Political Dynasty

We should not allow political dynasty in our government.

The Philippines has been always exposed to political dynasty since the establishment of the Philippine
1 Republic in the 19th century. A political dynasty occurs when a specific family takeover or govern a
st

particular area. The question is, is it really a good idea for our government and for the people? The
answer is simply no, it is not.

Several known political dynasties have occurred in the Philippines in the past and even today namely;
Aquino, Marcos, Roxas, Binay, Ampatuan, Estrada and Ortega. These dynasties have major negative
effects in terms economy, human rights and equality.

Firstly, the family who is undergoing on a political dynasty will seek for more possessions and
authorities. For instance, a very good example for this is the Marcos political dynasty. The Marcos
political dynasty is one of the most recognized dynasty in the country. It started when Mariano Marcos
(father of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and a lawyer) became a member of House of Representatives way back
1925. The dynasty went at it’s highest peak during Marcos’ presidency especially when he declared
Martial Law in 1972. During his term, the country was filled by debt-driven accomplishments because of
inappropriate borrowing of money internationally. The country became poorer and poorer during the
Marcos era as he borrowed massive amounts of money in the world bank. The country was drowned in
an unpayable debts. Also, during his term the Gross Domestic Product or the GDP growth rates has
dropped year by year especially during his last 3 years in the position the GDP rates went negative which
is a mimic for his fraud governance. In addition, the International Criminal Court and the Supreme Court
of the Philippines have proven that the Marcoses are liable for an ill-gotten wealth. Currently, the PCGG
has already recovered a total of 175 billion on their ill-gotten wealth and there is an estimate of 125
billion ill-gotten wealth left. Moreover, numerous injustices were tolerated during the Marcos era. The
freedom of expression was surpressed, you cannot write or say against Marcos or else you’d be dead.
Also, many innocent people was tortured and died during his ruling. Furthermore, despite of countless
negative effects and controversies of the martial law, the Marcoses still remains superior in Ilocos Norte.
As of now, Ilocos Norte is the poorest in Region I which is being governed by the Marcoses. Secondly, it
disables the equality and chances for individuals to have a privilege to run for a certain political position
because of high level authority and possession of power. The best example for this is the Ampatuan
political dynasty. It started when Andal Ampatuan Sr. was elected as a Governor of Maguindanao in
2001. Later then, the region was ruled by 80 Ampatuans. During Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s presidency,
she granted the Ampatuans to have a private a army which raised their superiority in Maguindanao.
Finally after years of unmatched candidacy for Ampatuans, a different breed decided to oppose the
Ampatuans in the 2010 elections which is Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu that set fires to the most famous
mass murder in the Philippines “The Maguindanao Massacre” that killed 57 people consists of Emael’s
wife with her unborn child, journalists and civilians. This started when Toto decided to have his wife file
his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) in assurance that his opponents (Ampatuans) will not harm his
pregnant wife because at that time, Toto Mangudadatu is already receiving death threats from
Ampatuans. His decision did not change anything but just worsen the situation. Toto’s wife and other
people in 6 convoys were ambushed by armed men that led to a ruthless killing. After that, Arroyo
declared martial law in Maguindanao following the conviction of Andal Ampatuan Sr. as the mastermind
of the crime together with his brothers Anwar, Datu Andal Jr. and Zaldy guilty in 57 counts of murder
and was sentenced for lifetime imprisonment. Lastly, it increases the possibility of power abuse to those
families who are under political dynasty because they are free to do what they want disregarding
whether it is good or bad knowing that all the people that are on power are their relatives. No one will
oppose to their wrong doings and no one will dare to oppose them knowing that they are powerful
enough to put you 5 feet below the ground. A notable example for this the Estrada political dynasty. It
started when Joseph Estrada became a mayor of San Juan in 1969. After decades of succesful political
career, Estrada decided to run for president in 1999 and became the 13 th President of the Philippines.
This is the start of his abusing of power where anomalies and corruption happened. In the same term,
his wife and first lady Loi Estrado is also holds a political position as a senator. The presentation of
evidences against Estrada’s governance led to impeachment and was late provoke him to resign from
presidency.

What happened during well-known Political Dynasties were all disadvantages to people of the
countty and an advantage to those who are in the verge of power. This hasn’t proved anything good. It is
just an another version of greed and cruelty.