Mobilizing for Accountability: Contentious Politics in the Anti-Estrada Campaign

Abstract

The anti-Estrada campaign that culminated in the so-called People Power II last January 2001 can be viewed as a testament to the efficacy and strength of collective mobilization in the Philippines. This paper discusses the mobilization in the form of protests and other mass actions as a strategy of civil society aimed at eliciting accountability from President Estrada. Utilizing the theory of contentious politics and the different strategies of the societal accountability framework, it examines the mobilization conducted by some civil society organizations (CSOs) from October 2000 to January 2001. It argues that the interplay of available mobilizing structures such as the Kongreso ng Mamayang Pilipino (Kompil II) and the Estrada Resign Movement (ERM), the collective action frames that focused on failure, impunity and injustice, the traditional and innovational forms of contention, and the existence of crucial political opportunities made the protest actions in the anti-Estrada campaign possible. It concludes by arguing that the shape and dynamics of future political mobilizations by civil society would be greatly influenced by this contentious political episode.