The UP Third World Studies Center invites the public to ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ป: ๐๐ป๐ด ๐ก๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ด๐๐ด๐๐น๐ผ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ด๐๐น๐ผ, ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ, the third installment of the ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ-๐ฎ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฃ ๐ง๐ช๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ โ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป๐ดโ ๐ก๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ฟ. ๐ฃ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐บ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐: ๐๐๐ด๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ ๐ป๐ด ๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ธ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ป๐ด๐ฎ๐ ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ด๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ.
๐๐๐ง๐: February 11, 2026 (Wednesday)
๐ง๐๐ ๐: 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM
๐ฉ๐๐ก๐จ๐: Pilar Herrera Hall, Palma Hall, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines Diliman
๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฅ: https://bit.ly/TWSCBakbakan
โDo I condemn the angry people throwing stones and stuff? No. I may not agree with their tactics, but I understand their anger,โ this was what activist Renato Reyes said after being hurt in the violent protest that happened in Mendiola on September 21, 2025. However, this is a take not everyone shares. Even before the peaceful mobilizations in Luneta and EDSA, people have been reminding protesters to refrain from engaging in any disruptive act. This appears to be a means to distinguish the Philippine anti-corruption protests from that of the riotous protests that transpired in Nepal and Indonesia. But why? What is it with violent expressions of rage against a corrupt government that Filipinos refrain from it? Why must anger be tempered?
The conflict between violence and non-violence shows predispositions that influence political organizing. Opinions on the matter may reveal class interests while some expose ideological alignments. Moral mindsets also play a role in threading the dichotomy. This binary has even been used by government actors to sow division amongst the people: those who properly exercise their own democracy and those who do not. This directs us to the lack of interrogation over the glorification of non-violent struggle and the adamant rejection of violent resistance, especially how it can be weaponized to make democratization unproductive. The post-dictatorship order may have sprung from an exemplary case of non-violent revolution, but violence still informs our current practices of democracy.
The third installment of the 2025-2026 Francisco โDodongโ Nemenzo Jr. Public Forum series explores the tensions between violence and democracy. The forum asks what the role of violence is in democracyโor whether it has a role in the first place. We interrogate how violence and non-violence are given meaning by the public and how they fit into the project of democracy. What principles influence the ascription of positive and negative attitudes on violence and non-violence? How does the promotion of non-violent or violent narratives overshadow the lived realities democratization intends to change? What do we have to lose and to gain if we ever choose between violence and non-violence?
Read more about the 2025-25 UP TWSC Francisco โDodongโ Nemenzo Jr. Public Forum here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16HRevt83h/

