As they prepare to vote, Baguio activists hold protest vs dynasties

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Dynasties breed corruption, too, they say

BAGUIO CITY – Is the city ready for a political dynasty? Various groups are saying no.

During a day-long event on Tuesday, May 6 at the People’s Park, representatives from different sectors of Baguio City denounced political dynasties in national and local politics. 

They said that political dynasties threaten the country’s right to equal access to public service by limiting it to a single family. (READ: Will Baguio voters open door to a political dynasty?)

Dr. Virgilio Bautista, a member of the consultative committee that was tasked with reviewing the 1987 Constitution, said that while the Constitution prohibits dynasties, Congress has been unable to craft the implementing laws for it because it is packed with members of political dynasties.

In the upcoming elections on Monday, May 12, Baguio City Representative Mark Go and his wife, Soledad “Sol” Go, are running for mayor and congressman, respectively. This is a first for Baguio residents, who pride themselves in having no political dynasties in the local government in recent history.

NO TO DYNASTY. Protesters mount a rally in Malcolm Square against political dynasties. Photo by Jose Emmanuel Thayer/Rappler

At the protest action, Bautista said: “[The] majority of them are from political families. Papaano sila gagawa ng batas na makakasira sa pamilya nila? Kaya after 38 years, hanggang ngayon, wala pa rin rules and regulations about political dynasty.”

(The majority of them are from political families. How are they going to create laws that can destroy their families? That’s why, after 38 years, until now, there are still no rules and regulations about political dynasties.)

ELECTION ISSUE. Protesters mount a rally in Malcolm Square against political dynasties. Photo by Jose Emmanuel Thayer/Rappler

Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution states, “The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”

The protesters said dynasties can also be breeding ground for corruption, citing research that shows how dynasties worsen poverty in certain areas in the Philippines. 

“Sa halip na mapunta sa mga serbisyong panlipunan ang ating pondo … Napupunta ito sa mga bulsa ng ating mga politician. At ang problema pa, iisa lang ang bulsa ng mga ito sapagka’t iisang pamilya lamang ang nakikinabang sa ganitong klaseng sistema na siyang nananaig sa ating bansa,” said Nico Ponce, Bayan Muna party list Cordillera representative. 

(Instead of our funds going to social services, it goes to the pockets of our politicians. And the problem is, they only have one pocket because they are just one family that takes advantage of this kind of system, which prevails in our country.) – Rappler.com

Jose Emmanuel Thayer is a second-year BA Communication student and campus journalist at the University of the Philippines Baguio. The news editor of UP Baguio Outcrop, he is an Aries Rufo Fellowship candidate from April-May 2025.