EDITORIAL - No dynasties in the Phl

Nobody wants to see the same old faces, or hear the same names, associated with the same political offices. And that is why the constitution, reflective of the sovereign will of the people, frowns upon the creation and perpetuation of political dynasties.

Unfortunately for the constitution and for the rest of us, the dynasties spoken of in this context are not the dynasties that are actually on the ground in the Philippines, merrily holding sway over most political offices. The dynasties we and the constitution do not want are those of early times, and to a certain extent, even in this day and age involving modern day monarchies. In these dynasties, power is handed down the generations as a matter of right by a particular line of rulers.

Except for the terminologies and some characteristics, these are not the same dynasties that are in place in the Philippines. We are not a monarchy where power is handed as a matter of right down the same line of a family.

We may see the same old faces and hear the same names lording it over the same political offices. But the one crucial element that does not make the Philippine situation quite the same as the dynasties as we misapply the concept to ourselves is that we have elections here.

Here, the same old face and the same old names do not assume office automatically as if by matter of right. Power is not handed down here. Aspirants for power have to run for and need to be voted into office.

Elections spell the difference between the dynasties we “think” we have and the dynasties that do not really exist. For as long as elections are held and the final say on whom to send to office still resides with the voter, any dynasty argument will always fall flat on its face.

True, holders of power can use a variety of means to influence the decision of a voter.

But then again take note that we can only use the term influence. The moment influence transforms into the word force, it become a crime. And that is not what a dynasty is about either.

For a dynasty to be qualified, it is not enough to have the same faces and the same names in positions of power. There has to be a defined rule of succession accepted by everybody. But if such positions are up for election, what dynasties are we talking about?