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'FR0M FAT T0 0BESE: POt ITICAT DYNASTI ES EXPAN

nola and Jurel Yap in their recent study
By Joyce Pangco Paffares entitled -From Fat 10 Obese: Political Dy-
ALMOST a third of all local elected po- nasties after the 2019 Midterm Elections "
sitions in the 2019 midterm polls were "Clearlv. Dolitical clans have found
won bv candidates bclonging to "fat dy- u nu"u u-und term limits. by fielding
more familv members in power-giving
nastiei" made up ofseveral family mem-
bers holding electi"e positions simulta- rise to moie fat political dynasties The
of recentlv concludid 2019 midterm elec-
neously. a siudy by the Ateneo School power of
Gov€mment showed. tions d;monstrate the slaying
DesDite a uovision in lhe 1987 Consti- dvnastic incumbents.. For these dynas-
'prohibit
ing political dynasties' and ties- their extended-and for their clans'
tution
in the absence oi an anti-d)'nasty law' fat expanded,stay in olTice affords them
oolitjcal dvnasties hare "expanded dra- more control over the domestic econo-
inaticallv"-orer more than three decades mv. which in tum fuels their continued
now. said AsoG Dean Ronald Mendoza eioansion and staying power"' the study
ard research associates Leonardo Jami- .^i t. Next Page

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Over the past l0 elections, the percent-
age offat dynasties has increased from 19
percent ofall local elected officials in 1988
to 29 percent this year, growing at about I
percent or 170 positions per election.
A majority of 80 percent or four in five
governors and 6790 percent of vice-gov-
emors elected in this year's polls belong
to fat political dynasties. At the House of percenr), ocos Norte (3730 percent),
Representatives, 67 percent ofthe elected Batangas
lawmakers are also members of political percenD, Eastern Samar (35.92 percenD,
clans.
"Governors are more likely to have rela-
tives occupying elected positions during
the same period compared io other elected
o{ficials. This makes sense as tlre gover-
norship is the top post at the local level,
and running a provincial-wide campaign
necessitates large resources and extensive
connections-advattages that often only
fat dynasties tend to dominate," the study
' said.
At least 53 percent of mayors and 39
percent of vice mayors who won in the
2019 polls also belong to fat political dy-
nasties.
Fat dynasti€s, poor provinces
The ls-page study said political dynas-
ties are linked to greater poverty, especial-
ly outside Luzon.
"Empirical evidence suggests that dy-
nasties have an adverse effect on govem-
ance, and hence also development. It hints
that the less developed economic, social,
and political instjtutions in provinces
away from the capital allow dlnasties to
retain political power without promoting
desirable development outcomes."
The top 20 provinces ranked according
to fat dynasty share werc: Maguindanao
(50.54 percent of'local posts), Pampanga
(49.18 percent), Bulacan (45.28 percent),
Davao Occidental (40.98 percent), Isab-
ela (40.96 percent), Sulu (40.20 percent),
Lanao del Sur (39.84 percent), Nueva
Eclja Q9.60 percent), Pangasinan (39.17
Q6.49 percent), Siquijor (36.23
Cavite (35.74 percent), Catanduanes (35.54
percent), Basilan (35.17 percent), La Union
(34.86 percent), N€gos Oddntal (34.55
percent), Cebu (34.33 percent) and Abra
(33.10 percent). r own family has held political power in
Manila Standard compared ttre list
to the latest poverty incidence data ofthe
Philippine Statistics Autho ty released in
April.
The two data sets showed that ofthe 20
provinces with the most number ofelected
local officials belonging to fat political
dynasties, eight belong to the 20 poor-
est provinces, namely Lanao Del Sur (lst
poorest), Basilan (2nd), Sulu (5th), Magu-
indanao (7th), Easrem Samar (8th), Abra
(l3th), Davao Occidental (16th) and Ne-
gros Orienal (19th.1.
Reform options
According to the study. the imposition
ofterm limits has not altered the dynastic
nature ofpolitics in the country.
\Vtadr FAqs,/
"In fact, term limits may have, to some
extent, aggravated the proliferation ofdy-
nasties by providing incentives for incum-
bents to use their relatives as a 'survival
strategy' when their term comes to an
end," the study showed.
"However, it was the absence of ancil-
lary reforms-like the dynasty regulation
and political party rcforms-that opened
the floodgates for dpastjes to dominate.
Imposing term limits was never conceptu-
alized as a stand-alone reform."
To increase electoral competition and
enhance checks and balances, the re-
searchers suggested that government must
regulate political dynasties, strengthen
political parties, and introduce electoral
reforms.
'The Problem Lies With The People'
For President Roddgo Duterte, whose
Davao City for over 20 years now, political
dynasties continue to exist because voters
keep on choosing the same politicians.
Duterte. who won the presidency in
2016, was succeedid by his daughter,
Sara, as mayor ofDavao City.
'iI am really embarrassed because peo-
ple keep on repeating that phrase about
dynasty. It is true - it is bad if only one
family rules for so rnany years. But the
problem lies with the people," the hesi-
dent said in a speech in June.
In March last year, during last )aaft
grand assembly ofthe Leqgue of Mgnici-
paiities ofthe Philippines attencled by mu-
nicipal mayon, the chiefexecutive said he
supports the anti-political dl.nasty bill, but
l<-)
he has yet to certi$/ this as urgent.
"I am for it. The problem is-will it
pass? In our country, after you finish your
term, they wtiuld ask for your son to run,
or your wife."
Anti-dynasty bill is unfair
For Senate President Vicente Sotio 1II,
passing an anti.d),nasty bill is unfair and
discriminatory.
'i{n antijolitical dynasty bill is unfair
to legitimate family members. A wife or
anyone in tie second degree of consan-
guinity.may not run for public o{fice, but
mistresses and their relatives ma/" he
said in an interview last year.
Senator Ra$h Recto, whose wife Vilma
is the reprcsentativ€ ofthe lone district of
Lipa in Batangas, acknowledged that it
willbe difficult to stop political dynasties.
Senator Cynthia Villar, for her part,
said that her frmily is a "good dynasty"
but vowed to abide by the law in an anti-
dynasty measure is passed.
'We always follow the law and we ad-
just to the law. Nothing pe$onal," she said.
House Speaker Alan Cayetano, who
ran and won as congressman ofthe first
distdct of Taguig while his wife secured
the position ofrepresentative ofthe second
district, said he would rather have a politi-
cal dynasty that berves the people.
'We'd rather be called a dynasry but
one that delivers good public servicc..
As long as the people were able io freely
make the choice themselves, that means
that they were not forced. There were no
guns, goons, and gold. It's a democracy,"
Cayetano said.