The political dynasties in Mindanao

The current move to pass an anti-dynasty law is bound to fail if the current membership of Congress remains in the hands of family dynasties themselves. The creators of the problem cannot be expected to be the formulators of the solution. All these noises and hullabaloos are mere charades. Char char lang, kumbaga.

Assuming that we can agree on the definition of dynasties as contemplated in the Philippine Constitution, and if we are honest enough to call a spade a spade, then we can call families that control the politics in a locality by repeatedly running and winning in elections for multiple positions often simultaneously or successively just that. Let us name them as commonly known and recognized.

Let us start with the Ampatuans in the Maguindanao provinces. Andal was elected governor in 2001. His sons Andal Jr. and Zaldy were elected mayors of Datu Unsay. The Ampatuans made GMA win in their turf, leading Arroyo to shower them with huge support and assistance. Eighty members of their clan ran in the 2013 ARRM elections. With their downfall due to that infamous Maguindanao massacre, the Ampatuans were replaced by the Mangudadatu clan.

In Lanao del Norte Khalid Dimaporo, grandson of the old kingpin Ali Dimaporo, is now governor of Lanao del Norte again, back to this post which he held from 2007 to 2016. His mother, Imelda, was governor from 1998 to 2001 and then again from 2016 to 2025. Now Imelda has taken over the post of Khalid as member of Congress. This is a perfect example of rigodon de honor.

His sister, Amirah, is the representative of the second district. Khalid's father, Abdullah, was governor from 1992 to 1998 and a member of Congress from 1987 to 1992, from 2001 to 2010, and from 2013 to 2022. He was in the Interim Batasan from 1984 to 1986. His father, Ali, was member of the House from 1949 to 1953, 1957, 1966 to 1977, and from 1987 to 1995.

In Zamboanga del Norte, outgoing Dipolog Mayor Darrel Uy is governor and his brother, Roberto Uy Jr. is first district representative. Their father Roberto Sr. was governor from 2013 to 2022 after he was Dipolog mayor from 1998 to 2007. Their mother Evelyn was mayor from 2007 to 2016, and then Evelyn's and Roberto Sr.'s son Darrel became mayor from 2016 to 2025.

Surigao del Sur is controlled by Johnny Pimentel who has been congressman for the longest time. His son, Alexander, is Tandag City mayor, succeeding his wife Roxanne after her multiple terms as mayor. Agusan del Sur and Sultan Kudarat have officials coming from the same Plaza and Borja families. North Cotabato, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay are all under a mother and child team as governor and representative. This is getting to be a normal habit and pattern.

In Surigao del Norte, the governor is Robert Lyndon Barbers while the representative of the second district is his sister-in-law, Bernadette Barbers, wife of outgoing representative Ace Barbers who was term limited. In Davao de Oro, the governor is the husband and the representative is the wife. The same pattern in Bukidnon, the husband is the governor, the wife is the member of the House. In Sultan Kudarat, the son is vice governor and the mom is the member of the House.

In Davao Oriental and Misamis Oriental it is a father and son combination of governor and representative. There are 11 provinces in Mindanao where the governors and the representatives belong to the same family, namely: Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, North Cotabato, Surigao del Sur, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay.

My God, the provinces in Mindanao are looking like family corporations where fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters are exchanging chairs like a game of trip to Jerusalem or hajj to Mecca one after the other. I am not optimistic with the efforts of Lanao del Sur congressman Zia Adiong and his committee to reform our electoral system. The Adiongs are now one of the dynasties in Lanao del Sur.

How can the creator of the problem become the source of the solution?