Monopoly of political powerFR. JUN MERCADO OMINovember 6, 2012 5:33pm

Tags: Alan Peter Cayetano , Cynthia Villar , Juan Ponce Enrile , Benigno Aquino III , Pia Cayetano

We are about seven months from the May 2013 mid-term elections, but the early filing of certificates

of candidacy has exposed in an "indecent" way the political families that continue to dominate

Philippine politics since World War II.

 

Beginning with the Presidents of the Republic since WWII, the prominent family names that continue

to dominate Philippine politics are Osmeña, Roxas, Magsaysay, Macapagal, Marcos, Aquino and

Estrada. For the 2013 Senate race alone, there are about eight prominent candidates who are

connected to political families: (1) Bam Aquino, (2) Tony Angara, (3) Nancy Binay, (4) Alan

Cayetano, (5) Tingting Cojuangco, (6) Jackie Enrile, (7) JV Estrada and (8) Cynthia Villar. In the

congressional race and local elections, the tandems of spouses, fathers and daughters/sons, and

siblings are "indecent," bordering on vulgar.

 

In my quixotic campaign against political dynasty, I have found a study entitled "Chasing the Wind:

Assessing the Philippine Democracy," a good exposé of the political families in the country.  It is a

collection of essays edited by Miranda, Rivera, Ronas and Holmes. The study identified by regions

and provinces the major political families that have dominated Philippine politics.

 

There are about 178 political families in the country today. They have ruled and "controlled" this

archipelago for so long. In fact, they are beginning to believe that they are "immortals."

These 178 political families control 72 provinces, or 94% of the entire Republic of the Philippines. Of

the 178 families, 100 (or 56%) are old elites (belonging to the Philippines' political oligarchy since at

least post-World War II). The other 79 families are new elites (post-EDSA 1986).

 

In real terms, the Republic of the Philippines is NOT the 90 or so million inhabitants of the land. They

are the 178 political families who control, manage and own the economic and political powers of the

land, from the time of Spaniards to the present!

 

In the same study, a political family is deemed to exist if at least two members of the same family

(typically up to the 3rd degree of consanguinity) have won a congressional and/or gubernatorial seat

between 1987 and 2010 (the period under study). A governor or congressman during the same

period who has a family member who had served as president, vice president, senator during the

postwar election is also deemed to belong to a political family.

 

According to former National Security Advisor Jose Almonte, "The monopoly of political power has

prevented the true democratization our country – despite the introduction of modern electoral

processes, the establishment of representative institutions, and the symbolic enthronement of

the taoto political sovereignty."

 

The 1987 Constitution bans political dynasties.  It says: "The State shall guarantee equal access to

opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties" (Article II, section 26).  But the

Constitution leaves the definition of political dynasties to Congress. After almost 25 years, Congress

has NOT acted on this provision. And I believe that Congress cannot do so for the simple reason

that it is controlled, managed and owned by political families.

 

I believe that it is high time that we, the citizens, put an end to the political dynasty that is identified

as the biggest obstacle to modernization and democratization of the country. The 178 political

families must begin to learn to subordinate their private and family interests to the larger interest of

the Filipino nation!

 

There are people who make distinction between good and bad political families. Both the Cayetanos

and the Angaras are batting for a different and acceptable political dynasty. The Cayetanos claim

that what matter is the "clean" political dynasty. The Angaras claim that political dynasty is okay so

long as the clan/family stands for something positive. Both clans totally miss the point of political

dynasty. As Mr. Luis Teodoro says, "Both [Angara and Cayetano] entirely miss the point. It is NOT

what a political dynasty's record is or what it does that makes it either positive or negative; a

political dynasty is UNACCEPTABLE for what it is."

 

There is only one way to send a clear signal of PUBLIC OUTRAGE against political dynasty, that

is,NOT TO VOTE for anyone belonging to political families.

 

We simply have to say in an unambiguous way our NO TO POLITICAL DYNASTY IN ALL ITS

FORMS, SHADES and SHAPES!