JOUR 106 BAJ 3-3 The Marcoses felt a sense of déjà vu as they entered the

Malacañan Palace. It was their residence for 20 years, when

The Philippines is noted for being a dynastic democratic
their father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., ruled the country from
country. Powerful clans have long played a major role in its
1965 to 1986.
politics for centuries. Political dynasty is not a new
phenomenon in the Philippines. It originated with Spanish The regime of Marcos Sr. was notorious for its corruption,
colonisation in the sixteenth century and has continued cronyism, violations of human rights, and media censorship.
right up until the present day. In 1972, he proclaimed martial law, suspending
constitutional rights and enabling him to maintain a firm
The situation, however, expanded dramatically in recent
grip on power.
years, with the rise of "fat dynasties," in which numerous
relatives of a politician simultaneously hold public office. Despite the dismal history, Marcos' supporters assert that it
was a period of progress in the Philippines. Bongbong's
PrincialÍa: The Birth of Indigenous Elites
campaign capitalised on this sentiment, which helped him
Prior to colonisation, the archipelago was divided into win the presidency and restore the Marcos family's political
thousands of "barangays" (settlements), each one ruled by supremacy in the Philippines, extending beyond their
a "datu" (chief). district in Ilocos Norte.

Eventually, the Spaniards instituted the "reducción" The Marcoses currently occupy positions in both the
(reduction) system, which centralised authority and national and local governments.
destroyed the datus-led barangays.
Their relatives, the Romualdezes, are primarily engaged in
In exchange for giving up their barangays, the datus were local politics, particularly in the province of Leyte and
granted positions as "gobernadorcillio" (little governor) and Tacloban City - the domain of former First Lady Imelda
"cabeza de barangay" (barangay head) in the local Romualdez Marcos.
government.
2016 – 2022: The Duterte family
In addition, they were bestowed "principalÍa" (principality)
The Duterte family is infamous for their controversial
status as members of the indigenous nobility with
leadership style and strong-arm tactics. Rodrigo Roa
significant estates.
Duterte, the family patriarch, served as mayor of Davao City
According to Spanish historian and author, Juan Antonio for more than two decades before becoming president of
Inarejos, the datus turned principalÍa were in charge of the Philippines in 2016.
collecting taxes and enforcing labour. Many exploited their
The drug war waged by Duterte during his presidency has
positions and engaged in extortion. They also sold and
been criticised for its brutality and disregard for due
donated public lands to the friars, enriching themselves
process. Still, Duterte remains a popular figure in the
while earning political and religious favours.
Philippines, with his supporters applauding his radical
Alas, the principalÍa status, as well as the government approach to government.
positions held, were hereditary.
Members of the Duterte family are also active in politics.
If the Spaniards inadvertently produced political dynasties Duterte's daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, is the current vice
in the country, the Americans codified them. president of the Philippines and was Bongbong Marcos Jr.'s
running mate during the 2022 election.
During the American occupation of the Philippines in the
early twentieth century, suffrage rights and government Durterte’s sons, Sebastian and Paulo, both secured local
positions were restricted to Americans and members of positions.
the principalÍa. This widened the gap between the rich
Sebastian is the current mayor of Davao City, while his
and poor Filipinos, allowing political nepotism to flourish.
brother, Paolo is the representative for Davao's first
The Last Four Presidents congressional district.

Since 2001, Filipinos have elected four presidents who were Duterte may not have inherited the position of chief
all descendants of political dynasties. These families shaped executive from his parents. But he certainly benefited from
the Philippines’ political scene in the twenty-first century. his father's influence in local politics, which eventually led
him to the presidency.
2022 – present: The Marcos family
His father, Vicente Duterte, was the former governor of
In May 2022, Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. assumed the Davao and a member of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s cabinet
presidency of the Philippines, marking the return of the secretaries.
Marcos family to power.
If his father was pro-Marcos, Duterte's mother, Soledad
Duterte, was a leader of Davao's anti-Marcos movement.
She was also implicated in multiple high-level malversation
Rodrigo Duterte's political posture changed over the years, scandals, including the NBN-ZTE deal.
from supporting the Aquinos to the Marcoses, presumably
GMA's political career persisted after her presidency. She is
due to the fact that his parents held opposing political
still an active member of Congress, having served as House
views.
Speaker under Duterte's leadership in 2018, and is now the
2010 – 2016: The Aquino family Senior Deputy Speaker under Bongbong Marcos Jr.'s
administration.
Benigno Simeon 'Noynoy' Aquino III, a former senator and
congressman, was the 15th president of the Philippines. He Her two sons, Dato and Mikey Arroyo, are also involved in
entered politics thanks to his parents' legacy. politics.

His father, Benigno Aquino Jr., was a prominent opposition Another prominent political dynasty in the Philippines is the
leader during Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s dictatorship, and his Villar family, led by former Senate President Manuel Villar
assassination in 1983 contributed to the People Power Jr. He lost the presidential bid to Noynoy Aquino III in 2010,
Revolution that brought down the Marcos regime. but his family remained a political power in the Philippines.

In 1986, following the demise of Noynoy's father, his Cynthia Villar, his wife, and Mark Villar, his son, are both
mother, Corazon Aquino, became the first female president senators. Las Piñas Congresswoman Camille Villar, his
of the Philippines. Through the 1987 revision of the daughter, has been the House Deputy Speaker since 2020.
Philippine Constitution, her presidency was marked by
Because of their close alliances with the Marcoses,
efforts to restore democracy and advance social justice.
Dutertes, and Macapagal-Arroyos, the Villar family has
Noynoy Aquino III was elected as president in 2010. His enormous political influence in the Philippines. They are
administration pursued an aggressive anti-corruption also recognised as one of the country's top oligarchs, owing
agenda, and he led the Philippines to a historic victory in to their multibillion-dollar real estate empire.
the South China Sea Arbitration against China.
The Villar family: (L-R) former Senate President Manuel
As a member of the political elite, he was nevertheless Villar Jr., Sen. Cynthia Villar, Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar,
criticised for being too sluggish to respond to crises and for Sen. Mark Villar, and Manuel Paolo Villar III. Photo:
perpetuating the same political system he professed to Philippine Star
oppose.
Fatter Dynasties, Poorer Communities
Noynoy Aquino III passed away in June 2021. This marked
Based on the study conducted by Ateneo School of
the end of a political era for the Aquino family.
Government, from 1988 to 2019, the percentage of fat
However, their influence inspires a new generation of dynasties in Philippine politics increased from 19% to 29%,
activists in the Philippines. with approximately 170 positions added per election year.

2001 – 2010: The Macapagal-Arroyo family Term limitations were implemented as an institutional
change in the 1987 constitution to prevent dynastic
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) was the second female
dominance after Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s 15-year tyranny.
president of the Philippines, ruling the country for nine
years from 2001 to 2010. Nonetheless, powerful families were able to circumvent
restrictions and place more relatives in office, giving them
She entered politics in the late 1980s and was elected vice
an unfair advantage in politics.
president under former president Joseph Estrada in 1998.
When Estrada was impeached in 2001, GMA succeeded the Senator Alan Peter Cayetano of Taguig City's political family
presidency, and got reelected in 2004. argued that term limitation is why fat dynasty thrives. He
called the three-year term limit "too short" for local
Her interest in politics was significantly influenced by her
positions. As a result, politician's kin are prompted to run
father, Diosdado Macapagal, who was also a former
for office to design and implement community projects that
Philippine president.
will assist the people.
During her tenure, GMA managed to maintain the country's
Contrary to Cayetano's statement, another study revealed
GDP growth through foreign investments.
that political dynasties have a detrimental impact on
However, her leadership was plagued by controversies, governance and development, with territories dominated
including accusations of electoral fraud in the 2004 by incumbent powerful clans outside the Luzon region are
presidential poll, and criticism for human rights violations, suffering from extreme poverty.
such as extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances,
committed by state security forces.
This circumstance reemphasises the significance of dynasty
regulation not only because the Constitution requires it, but
also because it promotes equitable political competition
and inclusivity, improves governance, and boosts
development impact.

The Anti-Political Dynasty bill is frequently touted during

campaign seasons in the Philippines, but after elected
officials gain power, the bill becomes dormant.

Unfortunately, despite numerous attempts to introduce an

anti-political dynasty law as early as the 8th Congress to
effect electoral reforms and level the political landscape.
Congress failed to pass such a law.

This encumbrance can be attributed to the fact that many

members of Congress came from politically dominating
political clans. Over the years, they have successfully
argued for the electorate’s right to choose their elected
leaders using the oft-repeated principle that “sovereignty
resides in the people and all government authority
emanates from them”.

The Philippines' 19th Congress in session.

In February 2023, the Advocates for National Interest, a

group of retired senior officials, urged the government to
pass legislation barring political dynasties before the 2025
election.

In a statement, the group said:

“To institutionalize good governance by elected and

appointed officials, the constitutional provision on
removing political dynasties be legislated as soon as
possible, and that electoral reforms to do away with money
politics be initiated and implemented in due time, before
the next national and local elections in May 2025.”

Such a request, however, is unlikely to be addressed in the

current 19th Congress, because approximately 70% of the
legislative body is made up of political dynasties that have
neither filed nor submitted an anti-political dynasty act.

The 2022 election results, which reinstated powerful

families to the government, suggests that the Philippines
might not yet be prepared to abandon its status quo on
dynastic democracy.

ASIA MEDIA CENTER- Carla Teng-Westergaard joined Asia

Media Centre as a media adviser. She was a former
diplomatic correspondent for TV5 Network and served as
the chief editor for the Office of the President of the
Philippines