‘Nothing wrong with dynasties’

source : staff

Sunday, 01 April 2007 02:22

The presence of political dynasties is a fact of life tolerated by every system of government around the world, an administration senatorial bet said yesterday.

"I don’t particularly condemn it, because it is practiced all over the world. It’s unfortunate, but it’s done all over the country," re-electionist Sen. Joker Arroyo said yesterday.

Arroyo made the statement after endorsing the candidacy of Diosdado "Dato" Arroyo as Camarines Sur congressman.
Though not related to Dato, Arroyo defended the candidacy of the President’s youngest son.

The Bicolano senator said he does not find any reason to make a law prohibiting political dynasties since it is present in every society worldwide.

Arroyo cited the case of the late US President John F. Kennedy whose close relatives held public office even while he was in the White House.

"Remember President Kennedy, while he was in office, Robert Kennedy was attorney general and then Edward Kennedy ran and all the Kennedys ran. Even a third set of Kennedys also ran," Arroyo recalled.

He said even the wife of Hollywood action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is now the governor of California, also belongs to the Kennedy clan.

Arroyo said he is not particular about a family running for public office.

"I’m not about particularly in about this (political) dynasty thing, although I don’t have any relatives (in public office)," Arroyo said.

"Because, if you were to look at it also this way, you know, families take care of a certain area," he said.

Arroyo, a former Makati congressman, said political families "invest their time in handling" the local affairs of their home province, aimed in "protecting" their turf.

He noted several efforts to ban families running for public office in the past but the proposal has been turned down.

"No (political dynasty) law has been passed because I don’t think any congressman or any senator would endorse that," Arroyo said.

He also compared political dynasties to pork barrel allocations of lawmakers, which like in the Philippines, is also a fact of all political systems abroad.

"The Russian parliament, the Duma, I think during the communist time they also had patronage. They also had pork barrel. That’s also the way the Politburo was able to control them," Arroyo said.

Fellow senatorial candidate Vicente "Tito" Sotto III also noted apprehensions over efforts to revive the anti-dynasty bill.

Sotto said any move to revive the bill would not come from him.

Sotto was not particularly concerned about prohibiting immediate members of a politician’s family from seeking public office, but on allowing a politician’s mistress, or the relatives of his mistress, from joining politics.

"At first, I don’t know where I should stand on that issue because I had a problem with that. As the late Sen. Raul Roco pointed out to me, the original political dynasties in Philippine politics are the Rocos and the Sottos," he said.

Sotto revealed two of his grandfathers, Vicente Sotto and Felimon Sotto, were veteran senators during their time.

They have been dubbed as "press freedom law champion" and "women’s rights advocate," respectively.

The same is true with Roco, whose father and grandfather were also senators, who both served in one Congress.

"I really have a problem with political dynasty. But I am against political dynasty. Now the problem is, it’s very difficult to define," Sotto said.

He recalled interpellating former Senator Orly Mercado over the issue but ended up being confused over the degree of relationship between the incumbent and those allowed to seek public office.

"I asked him (Mercado and proponents) up to what degree will this be allowed? Their answer was second degree, but others said third. Then, I asked, do we have a provision about mistresses? Everybody laughed," Sotto recalled.

"But I asked them again, How can this be? It’s a real problem. When I brought it out, they just laughed then they realized that it is an open secret that most politicians also have mistresses," he said.

Sotto said the anti-dynasty bill never took off because of moral questions.

"With the anti-dynasty bill, you will be preventing the legal members of a family from seeking public office, but you cannot prevent a mistress or the brother of the mistress from running. Is it not?" Sotto asked.

"We have to define it thoroughly. Otherwise, it will be a bigger problem: you barred the legal wife, but you allowed the mistress to run."

Generations of elite

For generations, an elite few from the most famous and wealthy families have dominated Philippine politics.

They have been an enduring feature in every local election in the country. In many cases, these families and their network of relations take their roots from ancestors who have held public office and maintained power for generations.

President Arroyo herself is the daughter of the late President Diosdado Macapagal.

Her two sons, Dato and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo, are both seeking public office.

Up north, the Marcoses have dominated Ilocos Norte, the Singsons in Ilocos Sur, and the Ortegas in La Union, the Albanos and the Dys in Isabela, the Valeras and Bersamins in Abra, the Josons in Nueva Ecija, the Angaras in Aurora, the Asistios in Caloocan City, and the Lagmans in Albay.

There is also the Durano clan in Cebu and the Codilla clan in Leyte, Javier family in Antique, Zubiris and the Acostas in Bukidnon, and the Dimaporos down in Central Mindanao.

The Josons are eyeing all the positions available in Nueva Ecija.

Incumbent Vice Gov. Mariano Cristino Joson leads the family to run as governor of the province under the pro-administration Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) and the Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija (Balane). He had served as mayor of Quezon town where his son, Dale, is running for re-election.

He will have his nephew, senior board member Edward Thomas Joson, as vice governor.

Edward’s father is outgoing Gov. Tomas Joson III, who will run as mayor of Cabanatuan City.

Two other Josons eyeing elective posts include former National Food Authority (NFA) administrator Eduardo Nonato Joson and former vice governor Eduardo Joson IV.

On the other hand, Eduardo Nonato "Edno" Joson, is running as congressman of the first district of the province, replacing Rep. Josie Manuel-Joson, the vice governor’s wife.

Edno created a stir when he authored the anti-political dynasty bill in Congress at a time when there were six Josons, including his father, in office.

Edno resigned from NFA shortly after former President Joseph Estrada was ousted from office in January 2001.

Eduardo Joson IV or "Ding Liit," is running for congressman in the third district of the province. Incumbent Rep. Aurelio Umali will be running against Mariano Cristino in the gubernatorial race.

The Josons have dominated the province since 1959. The Umalis, on the other hand, are challenging the Josons by fielding clan members for other available positions.

The congressman’s wife Czarina will be running in his district.

In the same congressional district, the Fajardos are attempting to reclaim lost turf with former congressman Pacifico Fajardo and his wife, Palayan City Mayor Leonora Fajardo, vying for their old posts.

In Aliaga town, the husband and wife tandem of Mayor Marcial Vargas and Vice Mayor Beth Vargas are running for re-election.

The Villareals will attempt to regain a foothold in the political scene in the fourth district of Nueva Ecija by fielding Julita Villareal as congresswoman and sons Chris and Joso as mayor and board member, respectively.

In Jaen, Mayor Tony Esquivel is seeking re-election with his son, Tonyboy, as running mate.

In San Leonardo, former provincial board member Froilan Nagano is running for mayor with his elder brother Eulinio as vice mayor.

Outgoing Rep. Eleuterio Violago is fielding his son Joseph for Congress. San Jose City Mayor Jose Filemon is running for Congress while one of his daughters is aspiring to replace him.

The Codilla clan in Leyte also farmed out for different positions in this year’s elections.

Incumbent Ormoc City Mayor Eric Codilla led the clan in filing his re-lection bid while his younger brother Elmer also filed his certificate of candidacy in the nearby town of Kananga.

Incumbent Leyte Rep. Eufrocino Codilla Sr is seeking re-election for a third term as representative of the province’s fourth district.

Rep. Codilla will be pitted against former congressman and Ormoc City Mayor Carmelo Jimenea Locsin.

Back in Manila, three descendants of former mayor Ramon Bagatsing will seeking elective positions in the city.

The father and son tandem of former congressman Ramon "Dondon" Bagatsing Jr. and Don Ramon are running under the Buhayin ang Maynila ticket of outgoing Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.

Dondon’s brother, former congressman Amado Bagatsing will run however in the side of Vice Mayor Danilo Lacuna.

Don Ramon Bagatsing, on the other hand, will run as running mate of mayoral candidate Ali Atienza.

Dondon will run as the city fourth congressional district while Amado is Lacuna’s bet for the fifth congressional district.

The Bagatsing have served the city of Manila since the 1950s. - With Manny Galvez and Roberto Dejon, Evelyn Macairan <

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