Negotiating Legitimacy in Reformist Local Governance: Trust and Submission in Pasig City

How do citizens in reform-oriented localities judge political authority? This article examines tiwala (trust) and pagsunod (submission) in Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City, based on 16 semi-structured interviews. It argues that legitimacy is evaluated less through institutional reforms than through trust cultures—vernacular moral grammars emphasizing loob (moral intent), pagpapakita (visible presence), and malasakit (care). Three dynamics emerge: (1) moralized visibility, where leaders’ presence signals sincerity and authenticity; (2) conditional submission, where compliance is negotiated, reversible, and grounded in fairness; and (3) hybrid accountability, where digital reforms gain legitimacy only when accompanied by relational responsiveness. By foregrounding these everyday practices, the study develops a meso-level framework that complements but also departs from clientelism, coercion, and populism, while engaging perspectives on moral economy and democratic ambivalence. It highlights the cultural foundations of reformist politics and shows that modernization acquires meaning only when refracted through expectations of presence, fairness, and care.