Political dynasties: Rivals, romances, and realignments

Recently, the country temporarily forgot about its problems and became obsessed about a photo of Josh and Bimby Aquino (sons of Kris Aquino) with First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos. Everyone knows the Aquinos and the Marcoses have always been considered bitter rivals, Kris being the daughter of former president Cory Aquino who toppled President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., Liza's father-in-law, from power. President Bongbong Marcos Jr. explained that Kris’ sons visited Liza to thank her for assisting with their travel arrangements and highlighted that Liza is their aunt.

While there is indeed a familial connection, the relationship between Liza Marcos and Kris Aquino is not consanguineal --by blood-- but rather affinal --through marriage. In 1955, Cory’s brother Pedro S. Cojuangco married Rosario Cacho, a sister of Milagros Cacho (mother of the current first lady). In other words, Kris Aquino and Liza Araneta Marcos have common first cousins, but are not cousins themselves.

Filipino families often tend to be in a long and bitter --and often dangerous and violent-- political rivalry one moment, and then become allies and even relatives the next in almost every generation. The Aquinos were actually originally political and economic rivals of the Cojuangcos. However, the marriage of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. and Corazon "Cory" Cojuangco in 1954 united these two powerful families, although some historians have hinted that there continues to be a silent warfare between the two families. We must also remember that while former president and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is now a political ally of Marcos Jr., her father, President Diosdado Macapagal, lost his bid for a second term to President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Also, President Arroyo’s husband, Jose Miguel T. Arroyo, is a fifth cousin of Manuel Araneta, the current first lady’s father. The Aquinos are further connected to the Marcoses due to the marriage of Daniel Romualdez, Imelda R. Marcos’ first cousin, to Paz Aquino Gueco, a cousin of Ninoy’s.

Even the Dutertes have almost equally interesting political “love and hate” connections. President Rodrigo Duterte’s father, Vicente, was appointed mayor of Danao by President Sergio Osmeña. However, the Duranos were not happy with this and a family lore states that Ramon Durano allegedly visited Vicente Duterte one night and threatened him and his family with violence if they did not leave Danao immediately. It is also said that this “courtesy” warning was only extended to Vicente because his first cousin, Beatriz Duterte, was married to Ramon Durano. Years later, when Vicente’s son ran for president, Rodrigo Duterte supported the opponent of Agnes Magpale, a granddaughter of Ramon Durano’s sister. This rivalry continued in Davao City with the Nograles and Duterte families. The Nograleses are related to the Almendrases, whose founder in Davao, Senator Alejandro Almendras, was instrumental to the Duterte’s move and entry to politics in Davao. Interestingly, the Almendrases were not just Duranos by blood but were also related to the Dutertes. Senator Almendras’ parents were Paulo Almendras and Elisea Durano (Ramon’s sister). Paulo was a son of Juan Almendras and Cecilia Gonzales, whose first cousin, Zoila Gonzales, married Facundo Duterte and were Vicente Duterte's parents, making Vicente and Alejandro second cousins once removed. This connects Duterte to former Speaker Prospero Nograles who spent most of his political life fighting (and always losing to) Rodrigo Duterte, until becoming an ally of Duterte in 2016. Nograles's wife Rhodora was a niece of President Duterte through the Gonzales connection, though the Nograleses have now reverted to their decades-long political rivalry with the Dutertes and are rumored to be planning a political coup against them in the 2025 local and senatorial elections.

The song “If” by the group Bread tells us that “a picture paints a thousand words”, and the recent photo of First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos with the grandchildren of her husband’s family’s bitter political rivals truly paints more than a thousand words. Truly, a political shakeup is in the works, no doubt about that.