Don’t believe it when they say that the Philippines is a bastion of political dynasties!

Consider this… A politician, let’s say a mayor, can no longer run due to term limits. So, his wife will run for the position he previously held. Then that politician will run for another post…as governor perhaps. Assuming both the politician and his wife win and luckily get re-elected until they reach their term limits, would it be the end? Would their thirst for power (and the accruing   benefits) be finally satiated?

Hell no!

The couple will ask their son or daughter (or a grandson…or a granddaughter…or an in-law) to run for the positions they are about to vacate. What about the mother? She will run for the post vacated by the husband-politician. She will run as governor. What about the husband? He will perhaps run either as congressman or even senator. In case all family members win then for years that the power will change hands within the same family. The son (or daughter) is a mayor, the mother a governor and the father either as congressman or senator. When term limits are reached then they will just run for the position that a family member would vacate. Some siblings, and even in-laws, in the family are also occupying minor positions in the geographical units where they reside.

See! There are no political dynasties in the Philippines!

Why would you say that there are political dynasties in the Philippines? Is it because we have a president (I wrote this when Noy-noy Aquino was the President) who happens to be a son of a former president and a senator and who has relatives in both the Senate and House of Representatives? Is it because we have a vice-president whose daughters are a senator and a representative and whose son is a city mayor?  Is it because we have senators and congressmen whose wives (or mistresses), husbands, siblings, sons, daughters and in-laws are either senators and congressmen like themselves or governors or mayors or what-have-you?

Then of course they will tell the people that they do not belong to a political dynasty…but a family of public servants. Okay! Fine!! Whatever!!!

The same family names…same genes…in the seats of power in the country for decades now. RESULT? Same dismal economic and socio-political performance for the country.

Round and round we’re going circles…DIZZYING! TIRING!

Long live the political dynasties! Long live the voters who get fooled into perpetuating them into power!