Political Dynasty
Political dynasties are here to stay whether you like it or not, unless, of course, if YOU make a choice. Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution prohibits the existence of political dynasties but because majority of the lawmakers are either scions or kingpins of a political clan, no one has the guts to step up and perform a rare case of political suicide. Now, we are just left with two choices: stand up for democracy and let corrupt political dynasties wither on their own or be lost forever in a bandwagon mentality that will only lead to an utter sociopolitical decadence.
How did all these political dynasties in the Philippines developed its almost undefeated “political juggernaut” status today? Back in 2004, a study made by Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) traced the emergence of dynasties in the Philippines to the introduction by the Americans of electoral politics in the early 20th century, when voting was initially limited to property owners and the wealthy, who monopolized public office. Since then, the ubiquity of these political dynasties was made even more concrete by the influential factors of money, machine, movies/media, alliances and other dirty tactics to stay in the ecstatic world of political power. The influence of political dynasties has slowly changed its image and eventually changed the shape and culture of the House of Representatives and even the Senate, where creating political dynasties of considerable quantity has become more of a business strategy than of a public service. A certain study, being prepared by the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center (AIMPC), said seven out of every 15 legislators are members of families that are considered political dynasties. Just to make a brief breakdown, 115 legislators (68 percent of Congress) belong to the Dynasty 3 category or those with relatives who were legislators since the 12th Congress until the 15th Congress or local officials elected in 2001
How did all these political dynasties in the Philippines developed its almost undefeated “political juggernaut” status today? Back in 2004, a study made by Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) traced the emergence of dynasties in the Philippines to the introduction by the Americans of electoral politics in the early 20th century, when voting was initially limited to property owners and the wealthy, who monopolized public office. Since then, the ubiquity of these political dynasties was made even more concrete by the influential factors of money, machine, movies/media, alliances and other dirty tactics to stay in the ecstatic world of political power. The influence of political dynasties has slowly changed its image and eventually changed the shape and culture of the House of Representatives and even the Senate, where creating political dynasties of considerable quantity has become more of a business strategy than of a public service. A certain study, being prepared by the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center (AIMPC), said seven out of every 15 legislators are members of families that are considered political dynasties. Just to make a brief breakdown, 115 legislators (68 percent of Congress) belong to the Dynasty 3 category or those with relatives who were legislators since the 12th Congress until the 15th Congress or local officials elected in 2001