1 month ago
24
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
MANILA, Philippines — During the first-ever public consultation on a proposed anti-political dynasty law, most adult and senior residents in Cavite voiced opposition, whereas several youth participants backed the measure.
Across generational lines, however, residents expressed a shared desire for development, improved quality of life and good governance.
The House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms convened a public hearing on Thursday, February 12, in Carmona, Cavite, gathering thousands of residents from across the province to weigh in on how the anti-political dynasty bill should be structured.
Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong (Lanao del Sur, 1st District), who chairs the committee, opened the hearing by asking participants whether restrictions on political dynasties should apply to:
- Relatives by affinity (marriage), consanguinity (blood) or both
- 1st degree, 2nd degree, 3rd degree or 4th degree
- National positions, local posts or both
- Successive terms, simultaneous service or both.
For lawmakers, it was not a question of whether an anti-political dynasty law should be passed. To them, the 1987 Constitution has long made it clear that political dynasties should be prohibited according to how Congress would define them.
However, most residents who took their opinions to the microphone chose to debate whether an anti-political dynasty law was necessary in the first place.
'Political dynasty is okay if competent'
For many of the older participants, political dynasties weren't necessarily a bad thing. In Carmona, where they shared their views in the presence of their mayor, Dahlia Loyola, a family running the local government could even be a source of stability and progress.
Their main argument? Carmona has only prospered under the leadership of spouses Roy and Dahlia Loyola, who have taken turns serving as mayor since 1995. Roy is currently the representative of Cavite's 5th District, a position he has held since 2022.
"Saksi po ako, ngayon 70 years old na ako, ang bayan ng Carmona, magsimula pong maupo ang mga Loyola, naging maunlad. ... Naging siyudad na nakatanggap ng maraming parangal dahil sila lang po ang laging nauupo," said Beth Biyohon, a resident since 1968.
(I can testify, now that I'm 70 years old, that ever since the Loyolas came to office, Carmona has prospered. … It has become a city that has received many awards because they have been the ones consistently in office.)
Emmanuel Seh, a Rotary Club member and Carmona resident for more than 20 years, also credited the Loyolas with the town's transformation from a third-class municipality to Cavite's 8th city in 2023. Carmona was also recognized as the richest municipality by the Commission on Audit in 2021 and 2022.
John Dela Cruz, a resident of the Municipality of General Mariano Alvarez, shared the same sentiments and argued that while his hometown has no political dynasty, he is uncertain about the direction it is heading.
"Walang political dynasty sa aming bayan, pero tignan ninyo, hindi namin alam kung paatras, paabante, pakaliwa, patabingi ang direksyon ng aming bayan," he said.
(There is no political dynasty in our town, but look, we don’t know whether our town is moving forward, backward, left, or sideways.)
What mattered most to the older residents, they said, wasn't whether a political dynasty was in charge, but that the leaders were honest — and that the people themselves were capable of making the right electoral choices.
Instead of an anti-political dynasty law, Cavite resident Marco Saladino proposed that Congress pass measures targeting political dynasties already convicted of, or known for, corruption, while also raising the qualifications required for candidates to run for office.
He further questioned the fairness of prohibiting political dynasties, asking: if we cannot choose our parents, why should someone be blocked from running for office simply because their family has served in government before?
Like Barangay Councilor Deo Dominguez and Sangguniang Kabataang Federation President Patricia Diaz said, many older residents believe Filipinos are capable of choosing their own leaders and are smart enough to elect based on performance rather than family name.
However, the proposed anti-political dynasty law does not seek to completely prohibit political families from holding office. It simply regulates timing. For instance, if successive terms are banned, a relative would have to wait and run in future elections.
As several legal experts and academics have argued, these limits help ensure fairness and equal access to public office, while preventing the concentration of power within a single family.
'Political dynasties create a flawed democracy'
Meanwhile, most youth and senior high students who supported the anti-political dynasty law based their arguments on studies and reports they read about political dynasties across the Philippines, not just in Carmona.
"Yes, masasabi natin na mayroong mga nagbebenefit sa political dynasties, but lahat ba nagbebenefit dito?" argued Chester Baybay, a student from Carmona. "Lahat ba ay nakakaranas ng mga nararanasan natin dito?"
(Yes, we can say that some people benefit from political dynasties, but does everyone benefit from them? Does everyone experience what we experience here?)
Hanamiel Gamutan, a senior high student, expressed a similar view: "Competencies are not inherited like positions." Her point was further reinforced by Renzo Luis Pasterio, who said that even if parents excel in public service, it doesn't mean their children would automatically do the same.
Two other senior high students, Rafaeli Altarez and Rina Domagtoy, took a middle ground, saying that while a "capable" dynasty may ensure continuity in projects and programs and would know the lay of the land, it can also restrict opportunities for others and risk abuse of power and corruption.
However, Biñan City Local Youth Development Council member John Potestas pointed out that even if there are so-called "competent" political dynasties, the issue is not about competency but about the implications they have on Philippine democracy.
He said that arguments in favor of "good dynasties" fail to recognize the creation of a "flawed democracy," where ordinary but qualified Filipinos struggle to compete against entrenched families despite the ideal of government being "for the people, by the people."
"Ang tawag po dito ay illusion of choice. Dahil ang totoo po wala naman pong pangkaraniwang na Pilipino ang makikipagkompetensiya sa kanila. Sila sila lang rin po ang makikipaglaban sa isa’t isa. Ang choice lang natin ay piliin kung sino ang political dynasty na ihahalal natin," Potestas added.
(This is called an illusion of choice. The truth is, ordinary Filipinos don’t really stand a chance to compete with them. It’s only among themselves that they compete. Our only choice is which political dynasty we will vote for.)
The Committee on Suffrage has been holding legislative hearings with legal experts, academics, non-governmental organizations, and civil society groups to craft a more informed anti-political dynasty bill. If enacted, it would be the first such law in nearly 40 years since the 1987 Constitution was ratified.
