The Undeniable Impact of Political Dynasties in Governance

Introduction

It is evident that political dynasty existed and is still existing here in the Philippines, starting from national government to local government. In the last half century, the seven president of the Philippines came only to 5 families. This is political dynasty essay in which its impact will be discussed. According to the study of Dean Ronald Mendoza et al. of the Ateneo de Manila University School of Government, Philippine is more prone to political dynasties than any other countries –with 75% of lawmakers belonging to dynasties as of 2013. Of greatest concern is whether barangay official who has a relative member in the same field can implement policies without a taint of their personal interest or they implement policies with a hidden agenda. The researchers are writing this review to spread the information to the public about political dynasty. Some Filipino still don’t know what political dynasty is or if it happen that they do know it they tend to ignore it and it also reach our knowledge that most of the people who don’t know what political dynasty is, belong to the lowest class of the society or people who are experiencing poverty. It is alarming to know the latter information. In the last

The primary purpose of this review is to ascertain the capabilities of the barangay officials in ruling the barangay or rather its covered area, even if they have a relative who is also a government official. And also, to spread awareness about the said topic, it is alarming enough that not many of us, Filipinos know what political dynasty is, so the researcher hope that Filipinos citizen would not disregard this review. This study also aim to help the voters to elect a responsible officials, regardless if the officials are relative or not, as long as they satisfy the needs of their people.

Political dynasty

Political dynasty generally refers to the traditional political families or the practices by these political families of monopolizing political power and public offices from generation to generation almost as their personal property.

Influence and Power of Political Dynasties

The political dynasty undoubtedly plays an influential role in Philippine society. Families of political dynasties are sitting side by side to deliberate on important legislations that will affect the future of more than 80 million Filipinos both young and old for generations to come. It has been often contended that political dynasties go against the values upheld by democracy since it does not provide an equal opportunity for people to hold offices of power and service. With the set-up of the political dynasty, it seems as if positions of power are exclusively dominated by a particular clan or family. Arguably, the political dynasty is said to monopolize the system of governance since it limits the chances of other common Filipinos to serve the people. It creates a brain drain in the sense that the new and capable leader who could possibly perform better than those currently in office, would not be given an opportunity when running against someone with a name.

Negative Sides to Political Dynasties

“The very excess of the violence employed is one of the elements of glory: the fact that the guilty man should moan and cry out under the blows is not a shameful side – effect, it is the very ceremonial of justice being expressed in all its force. Hence no doubt those tortures that take place even after death: corpses burnt, ashes thrown to the winds, bodies dragged on hurdles and exhibited at the roadside. Justice pursues the body beyond all possible pain”.

Anomalies in Political Dynasty

I had an insightful discussion the other day in my DZMM teleradyo program Sagot Ko ‘Yan (8 to 9 am, Sundays) with Ateneo School of Government Dean Ronald Mendoza, one of the foremost experts on political dynasties.

Amid the general belief that governance by members of a political family holding local political power in simultaneous, successive, or overlapping terms is synonymous with massive poverty and underdevelopment, Mendoza believes that there are times, although very rare, when some areas actually progress under political dynasties.

He said progress comes when power – both political and economic – are not absolutely monopolized by family members related by consanguinity or affinity, when other stakeholders are able to significantly contribute to development efforts in the locality, and when the presence of civil society is strong and able to expose anomalies.

Mendoza cited the case of Cebu that has remained progressive under the Osmeña clan which has produced not only local leaders but also political bigwigs in the national level, including the third President of the Philippines, Sergio Osmeña Sr., who led the country from 1944 to 1946.

I tend to agree with Mendoza’s observation regarding the Osmeñas. It is indeed admirable that they did not have the tendency to monopolize political power. When the term of Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña was up, he resisted the temptation of fielding his wife or a close relative to succeed him, unlike the usual practice of many politicians who make a mockery of the intent of the anti-dynasty provision in the 1987 Constitution

And even when a political family’s grip on power is almost absolute in a certain locality, Mendoza said progress could still be achieved if there is “participatory governance” with other members of such family, especially the young ones, who are able to come up with brilliant ideas that are acted upon to bring about development.

As the 2019 election looms on the horizon, political dynasties are again in focus. Many people are exasperated that political families have become more brazen in fielding more candidates. The brazenness is fueled by what has been obvious all these years: political families have huge chances to be in power because, besides the usual three Gs or the so-called “guns, goons and gold” that play a big role in electing public officials, the other factor—bloodline—provides the strongest grip in our electoral system.

Indeed, the classic description of our political system as “anarchy of families” still holds true, almost three decades after the phrase was coined by US professor Alfred McCoy who had written about Philippine political history.

The seeming obsession of many political dynasties to remain in power, plus the lure to be in power after an individual has tasted and liked the experience, has even made it inevitable for members of the same family to challenge one another for the same elective positions.

The issue of political dynasties is merely the tip of the disastrous iceberg jutting out anew into the national consciousness every election time. And the iceberg bears the full extent of our electoral dysfunction: patronage politics, corruption, election-related violence, alliances of unprincipled opportunists, vote-buying, fraud, and a host of other ills afflicting on it.

Influence of Political Parties in Developing Policies

In fact, parties primarily service the needs of political personalities, who have gained influence usually due to their family links. During periods of national campaigns, the larger political parties sometimes gain strength due to their association with powerful personalities who can give patronage in exchange for votes and support. Party influence tends to recede dramatically, however, after the election takes place, when the money dries up and attention totally focuses on the personality in power.

Conclusion

The research in political economy emphasize the tendency of elites to persist and reproduce their power overtime, potentially undermining the effectiveness of the institutional reforms. One particular form of elite persistence is illustrated by the existence of political dynasties.