Philippines, My Philippines Plot Summary and Details

This disturbing documentary shows the Philippines three years after the "People Power" movement of Corazon Aquino deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos. For a brief time after the restoration of democracy, the world watched closely, hopeful that the country might become a Third World success story. Philippines, My Philippines makes it clear that the reality has fallen far short of these optimistic expectations. Australian director Chris Nash filmed extensively throughout the Philippines and shows us a country teetering on the edge of anarchy. Social conditions have not improved, or in some cases even deteriorated, since the end of the Marcos regime. We see devastating poverty in both urban slums and rural villages, where Communist and other resistance groups have been embraced by the people as their only hope. These groups are opposed by heavily armed, violent vigilantes, sponsored by the Philippine military, who look the other way while bloodshed escalates. Human rights violations by the military itself are rampant and unchecked. The Aquino government is shown as rife with incompetence and corruption, using democratic rhetoric to whitewash its repeated failings. It's a depressing portrait of a country where life is a daily struggle for survival. Meanwhile, American and Australian tourists entertain their sexual fantasies at wild parties, and one American serviceman calls Manila "the sexual Disneyland of the world."