Of Political Dynasties

The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law. (Section 26, Article II, The Philippine 1987 Constitution)

Senator Enrile should have known better. But I wasn't expecting him to say anything differently, given his reputation as a trapo (traditional politician). When quizzed some more about his son's bid for the senate, he had this to say: "As I told you, I do not decide the fate of my son. It’s going to be decided by the people but it’s my duty as his father to believe in him, and go out and campaign for him".

He is, after all, a politician. 

In contrast, a statesman would have none of this (excuse me for the word) "bullshit".

Ramon "Jun" Magsaysay, son of Ramon Magsaysay, also had this to say about his father in an article featuring the book launch of the late president's new biography:

IF president Ramon Magsaysay Sr., is alive today, he would be pushing anti-political dynasty bill that is pending in Congress, according to his son, former senator Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay.

Magsaysay said that his father never encouraged the establishment of political dynasties during his seven years in public office.

“He was a two term congressman, secretary of the Defense Department and president of the Philippines, and during his seven years in public service none of his relatives dared to run for public office,” the former senator said during the launch of a book about the Philippines' most loved president on Wednesday.

Magsaysay said that his father ordered all his relatives and even the kin of his wife Luz not to seek public office.

“He was a very tough leader, very dogmatic against nepotism, against dynasty. That is the kind of leader he was,” he added.

Magsaysay shares his father’s position against political dynasties.

“It is not democratic, it distorts the inclusiveness of our democracy, so personally I think the late president would have wanted that nepotism is not granted and dynasty is not encouraged,” he said.

In fact, according to the columnist Jose Sison in his piece, one of the late president's first moves was to issue an executive order effectively banning his family from taking government posts:

Hence, this issue of political dynasty is really more of a moral than a legal issue as Senator Ramon B. Magsaysay Jr. recently pointed out. It can only be solved or answered by reforming “the moral values of the family,” the clannish culture prevalent in most Filipino families. Indeed even without any law prohibiting political dynasty, the practice can be eliminated by our political leaders and heads of political families themselves if they set the example.

And such example has already been previously set by Senator Magsaysay Jr.’s late father, President Ramon Magsaysay Sr. (RM), whose first move upon assumption into office in 1955 was to issue an Executive Order prohibiting the appointment of relatives to any government post. Apparently the prohibition had also been considered by his relatives as a restraint on them to run for any elective office during his term. Thus no relative of RM occupied any government position during his short tenure that was aborted by a plane crash in 1957. Even RM Jr., who had no political inclination at all, became a Senator only in 2001, obviously because people already missed RM and his kind of good governance.

I am against political dynasties. Our Constitution even prohibits it vehemently. But still, we cannot assert this political principle if we continue electing politicians who embrace dynasties like long-lost sons.