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Political dynasties in the Philippines blah blah blah

Definition
Political dynasties are a group of members of a single clan or family holding a seat of power in the government. There are two kinds of dynasties; the thin and the fat. The thin dynasties are structured that there is only one member of the family in politics. When the next election comes, only one different member enters politics, but of the same clan. An example would be the Leviste clan of Oriental Mindoro from the time of the 9th Congress until the 12th Congress of the Philippines. Renato Leviste was in congress from the 9th until 11th then his wife, Charity Leviste, stepped into congress during the 12th. The fat dynasty follows the same principle but instead of only one member entering into politics, a multitude of members of the clan enter into politics by election at the same time. An example of this would be the Binay Dynasty holding power in the Vice Presidency, Senate, and LGU of Makati.

Critical Reception
The Philippine public’s reaction to the proposed bill against political dynasties is mostly positive. Various news articles that analyze the situation of government positions, being held by persons that fall under the domain of a political dynasty often hold these said persons/families in a critical light. Although political dynasties have already been present in the Philippines for a significant amount of time, it is only in recent years where the public has been clamoring for a change in system. The public support for the bill against political dynasties has steadily increased because the president --while part of a dynasty himself-- fully supports this bill. In a micro scale (the other provinces), political dynasties are often held in higher regard; contrasted with dynasties that oversee a wider public, where reception is mostly negative.

Philippine Laws
The prohibition of political dynasties forms as a part of the state policy of the Philippines, with Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution stating the following:

“The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.“

Despite the provision in the Constitution, no law has been passed nor any action has been made regarding the prohibition of political dynasties. The nearest mention to political dynasties in Philippine law can be seen in Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code, where Book I, Title Two, Chapter 1, Section 43 states the term limit of any local government official but does not include any limitations in terms of family relations.

“ (a) The term of office of all local elective officials elected after the effectivity of this Code shall be three (3) years, starting from noon of June 30, 1992 or such date as may be provided for by law, except that of elective Barangay officials: Provided, That all local officials first elected during the local elections immediately following the ratification of the 1987 Constitution shall serve until noon of June 30, 1992. (b) No local elective official shall serve for more than three (3) consecutive terms in the same position. Voluntary renunciation of the office for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of service for the full term for which the elective official concerned was elected. (c) The term of office of Barangay officials and members of the Sangguniang kabataan shall be for three (3) years, which shall begin after the regular election of Barangay officials on the second Monday of May 1994.”

Several bills have been filed in relation to the prohibition of political dynasties, and are currently pending to be approved by the Congress.

On January 24, 2011, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago filed Senate Bill 2649 which prohibits political dynasties from holding or running for elected local government positions. The bill disqualifies the following candidates from running for local government positions: - relatives of an incumbent elected official running for re-election up to the second degree of consanguinity, and are planning to run in the same province in the same election as the elected official, - relatives of an incumbent elected official that holds a national position up to the second degree of consanguinity, and are planning to run in the province of origin of the elected official, and - persons that are not relatives of an elected official that are candidates to the same position in the same province in the same election but are related to each other up to the second degree of consanguinity. The bill also prohibits relatives within the prohibited civil degree of relationship of an incumbent from succeeding to the incumbent’s position, except for the positions of Punong Barangay and Sangguniang Barangay.

Three bills were filed in the House of Representatives which are also in relation to the prohibition of political dynasties, which are similar in content to Senate Bill 2649.

House Bill 172 was filed on July 1, 2013 by representatives under the Bayan Muna, Gabriela, ACT, Anakpawis and Kabataan party lists. House Bill 837 was filed on July 2 of the same year by Representative Erlinda Santiago of the 1-SAGIP party list and House Bill 2911 on September 18 by Representative Oscar Rodriguez from the 3rd district of Pampanga.

On December 16, 2013, the House of Representatives Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms agreed to replace the three House bills into a single bill filed as House Bill 3587.

Marcos
The Marcoses are one of the most well-known political dynasties in the Philippines. The dynasty started with Mariano Marcos, a lawyer from Ilocos Norte who was a member of the House of Representatives back in 1925. Ilocos remains to be the Marcoses’ political stronghold today. The dynasty was at its most prominent during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, son of Mariano Marcos. Ferdinand is one of the most controversial figures in Philippine history, due his declaration of martial law and the numerous human rights violations associated with his rule. Marcos family members also heard several governmental positions during this period. Though they were exiled as a result of the People Power Revolution, the Marcos family has regained power and is currently active in Philippine politics. Imelda Marcos, wife of Ferdinand and former first lady, is currently a district representative of the second district of Ilocos Norte. Marcos’ daughter, Imee Marcos, is a governor of Ilocos Norte. His son, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., is currently a senator running for the vice presidency in the upcoming 2016 national elections.

Aquino
The current Philippine president himself, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, is part of the Aquino political dynasty. He was extremely successful during the 2010 presidential elections, wherein he got the largest number of voters, despite the lack of achievements during his twelve years in politics. His win then is attributed in part to his famous family name and the recent death of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino. Corazon was the first female president in the Philippines and in Asia; she is also known for being an influential figure during the People Power Revolution. Her husband, Benigno Aquino Jr., was a senator; he was one of the most well-known figures in the Marcos opposition, and was once referred to as “the best president we never had.” His funeral was attended by thousands of Filipinos, a show of respect and national mourning that would later be repeated with Cory’s death. Due to the achievements of Benigno and Corazon Aquino, there is a sense of nationalism and trustworthiness associated with the Aquino name. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino, a cousin of the current president, is also the youngest Senator in the 16th Philippine Congress.

Binay
Former Makati Mayor and now current Vice President Jejomar Binay is considered the patriarch of his own political family. His daughter, Nancy Binay, is a senator in the 16th Philippine Congress. His wife also served as Makati City mayor from 1998 to 2001, only to be succeeded by Binay himself again. His son, Jejomar “Junjun” Binay succeeded him as Makati City Mayor in 2010; he has since been suspended due to allegations of graft. His daughter, Mar-Len Abigail Binay, is currently a District Representative of the Second District of Makati. Binay himself has been accused of graft and corruption charges, especially during his stint as Makati City Mayor. Despite this, he is currently running for President in the upcoming 2016 elections, and continues to garner the support of millions of Filipinos; in the latest SWS survey, it was reported that 24% of voters intend to vote for Binay.

Current Political Dynasties
Elitism is highly misconcepted in the field of politics. It is necessary for the government to have elites so as there would be no lack in experience. However, due to the increasing political dynasties in the Philippines, the government is only controlled by the rich and rather connected to each other. One major player in the Philippine government are the Ampatuans, the people responsible for the infamous, Maguindanao Massacre. They are the ‘untouchables’ of Mindanao and control a big part of the Philippines’ third region. Another example would be the Estradas, headed by the former president, current Manila city mayor, Joseph Estrada who was able to successfully put his sons and wives in congress. Last but not the least are the Binays who are famous for their corruption cases in the Philippines. In an article from the Philippine star, Lila claims that a place experiences more poverty because the political dynasty hoards all the wealth and monopolizes resources.

In a recent study done in 2014, an estimated 50-70% of all politicians are somehow involved or associated in a political dynasty within the Philippines (if local government units are included). In the same study, it was concluded that approximately 70% of all jurisdiction-based legislators in the current Congress are involved in a political dynasty, with 40% of them having ties to legislators who belonged to as far as 3 Congresses prior. It is also said that 77% of legislators between the ages 26-40 are also dynastic, which indicates that the second and third generations of political dynasties in the Philippines have begun their political careers as well.

In another study done in 2012, an estimated 40% of the provinces in the Philippines have a provincial governor and congressman related in some way. In 1995, of the 83 congressman elected on their third term, 36 of them were replaced in the next elections by a relative. The term “relative” here could refer to anyone with a familial connection such as a wife, a son or daughter, a cousin, etc. In many of these cases, the people who would eventually go on to take their place had no previous political background or experience save their familial connection.

In the years 1995-2007 alone, an average of 31.1% of all congressmen and 23.1% of governors were replaced by relatives. In another study, politicians within the 15th Congress were categorized according to the number of familial ties they had within previous Congresses. Dynasty0 legislators are those with ties to the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th Congress as well as at least one family member elected into a local government unit between the years 2001 and 2010. Dynasty1 legislators are those with familial connections to at least one person belonging to the 12th, 13th, or 14th Congress. Dynasty2 legislators are those who share kinship with at least one person belonging to the 12th, 13th, or 14th dynasty, or at least one relative with an LGU position from the 2001, 2004, or 2007 elections. Lastly, a Dynasty3 legislator are those with at least one relation in the 12th, 13th, or 14th congress or holding a local government position in the elections in between 2001 and 2010.

In a population of 229 legislators in the 15th Congress, 155 of them are categorized as members of the Dynasty3 section. Of those 155, 144 of them also belong to the Dynasty2 category. Of the 144 in the Dynasty2 category, 84 belong in the Dynasty1 category, and of the 84, 10 belong in the Dynasty0 category.

Influence of Political Dynasties
One of the notable influences of political dynasties is a political “Carnegie Effect”, named after Andrew Carnegie. The “Carnegie Effect” is based on Carnegie’s decision to give all his wealth to non-family members, where he argues that his son might have less incentive of working hard if he were to be assured of his father’s wealth. According to an empirical survey done on Italian politicians, dynastic politicians have a significant advantage from the start of their career. They have a statistically higher probability to win elections as compared to non-dynastic politicians. Dynastic politicians also have generally lower educational attainment which is inversely related to their rank in their political dynasties.

Political dynasties also have extra incentive to develop their own jurisdictions. Based on the notion of “Roving Bandits vs. Stationary Bandits”, dynastic politicians are more likely to pursue developments since they expect to be in office for longer. Unlike non-dynastic politicians who have less incentive to develop due to their limited term, political dynasties can gain benefits either directly or indirectly through their relatives. Political dynasties are also responsible for the increase in women’s political participation in politics. Female politicians hailing from political dynasties can easily get into politics due to their connections.