Multiple reasons to reject all political dynasties

There’s no need to choose between the Dutertes and Marcoses. We should reject both of them, and denounce all political dynasties. All of them are the causes of our poverty, suffering, and misery.

To all my family members, relatives, and friends, I’m declaring that I’m not voting for any Marcos, Duterte, Villar, Binay, Revilla, Estrada, Tulfo or any other candidate who has two or more other trapos, incumbent or aspiring. Reject all dynasties from the Senate to the barangays.

I condemn family dynasties as the most pernicious, despicable, and most destructive cause of corruption. Dynasties deprive competent and truly honest public officials the opportunity to serve. Dynasties destroy good governance, erode the career and merit system in Philippine bureaucracy, cause public biddings to be rigged, judicial systems to be corrupted, and public service to go down the drain.

Good Filipinos, especially the young ones, still less corrupted by this "dog eat dog" social, economic, and political system, should stand up and declare that we are all against dynasties. Not only shall we reject and refuse to vote for them, we should campaign against them, we should talk to our families and communities and convince them dynasties are destroying our nation, devastating our economy, exploiting our people, and subjecting our government to all forms of graft and corruption.

In Cavite, the Remullas, Tolentinos, and Revillas are lording it over as if the province is their vassal. Boying Remulla is the secretary of Justice whose son was arrested, accused, and acquitted of a drug case in the speediest administration of justice that can qualify for a world record. Johnvic is the secretary of DILG who controls the police. The police under Johnvic makes arrests, the prosecutors under Boying investigate and prosecute. It’s conflict of interest.

Bong Revilla hasn’t authored any significant law, just like Lito Lapid, Robinhood Padilla, and Manny Pacquiao. Unlike them, Risa Hontiveros, almost alone, successfully enacted very important laws on human rights, improvement of the justice system and ameliorating the conditions of the jobless, homeless, and hopeless Filipinos.

The wife of Bong continues to run for congresswoman in a city where the Remullas and Revillas dominate. Their son is a congressman representing another district. Another son is running under a partylist. Ram Revilla is running for vice governor unopposed. It seems the Remullas and Revillas have entered into a covenant of mutual accommodation to assure their endless domination of the province.

In Batangas, Vilma Santos is running for governor for the nth time, this time choosing her son with Edu Manzano, Luis, as vice governor. Why are showbiz characters dominating political decisions in this country? Vilma has been elected governor, congresswoman, and mayor repeatedly. What significant contributions can she claim that improved governance there?

Vilma has also the temerity to make her son with Ralph Recto, Christian, run for Congress, notwithstanding that her current husband is the incumbent Finance secretary. This kind of callousness is an insult to democracy and the great men and women of Batangas like the Laurels, Levistes, and other honorable names. Of course, they always say that they are elected by the people.

Do I have to mention Cebu politicians? If I do that, I would be insulting your intelligence. You know the dynasties that are monopolizing political powers, controlling the money of the province, cities, and municipalities, and cornering juicy contracts and appointments to exalted positions.

You know who is always winning in the bidding of public works contracts? You weren’t born yesterday. You know who is running the lives of Cebuanos. If the mayor and vice mayor are both from the same family, if decision making in the local government is being controlled by one person or one family, whose fault is it? The people are always blamed. But they are helpless pawns who are being used, hoodwinked, deceived, and bought during elections.

But do voters have more and better choices? Dynasties have the money, machineries, influence, and connections. The more qualified but have no means are either shying away or are running a hopeless campaign. These elections, not unlike all other elections in the past, shall still be dominated by trapos from political dynasties who shall continue to steal, cheat, deceive, and fool people.

I don’t know about you but as for me and my house, we shall never vote for dynasties. In other things, we may follow the crowd. But in matters of choosing our leaders, we stand like the Rock of Gibraltar.