MikeLigalig.com

By Amando Doronila
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:44 am | Monday, April 1st, 2013


In six weeks, we will know if Filipino voters will repudiate the election of members of political dynasties to senatorial and congressional offices and more than 17,000 provincial and municipal posts all over the country.

In a pastoral letter issued on Jan. 29, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Philippines (CBCP) for the first time in its long history of interventions in Philippine politics denounced political dynasties—those powerful and influential families that have ruled the country since the inception of democracy in 1935 under the Commonwealth government.

The Catholic hierarchy lambasted the spread of political dynasties as one of a  “long litany of storms” that visited the country in recent memory.
The pastoral letter came two weeks before the official start of the campaign for the May 13 midterm elections, highlighting political dynasties as a central issue in the balloting, even more important than the reproductive health law  being pushed by President Aquino that has divided deeply the Church and the Philippine state.

The statement was overarching and spared no partisan political group, and with it, the Church put its influence over its lay constituency on the line in this predominantly Roman Catholic country.

According to an Inquirer report, a tally by the nongovernment Center for People Empowerment in Governance put at 178 the number of “dominant political dynasties” in the Philippines.

Of the total, 100 dynasties—or 56 percent—are “old elites,” with the rest being the so-called “new elites” which emerged out of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution that toppled the Marcos dictatorship.

These data alone indicate the tenacity and deep-seated roots of the dynastic tradition in Philippine politics.

Of the 80 provinces, 94 percent have political dynasties, the center reported.

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Constitutional prescription

While it did not identify which candidates should be elected, the pastoral letter was clearly telling the people that the dynasties were wrong and “will not help our country.” The bishops called on their constituency to make a conscience vote.

In issuing the pastoral letter, it was clear that the bishops were aware that the odds were stacked against them. President Aquino has refused to certify as urgent the passage of the antidynasty bills that have been pending in Congress for the past 25 years.

One of the pending bills is House Bill No. 3413 introduced by Representatives Teddy A. Casiño, Neri Javier Colmenares, Rafael Mariano, Luzviminda Ilagan, Antonio Tinio, Emerenciana de Jesus and Raymond Palatino.

It says “the extended family… has found its pernicious effects in the public arena which has become the exclusive domain of influential families and clans. Such families have become so well-entrenched in Philippine politics they have monopolized political power and public resources at all levels of government.”

The bill cites Article II, Section 26 of the Constitution which states, “The state shall guarantee equal access to public service and prohibits political dynasties as may be defined by law.”

As a means to give force and effect to the social justice provisions of the Constitution, which provides for the diffusion of economic and political influence, the bill says “it is necessary  that the political arena  be leveled by opening public office to persons who are equally qualified to aspire on even terms with those from politically dominant families.”

In response to the CBCP statement, Malacañang blurred the issue by saying a distinction should be made between “good” and “bad” political dynasties.

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NO to political dynasties!

Hmm, naa bay dynasties sa Bohol? And/or dynasties-in-the-making?



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