A Brief Analysis of Philippine Political Dynasties

By Dennis Jay A. Paras

Throughout history, political dynasties have played certain roles in the shaping
and molding of the society. Some of the note-worthy examples of political dynasties in
international politics are the Kennedys, Adams, Harrison, Bush and Roosevelts from the
United States of America, the Duvaliers from Haiti, the Kims from North Korea, the
Castro brothers from Cuba, among others. Some of them are viewed in their localities
as political rock stars and demigods, almost at the point of being viewed as
untouchables, while most of them are loathed and despised by the masses, to the point
where they are criticized by almost everyone at any chance that they can get. In the
Philippine context, there are a handful of political families who are also engaged in the
art and practice of politics. The prime examples of these are the Singsons and
Marcoses from Ilocos, the Binays from Makati City, the Dutertes from Davao, the
Cojuangco-Aquinos from Tarlac, the Roxas family from Visayas, to name a few. These
families played a big part in shaping the political culture of the Philippines from the early
days of the Republic up to the present.

Political dynasty is defined as refer to groups of politicians who come from the
same family. It is deemed to exist where two or more persons who are spouses or are
related within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity run simultaneously for
elective public office within the same province, even if neither is so related to an
incumbent elective official.1 There are two kinds of political dynasties: the Thin Dynasty
and the Fat Dynasty. Fat political dynasties are situations where several members of a
family are in government positions at the same time. Thin political dynasties are those
where a single member of the family may be in a political position and is replaced by
another member of the family.2 Most of the academicians prefer the thin dynasties over
the latter, as they view it as the lesser evil between the two.

Regardless of their classification, they both possess negative qualities and

deliver damaging impacts to the process of to both political maturity and political
culture of the Philippines. Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution provides that
“The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit
political dynasties as may be defined by law3." This means that the fundamental law of
the land frowns upon the existence and the practice of political dynasties in the
Philippines, as it results to the creation an uneven playing field and the cause of the
distortion of the Philippine political landscape.

1
Section 3, Senate Bill 2649 (2011)
2
Cruz, E. (2018) Family Dynasties, The Philippine Star
3
Article II, Section 26, 1987 Philippine Constitution
 There are certain methods which are employed by political dynasties in order for
them to acquire, preserve and prolong their power.

First, political dynasties had thrived over the years through the aid of clientelism.
It is defined as the relationship between the elites who are considered as the clients,
and the masses who are the suppliers. They form a dyadic relationship4 with each
other, with the masses as the suppliers of votes and other favors, which are then
bought by the elites in order to secure their positions in the government. In short, each
of them had something to offer to each other and they need each other to survive. This
is where vote buying and other tactics comes into play.

Second, these political families employ nepotism5 to their own advantage. Most
of them would promise the masses with large amounts of money, shower them with
favors, with the possibility of promising them with positions in the government once
these families are in power. This creates an impression to the body of voters that the
solution to the ails of their localities is to cast their votes in favor of those who made
exceptional and larger-than-life promises to them.

Lastly, political dynasties would often form alliances and mergers with other
influential families in order to secure their positions in both the local and national
government. In fact, after the EDSA Revolution took place, there were almost 80
political families who were on the rise to claim their stake and to put their mark on
Philippine political arena. These families had often formed coalitions with other political
figures and would often align themselves with dominant parties in order to ensure their
victory within their locality.

To end, the power to suppress, prevent and to discourage the formation of

political dynasties rests in the hands of the citizens, as voters. It is time to resist the
ways of the traditional politicians (trapos) and to vote for those who are truly capable of
manning the helm of the local and national government. After all, it is the fate of the
society which will be largely affected by the misconduct of its citizens.

4
Relationship between two social classes, i.e. (between the rich and the poor)
5
It is the unfair use of power in order to get jobs or other benefits for your family or friends.