Ben Madilynn
THE political dynasty phenomenon in the Philippines continues as influential clans seek electoral positions for the 2025 midterm elections.
One of the most notable figures in the spotlight during the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) is renowned actress Vilma Santos, who is running for governor of Batangas.
Santos filed her COC on Thursday, October 3, together with her sons TV host Luis Manzano and Ryan Recto, who are running for vice governor and representative of Batangas’ Sixth District, respectively.
Santos is the wife of Finance Secretary Ralph Recto.
Ben and Erwin Tulfo, brothers of Senator Raffy Tulfo, also filed their COCs for senator.
Senator Pia Cayetano, sister of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, is also seeking reelection.
Senator Alan Peter is the husband of Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, who is also seeking reelection.
Also seeking to secure a Senate seat is Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar, sister of Senator Mark Villar.
Camille will be exchanging positions with her mother Senator Cynthia Villar, who filed her COC as the representative of the lone district of Las Piñas.
If these candidates for senator are all able to secure their respective seats, there will be four sibling groups in the Senate — the Cayetanos, Tulfos, Villars, and Senators JV Ejercito and Jinggoy Estrada.
Last-termer Senator Nancy Binay filed her COC for mayor of Makati City, while her sister Makati City Mayor Abby Binay is running for senator under the Marcos administration’s slate.
Nancy will be running against Abby’s husband Luis Campos.
Senator Win Gatchalian’s brother, Kenneth, also filed his COC as first district representative of Valenzuela, while Valenzuela Mayor Wes Gatchalian is also seeking reelection.
Win, Kenneth and Wes are brothers of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte said he will also be running for mayor of Davao City with his son Sebastian “Baste” Duterte as his vice mayor.
Duterte’s eldest daughter, Sara, is currently the Philippine’s Vice President.
Sara earlier said his brothers Sebastian and Davao City Representatives Paolo Duterte will run for seats in the Senate.
In Cavite, Governor Jonvic Remulla, brother of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, will be seeking reelection.
The justice chief’s daughter Jacinta also filed her COC for vice mayor of Naic, Cavite.
Former congressman and mayor of Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Chavit Singson also filed his COC for senator.
Singson’s niece, Deputy Speaker Kristine Singson-Meehan, is seeking reelection as the representative of the Second District of Ilocos Sur.
In July, Senator Robin Padilla, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, filed Senate Bill (SB) 2730 seeking to end political dynasties as mandated under the 1987 Constitution in a bid to level the playing field in politics and governance.
Padilla said that based on a Harvard Academy research study in 2011, political dynasties stem from the tendency of elites to “persist and reproduce their power over time, undermining the effectiveness of institutional reforms in the process.”
He said from 1988 to 2019, governors with at least one relative in office increased by almost 39 percentage points, from 41 percent in 1988 to 80 percent in 2019.
The dynasty’s proportion of vice governors rose from 18 percent in 1988 to 68 percent in 2019, while the percentage of mayors in the dynasty increased gradually from 26 percent in 1988 to 53 percent in 2019.
“Political dynasties, in effect, have exhausted resources to attain economic and political dominance while at the same time compromising political competition and undermining accountability,” Padilla said.
Under Padilla’s SB 2730, no spouse or person related within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity, whether legitimate or illegitimate, full or half blood, to an incumbent elective official seeking re-election, “shall be allowed to hold or run for any elective office in the same city and/or province, or any party list in the same election.”
If the constituency of the incumbent elective official is national in character, such relatives shall be disqualified from running only within the same province where the former is domiciled or in any, including the same, national position, the bill stated.
“(N)o person who has a political dynasty relationship to the incumbent shall immediately succeed to the position of the latter,” it added.
The measure will also require the Commission on Elections to secure a sworn statement from any person running for any elective public office that he or she does not have a political dynasty relationship with any incumbent public official running for an elective public office in the same city and/or province other than the position earlier mentioned.
A petition to disqualify a candidate on grounds of political dynasty may be filed before the Comelec.
It will also authorize the Comelec to deny due course to any certificate of candidacy filed in violation of the anti-political dynasty act.
While the votes for a respondent shall be counted if the Comelec cannot decide on the petition before the completion of the canvass, the candidate’s proclamation shall be suspended if the basis for disqualification is strong.
If the disqualified candidate has been proclaimed, the candidate shall ipso facto forfeit the right to assume the office. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
