Includes index. Valdehuesa, M. E., Jr. (2005). Trapo governance and the cha cha conspiracy: more power to those in power, none for the people. Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Cacho.

Prologue: homecoming shock -- Pending questions, system malfunctions -- Our nominal democracy -- Where it all began: the barangay -- Governing without a sense of propriety -- Even one can make a difference -- National problems begin as local issues -- Failure of autonomy: why coup attempts persist -- Failure of autonomy: why people feel shut out -- Forging solidarity and political will -- The grassroots: wellspring of sovereignty (Marcos knew it but did it wrong -- The principle of subsidiarity -- An inverted pyramid reconfigured -- The parliament-in-waiting -- The little prime minister -- Reform in small but steady doses: the bottom-up approach -- Why not barangay inc?: the communitarian approach to development -- Capitalizing local development -- Do we need values education? -- Assertive sovereignty