| The political polarization between the Marcos, Jr. and the Robredo camps during the 2022 Philippine presidential election must be understood as an episode of a long-standing division between liberal and populist identities in Philippine politics. Support for both candidates and alignment with political identities are conditioned by contending interpretations of democracy and frustrations with the democratization process of the Philippines. Elite-sponsored disinformation may have persuaded individual voters, but it does so by representing, exaggerating, and catalyzing pre-existing sentiments of exclusion from the political process. |