Sources: ANCAlerts, UP sa Halalan 2013, cenpeg.org, aljazeera.com, Ateneo FactCheck 2013, Asian Institute of Management Policy Center, abs-cbnnews.com
For centuries, familiar names have become mainstays on the ballots of the Filipino people. As the May 2013 national elections results came in, the age-old issue of inherited political power persisted.
Facts/Statistics:
Incumbent President Benigno Aquino III hails from two political families: The Aquinos and the Cojuangcos
Former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is a daughter of another former president, Diosdado Macapagal
250 out of the 15 million Filipino families have dominated the national and local elections, which translates to only 0.001667%
44% of political families emerged after the 1986 revolution
73 out of 80 or 94% of the provinces in the Philippines have dynasties
5 past presidents will have relatives in the next senate, including Osmeña, Cory Aquino, Estrada, Marcos and Noynoy Aquino
15 of 23 Senators in the 15th Congress had relatives who served electoral posts
11 of these 15 senators have relatives in the House of Representatives
19 of the 23 senators have relatives currently serving as elected officials or government employees
7 out of the 12 candidates that won in the 2013 senatorial elections came from political dynasties
14 out of the top 25 senatorial candidates that ran in the recent senatorial elections came from political dynasties
In terms of net worth, dynastic legislators are on average P10 million wealthier than their non-dynastic counterparts.
Forecast:
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Bobby Tuazon, director of the Centre for People Empowerment in Governance Policy Studies, projected that after official counting, 21 of the 24 senatorial posts and 80% of the 229 seats in the House of Representatives will be occupied by politicians from dynasties.
What’s in a name?
The prevalence of these dynasties is widely disputed in a nation that boasts of a democratic rule. It is also a major contradiction to Section II, Article 26 of the 1987 Constitution that guarantees “equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit[s] political dynasties as may be defined by law.”
However, the Constitution does not state what qualifies as a political dynasty. This is where the Anti-Political Dynasty bill comes in, aiming to implement the said constitutional provision and clearly establish the boundaries of political dynasties.
Whether the bill will be enacted in the future remains vague, especially as its provisions will affect many people who are currently in power.
