Political dynasties in the Philippines
Encyclopedia
Politics in the Philippines has been under the control of a few notable families. It is normal for a politician's son, wife, brother, or other kinsman, to run for the same or other government office. The term coined by Filipinos to describe this practice is "Political dynasty", the equivalent of an oligarchy
in political science.
One can trace its roots from the Spanish colonial times where favored families of the mestizo
stock, or the Illustrados were given responsibilities of Gobernadorcillo
, or Alcalde
. As such, these men have wielded some influence in their communities, and patronage politics was a common undertaking.
After the Philippine-American War
, the United States colonial authorities took under their wings these Illustrados to join the democratic process. During this period, family names such as Cojuangco
s, Lopez
es, Marcos
es, Osmeña
s and Aquino
s became household names.
The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines
states in Article II Section 26, "The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law." Though, political dynasties have been a present staple in Philippine political arena.
Many have called for the Congress to pass the Anti-Dynasty Law, but this bill has been passed over by each Congress since 1987. Some have pointed that oligarchy
is the root problem of all the corruption in the Philippine government.
Despite the entry of the Party List System
in the 11th Congress
, the proportion of lawmakers with relatives in elective positions have remained the same in the post-Marcos political scene. The table below illustrates the percentage:
Political scientist Dante Simbulan, in a study of the elites of Philippine politics from 1946 to 1963 lists 169 prominent families. These families have produced 584 public officials, including seven Presidents, two Vice Presidents, 42 Senators, and 147 Representatives. The tables below outlines the demographics of families in politics.
In the 9th Congress of the Philippines
:
In the 11th Congress of the Philippines
In the 12th Congress of the Philippines
In the 14th Congress of the Philippines
(from July 23, 2007 to June 4, 2010), it was surveyed that more than 75% of the lawmakers are members of the old political families.
Oligarchy
Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with an elite class distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, commercial, and/or military legitimacy...
in political science.
One can trace its roots from the Spanish colonial times where favored families of the mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
stock, or the Illustrados were given responsibilities of Gobernadorcillo
Gobernadorcillo
The Gobernadorcillo was a municipal judge or governor in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period, who carried out in a town the combined charge or responsibility of leadership, economic, and judicial administration. The Gobernadorcillo was the leader of a town or pueblo . In a coastal...
, or Alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
. As such, these men have wielded some influence in their communities, and patronage politics was a common undertaking.
After the Philippine-American War
Philippine-American War
The Philippine–American War, also known as the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection , was an armed conflict between a group of Filipino revolutionaries and the United States which arose from the struggle of the First Philippine Republic to gain independence following...
, the United States colonial authorities took under their wings these Illustrados to join the democratic process. During this period, family names such as Cojuangco
Cojuangco
Cojuangco is a Filipino surname of Chinese origin Hsu .People with the surname Cojuangco are listed below in alphabetical order.-B:...
s, Lopez
López
López is a common surname in the Spanish language . It was originally a patronymic, meaning Son of Lope, Lope itself being a Spanish given name deriving from Latin lupus, meaning wolf...
es, Marcos
Marcos
-Sports:* Dayton Marcos, Negro League baseball team from Dayton, Ohio * Nélson Marcos, Portuguese footballer* Marcos Ambrose, Australian racing driver currently competing in NASCAR* Marcos Baghdatis, Cypriot tennis player...
es, Osmeña
Osmeña
Osmeña is a family name of the Philippines. It may refer to:* Sergio Osmeña , President* Sergio Osmeña, Jr. , Senator* John Henry Osmeña , Senator* Emilio Mario Osmeña , Governor of Cebu...
s and Aquino
Aquino
Aquino is a town and comune in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of Italy, 12 km northwest of Cassino.-History:The ancient Aquinum was a municipium in the time of Cicero, and made a colony by the Triumviri...
s became household names.
The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines
Constitution of the Philippines
The Constitution of the Philippines is the supreme law of the Philippines.The Constitution currently in effect was enacted in 1987, during the administration of President Corazon Aquino, and is popularly known as the "1987 Constitution"...
states in Article II Section 26, "The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law." Though, political dynasties have been a present staple in Philippine political arena.
Many have called for the Congress to pass the Anti-Dynasty Law, but this bill has been passed over by each Congress since 1987. Some have pointed that oligarchy
Oligarchy
Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with an elite class distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, commercial, and/or military legitimacy...
is the root problem of all the corruption in the Philippine government.
Despite the entry of the Party List System
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
in the 11th Congress
11th Congress of the Philippines
The Eleventh Congress of the Philippines is the meeting of the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives...
, the proportion of lawmakers with relatives in elective positions have remained the same in the post-Marcos political scene. The table below illustrates the percentage:
| House | Number | Percentage | Percent Without Party List |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8th Congress 8th Congress of the Philippines The Eighth Congress of the Philippines is the meeting of the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives after the ratification of the Constitution of the Philippines in 1987.-Sessions:**First Special Session: July 14... (1987-1992) |
122 | 62% | 62% |
| 9th Congress 9th Congress of the Philippines The Ninth Congress of the Philippines is the current meeting of the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives.-Sessions:... (1992-1995) |
128 | 64% | 64% |
| 11th Congress 11th Congress of the Philippines The Eleventh Congress of the Philippines is the meeting of the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives... (1995-1998) |
136 | 62% | 65% |
| 12th Congress 12th Congress of the Philippines The Twelfth Congress of the Philippines was the national Lower House of the legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Senate of the Philippines and House of Representatives of the Philippines... (1998-2001) |
140 | 61% | 66% |
Political scientist Dante Simbulan, in a study of the elites of Philippine politics from 1946 to 1963 lists 169 prominent families. These families have produced 584 public officials, including seven Presidents, two Vice Presidents, 42 Senators, and 147 Representatives. The tables below outlines the demographics of families in politics.
In the 9th Congress of the Philippines
9th Congress of the Philippines
The Ninth Congress of the Philippines is the current meeting of the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives.-Sessions:...
:
| Representatives' relatives who are in office | No. | % of All Reps. |
|---|---|---|
| Parents | 60 | 30% |
| Children | 18 | 9 |
| Spouses | 16 | 8 |
| Siblings | 43 | 22 |
| Other Relatives | 56 | 28 |
| In-Laws | 30 | 15 |
| Grandparents | 35 | 18 |
In the 11th Congress of the Philippines
11th Congress of the Philippines
The Eleventh Congress of the Philippines is the meeting of the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives...
| Representatives' relatives who are in office | No. | % of All Reps. |
|---|---|---|
| Parents | 66 | 30% |
| Children | 17 | 8 |
| Spouses | 25 | 11 |
| Siblings | 38 | 17 |
| Other Relatives | 64 | 29 |
| In-Laws | 32 | 15 |
| Grandparents | 40 | `8 |
In the 12th Congress of the Philippines
12th Congress of the Philippines
The Twelfth Congress of the Philippines was the national Lower House of the legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Senate of the Philippines and House of Representatives of the Philippines...
| Representatives' relatives who are in office | No. | % of All Reps. |
|---|---|---|
| Parents | 71 | 31 |
| Children | 25 | 11 |
| Spouses | 22 | 10 |
| Siblings | 47 | 21 |
| Other Relatives | 60 | 26 |
| In-Laws | 31 | 14 |
| Grandparents | 41 | 18 |
In the 14th Congress of the Philippines
14th Congress of the Philippines
The Fourteenth Congress of the Philippines was the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives...
(from July 23, 2007 to June 4, 2010), it was surveyed that more than 75% of the lawmakers are members of the old political families.
See also
- List of political families in the Philippines
- List of political families
- Politics of the PhilippinesPolitics of the PhilippinesThe Politics of the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system...
- Corruption in the PhilippinesCorruption in the PhilippinesThe Republic of the Philippines suffers from widespread corruption. Means of corruption include graft, bribery, embezzlement, backdoor deals, nepotism, patronage.- Corruption levels :...