Dennis Gaviola

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ABS-CBN Research and Verification Unit

<div><iframe width="1266" height="712" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTPH8_IYdI8" title="#ELEXplain: Political dynasty part 2 | NXT" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div> </div>The odds of passing an anti-political dynasty law, experts say, may seem slim as the 2025 midterm polls – which is set to fill half of the Senate – remained marked by the presence of political dynasties.ABS-CBN Research and Verification Unit’s count revealed that 16 of the 63 senatorial candidates were related to another candidate or an incumbent government official.Of the 16 Senate bets, five have relatives who are senators currently in office, and four of the five may simultaneously sit alongside their siblings until 2028 should they win. These four include reelectionist Pia Cayetano, brothers Ben and Erwin Tulfo, and Las Pinas Rep. Camille Villar. Villar is eyeing to replace her mother, Sen. Cynthia Villar who is currently serving alongside his son, Mark Villar. Then there’s Makati Mayor Mar-len Abigail &quot;Abby&quot; Binay-Campos who may take the place of her sister, graduating Sen. Nancy Binay.Six candidates have surnames that carry a familiar ring in the Senate as they are linked by blood to former senators. Former senator Bam Aquino hails from a family that produced five senators, one of whom became president of the Philippines. Reelectionist Sen. Imee Marcos has two relatives who both served as senators before becoming presidents of the country. Former senator Tito Sotto III, reelectionist Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., Cayetano, and Villar each have one relative who served as a senator.Sotto’s niece-in-law, Sharon Cuneta, is the wife of former senator and returning candidate Francis &quot;Kiko&quot; Pangilinan, making them affiliated by marriage.Seven candidates belong to families who have long embedded themselves in local politics. They include Binay, whose family maintains strong influence in Makati City, Cayetano in Taguig City, Marcos in Ilocos Norte, athlete-turned-politician Manny Pacquiao in Sarangani and General Santos City, Francis Tolentino in Tagaytay, Villar in Las Pinas, and Revilla in Cavite.Binay’s and Villar’s candidacy in the 2025 election is their first bid for a national position. This is also the case for Benhur Abalos Jr. who comes from the Abaloses of Mandaluyong City, Eric Martinez of the Martinez couple of Valenzuela City, and Nur-Ana &quot;Lady Ann&quot; Sahidulla from the Sahidullas of Sulu.Actor-turned-politician Lito Lapid and Pacquiao introduced their families into politics, with the former currently having one relative running for a local position and the latter fielding eight relatives, two for party-list and six for local seats.While Article II Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution expressly prohibits political dynasties, the tight grip of powerful clans remains on each rung of the government.“According to the Ateneo School of Government, on average at the rate things are going, close to 70 or 80 percent of all local and national position will be in the hands of political dynasties. &#x27;Pag ito nangayri, matatawag pa ba natin &#x27;tong sistema natin na isang demokrasya?” said Julio Teehankee, a political science professor at De La Salle University.Experts say political dynasties continue to dominate due to the absence of an enabling law that would define and execute the Constitutional restriction.“Kasi nga &#x27;yung nature ng constitutional provision na &#x27;yon, nire-require na magkaroon ng enabling law,” said Dennis Coronacion, a political science professor at University of Santo Tomas.“I think siguro to a certain extent liable din ang &#x27;yung ating framers of the Constitution. Kasi posible naman na pwede na silang gumawa ng policy without the need for an enabling law. Kasi mayroon tayong mga, there are some provisions in the Constitution hindi na kinakailangan ng enabling law,” he added.After the 1987 Constitution was passed, 48 anti-political dynasty bills have been filed in the House of Representatives since 1987 and 22 in the Senate since 2004. The bills aim to define the boundaries of political dynasty, the penalties for violating the restriction, and the role of the regulating body.Most of the bills propose to prevent having two or more family members within the second civil degree of consanguinity and affinity from vying for and occupying public positions simultaneously and successively. But the most recent Senate bill filed in July 2024 extends this prohibition up to the fourth civil degree.The commonly proposed penalty for violating the dynasty restriction is disqualification from election, yet some bills propose to perpetually ban a violating politician from running or holding public office.Despite the 70 bills filed over almost four decades, none has been signed into law and nearly all of them have lingered on the committee level. Experts attribute this to the prevalence of political dynasty in the very legislature that is supposed to draft and pass the measure.“Ang problema mo, ang Kongreso mo, both House and Senate, karamihan ng miyembro diyan ay miyembro ng political dynasty. So since 1987 hanggang ngayon, wala pang batas na nagpapatibay dun sa constitutional provision on banning political dynasties,” said Teehankee.“Kasi nga naman yung mga House members puro miyembro ng dynasty, paano mo asahan na ipapasa nila &#x27;yung batas? It&#x27;s like asking Dracula to guard the blood bank,” he added.

The odds of passing an anti-political dynasty law, experts say, may seem slim as the 2025 midterm polls – which is set to fill half of the Senate – remained marked by the presence of political dynasties.

The odds of passing an anti-political dynasty law, experts say, may seem slim as the 2025 midterm polls – which is set to fill half of the Senate – remained marked by the presence of political dynasties.

#Elexplain: Why an anti-political dynasty law is elusive

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#Elexplain: Why an anti-political dynasty law is elusive

ABS-CBN Research and Verification Unit

Published Mar 01, 2025 05:17 PM PHT

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Updated Mar 10, 2025 05:00 PM PHT

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