Article By Jeff Raiven Iway | Art by Nera
The Philippines is already deeply wounded by what the past colonizers have inflicted—now; it’s as though our very own countrymen are putting salt into the unhealed wounds.
Never has the Philippine political environment seen such a surge of the same surnames inscribed into COCs (Certificate of Candidacy) in this season of pre-elections. With this, the country’s future seems bleak as wealth and power may inevitably be concentrated and befall into the hands of families in politics—if ever voted into office.
Political dynasties have been a long-standing issue in the country—not limited to the national stage but also evident in regional and even municipal scenes. Correspondingly, political dynasties kill the emergence of newer and more capable politicians willing to run for office with genuine intent and initiative to transform and develop the Filipino society and its political systems rather than a mere attempt to monopolize wealth and their exercise of power within a given bloodline.
The problem is rooted in the absence of an enabling legislation—what the 1987 Constitution has envisioned, to outlaw dynasty politics, is sensibly useless without it. Additionally, Congress, controlled by TRAPOS (traditional politicians), with their refusal to pass the pending Anti-Political Dynasty Bill, would be seemingly impossible to make it into reality, as no action has been seen in the past 37 years.
According to a 2012 study published in the Philippine Political Science Journal, between 1995 and 2007, relatives replaced an average of 31.3% of all congressmen and 23.1% of governors. Likewise, in a 2019 study by the School of Government at Ateneo de Manila University, political dynasties produced 80% of governors, 67% of House members, and 53% of mayors.
“Now that political clans have taken over even the party-list system, it is about time that we stop the pernicious effects of political dynasties on our democracy, the government, and our political system. Modernization demands that politics should be based on a strong multi-party system and genuine governance platforms, not on feudal and cultural patronage remnants of the past that are the cause of all our backwardness as a society,” Former Senator, Commission on Human Rights Chairperson, and Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima lamented in an online post.
In hindsight, lest the Philippines remain an economic scuffle and a continued underdeveloped state, Anti-Political Dynasty Bills must be established. In like manner, sub-bills must also be drafted and enacted to effectively bolster the Anti-Political Dynasty law proposal—if ever the state is in the right condition to uphold it. Ultimately, arduous voting education and information dissemination must be heavily promoted and implemented during pre-, post, and elections seasons per se to avert oneself from oblivious voting, especially to trapos to which the masses are accustomed.
In light of the incessant corruption in this country’s history, we, the Filipino people, have the collective duty to maintain and ensure the country’s dignity, integrity, and the (ethical) politics that govern us. In spite of the Philippines’ status quo, with our due efforts, we can diminish this plague of perpetual play of power.
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