Dismantling dynasties

A great majority of Filipinos are surely cheering and earnestly hoping that the CBCP succeeds in its announced campaign against political dynasties. This is the first time the Church has taken an official stand on this nagging problem besetting our politics. And it is a welcome move. Under the present political situation the Bishops’ call may be just what is needed. At least the "miraculous" element in the campaign has been introduced. For it will indeed take a "miracle" wrought by deep faith and fervent prayers to dismantle this well entrenched Filipino custom long recognized as the single biggest obstacle to democratizing political power.

Ever since we enjoyed the democratic process of choosing our public officials, it seems that the door to public service, which is really the same door to political power, has been opened much wider to those who belong to the same family of politicians with vast wealth and huge economic fortunes. Apparently these clans have a wider door and an easier access to public office precisely because they are the only ones who have enough logistics to defray the prohibitive cost of conducting a successful election campaign. And so it is on such kind of political landscape that the seeds of political dynasties were sown until they had become strong and durable trees so difficult to uproot.

Our good bishops apparently realize that political dynasties are more harmful than useful to our country. While there may be some exceptions where government officials who have ascended to power mainly by accident of birth have indeed served their country well, the overall and underlying effects of political dynasties are still more detrimental to the cause of good governance. First of all they deprive other bright, young, competent and dedicated but poor candidates a wider opportunity to occupy important public elective positions. Secondly, with political dynasties in place there is always the danger and the natural tendency to preserve and protect the political clans’ vast fortune and economic interests at the expense of the common good. Moreover, based on past experiences it has been clearly shown that political dynasties have been the greatest hindrance to honest, peaceful and orderly elections for, in order to monopolize and perpetuate itself in power, the ruling political families usually resort to fraud and violence.

To be sure, right after the people power revolution, the framers of the 1987 Constitution already saw the pernicious effects of these political dynasties and the need to uproot them. Thus one of the basic changes introduced by the Constitutional Commissioners was Section 26, Article II, mandating that the "State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law". But if we look at the roster of our elected public servants and the current aspirants for public office it is obvious that this constitutional mandate is only good on paper. It cannot be carried out in the absence of an enabling legislation. Even the meaning of "political dynasties" has not been defined leaving it up to Congress to do so. Perhaps in their idealism, our Constitutional Commissioners forgot or overlooked the very glaring reality that Congress itself is the main breeding ground of political dynasties. Hence, up to now, twenty years after the adoption of our charter, no law has been passed defining political dynasties and prohibiting them.

The absence of a law should not however serve as a deterrent to eventually widen and provide equal access to opportunities for public service. After all, choosing candidates is still the right and prerogative of the citizens. Educating our voters on how to make the right choices should be the first step in this campaign. While there is no exact definition of "political dynasties", such definition can easily be gleaned from the intent of the framers. Obviously the constitutional prohibition contemplates the breaking up of the series or line of succession to the same office. While elected public officials cannot indeed serve for more than three consecutive terms, they still have found a way of maintaining a stranglehold on their positions by fielding their wives, husbands, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, cousins, nephews or nieces as candidates for the positions they would vacate upon the end of their term limits. So the prohibition applies to immediate members of the incumbent officials’ family aspiring for the same position that said official would vacate upon reaching the term limit. Campaigning against these candidates is the only way to break this line of succession to the same office. While they may possess the qualifications for the position, other qualified candidates who do not belong to the same family should be given the opportunity to hold the same office. This is the spirit of the constitutional prohibition against political dynasties.

The odds against the immediate success of the campaign look formidable. But like all miracles, it requires lots of prayer, deep faith and hard work. The experience in the Province of Isabela can serve as an inspiration.

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