Political Dynasty

Prepared by Raizza P. Corpuz

POLITICAL DYNASTY understood as a lineage of hereditary

succession to an essentially same position or various positions at the same time.

Family member’s one another to the position. Relationship is established via succession or

marriage

Supreme Court (SC) Justice Antonio Carpio in a ruling in 2011 defined the term political dynasties in the case of Navarro v. Ermita (GR No. 180050; April 12, 2011) as a “phenomenon that concentrates political power and public resources within the control of a few families whose members alternately hold elective offices, deftly skirting term limits.”

William Safire, political lexicographer, defines “dynasty” as the “recurrence of political power in generations of a single family; previously, the passing of power among a small group of political elite

In History (STORY TO TELL)

Establishing a political dynasty, history attests, is a very human craving that very few can resist or not find ways to implement. A story is told—apocryphal, of course—of Roman Emperor Caligula, one of the most vicious madmen in history. Caligula did not want the family dynasty to end with him. The problem was he had no kinsman to pass power to as earlier he had all of them murdered to avert any plot to replace him prematurely, or when he was not yet good and ready, through his assassination.

Was Caligula fazed by this problem? Not a bit. The guy may have had episodes of madness, but he was no fool; he could weave fantastic solutions to unimaginable political problems.

Just like our politicos.

So how did Caligula solve the problem of preserving his dynasty with no one to whom he could pass the torch in sight?

Simple.

He marched to the royal stable and named his favorite horse senator and heir!

What gives rise to a political dynasty? It’s a natural phenomenon no different from when a

banana plant begins to age and one or two shoots spring up beside it.

Do political dynasties rise up from political heavyweights? Not necessarily. Sociologist C. Wright Mills points out that “throughout US history, well over half of the American political elite have come from families not previously connected with political affairs. They come from families highly placed in terms of money and position than political influence.”

IN THE PHILIPPINESWe have had a number of recorded dynasties in the

past 100 years or so.

1.The Josons of Nueva Ecija; 2.the Laurels, Rectos and Levistes of Batangas; 3.the Remullas and Revillas of Cavite; 4.the Dys and Albanos of Isabela; 5.the Osmeñas, Cuencos and Duranos of Cebu; 6.the Singsons of Ilocos Sur; 7.the Ortegas of La Union;

8. the Marcoses of Ilocos Norte; 9. the Espinosas of Masbate;10. the Villafuertes of Bicol; 11. the Buluts of Apayao; 12. the Cuas of Quirino; 13. the Ejercito-Estradas of San Juan; 14. the Binays of Makati…15. Cojuangco of Tarlac

KINDS

Thick - simultaneous Thin – successive

A “thin” dynasty is a political clan that only has two members – like a father and son – swapping certain positions, as when a mayor-father, at the end of his maximum three terms, lets his son, who may also have reached his three-year term either as vice mayor, councilor, provincial governor or vice governor, running for each other’s position,

A fat dynasty monopolizing power is an undesirable situation, as checks and balances among elected officials in a certain local government are difficult if they are all from one family.

In Maguindanao, the “fat” Ampatuan dynasty held eight out of the 37 mayoralty posts in the province’s 37 municipalities, Mendoza said.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION

This provision clearly prohibits the existence of political dynasties in the country to preclude equal access to public service and the right of people to choose in the local election.

However, it is not self-executory, meaning the provision needs an implementing law before it can be applied.

The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines: Article 2 - Declaration of Principles and State Policies, Section 26 states that:

What is the proposal of the Congress as of 16th congress

“A political dynasty exists when two or more individuals who are related within the second degree of consanguinity(by blood) or affinity hold or run for national or local office in successive, simultaneous or overlapping terms,” the bill said.

it said that: “No spouse, or person, elevated within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity, whether legitimate of illegitimate, full or half blood, to an incumbent elective official seeking re-election shall be allowed to hold to run for any local or national elective office in the same election,”

ConclusionThere is no definite and decisive LAW until today (2016) that mandates the unlawful stance of Political dynasty in the Philippines thus, is an ethical issue that need to be address. It is not the question of how many family members who will run or who are in the political arena but how transparent they are in the field of public service. It is still vested in democratic government that those who are qualified to run in office have both the right and the duty to be elected, but at the end of the day the quandary is still the same ; what is the effect of too much complacency and familiarity ?The answer, (may or may not be) greed and abuse that leads to corruption. It is within the power of suffrage, good substantive laws and equal protection that can be the light to shed the doubt.

ISSUES

Are there good and bad dynasties? Can political dynasty be minimized if not eradicated? What is the real problem - family relations or family motivation?

References

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/03/09/917449/political-dynasties-reign-philippines-study

Gualberto B. Lumauig (lumauigbert@yahoo.com) is past president of the UST Philosophy and Letters Foundation and former governor/congressman of Ifugao.