for everyone to achieve everything they want.

Democracy requires compromise.  Groups with different interests and opinions must be willing to sit down with one another and negotiate.

In a democracy, one group does not always win everything it wants.  Different combinations of groups win on different issues.  Over time, everyone wins something.

If one group is always excluded and fails to be heard, it may turn against democracy in anger and frustration. 

What is needed for a healthy democracy?

Everyone who is willing to participate peacefully and respect the rights of others should have some say in the way the country is governed. It looks like the Philippines hardly practices these and yet some Filipinos say that democracy is now dead or that the Aquinos restored democracy:

V. The Limits and Requirements for Democracy

If democracy is to work, citizens must not only participate and exercise their rights. They must also observe certain principles and rules of democratic conduct.

People must respect the law and reject violence. Nothing ever justifies using violence against your political opponents, just because you disagree with them.

Every citizen must respect the rights of his or her fellow citizens, and their dignity as human beings. 

No one should denounce a political opponent as evil and illegitimate, just because they have different views.

People should question the decisions of the government, but not reject the government’s authority.

Every group has the right to practice its culture and to have some control over its own affairs, but each group should accept that it is a part of a democratic state.

When you express your opinions, you should also listen to the views of other people, even people you disagree with. Everyone has a right to be heard.

Don’t be so convinced of the rightness of your views that you refuse to see any merit in another position.  Consider different interests and points of view.

When you make demands, you should understand that in a democracy, it is impossible for everyone to achieve everything they want.

Democracy requires compromise. Groups with different interests and opinions must be willing to sit down with one another and negotiate.

In a democracy, one group does not always win everything it wants. Different combinations of groups win on different issues. Over time, everyone wins something.

If one group is always excluded and fails to be heard, it may turn against democracy in anger and frustration. 

Everyone who is willing to participate peacefully and respect the rights of others should have some say in the way the country is governed.

So why is Leni's drop of approval ratings actually proof that democracy is not dead or dying in the Philippines? 

Proof of Leni getting installed by electoral sabotage is now surfacing. Then that alone is already proof of a crooked democracy. There's nothing lawful about cheating to get any seat. The PCOS machines may have also installed a lot of illegitimate senators and maybe, just maybe Leila Dilemma is one of them. Loida Nicolas-Lewis' claim to protect democracy is invalid. If more people voted for Bongbong Marcos then that alone is a violation of the rule of fair and just elections.

Another factor you may consider about democracy still being alive and well is that the people have the right to change their stand. If people voted for Leni then that's democracy. If Leni's voters turn against her because of her substandard performance then that's still democracy. People are required to submit to authority but they should question authority when need be. People must also offer suggestions and give proper criticism to government should it make a mistake. It's all part of the give and take process. The way things look like is that all Leni is doing is take and take. 

President Rodrigo R. Duterte is respecting the right to air opinions. But what the Yellowtards are doing is that they're making it look like only they have the right to be heard. Also, hasn't the Liberal Party also violated the rules of a healthy democracy that they don't really practice give and take or that one group doesn't always win everything it wants. The knockout of the Liberal Party in the Senate was a move to secure democracy. How long has it been since the Liberal Party dominated the Philippine political arena? It's time to give others a chance. 

Leni can't cry and say democracy is dying. After all, her approval rating drop is all thanks to democracy and not because democracy is dying.