Political clans
THE recent filing of the certificates of can didacy (COC) for the May 2019 midterm elections proved once again that the country is not about to let go of political clans and their dominance in the electoral system. Calls to end the hold of political dynasties in our political system have been made for decades already but that hasn’t happened. They will still be with us in 2019.
President Duterte was actually asked about this recently after his daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for mayor and her brother Sebastian or “Baste” filed his own COC for vice mayor—with her other brother, former city vice mayor Paolo “Pulong” Duterte also running for congressman in the city’s first district.
“Pag nasimulan mo na, tuloy-tuloy na yan,” the President said about relatives also running in elections after one of them snags a position in government. Sara herself threw the ball to the voters. There can be no political dynasties without the voters themselves choosing their members during elections.
So this has become a chicken-and-egg thing. To end the reign of political dynasties, which of these should we do first: prevent politicians from fielding relatives in elections or allow them to do so in the meantime and instead educate the voters about the negative effects of political dynasties dominating the country’s political setup?
In a way, both the President and Mayor Sara are right, after all, our political system is merely a reflection of the feudal setup that is still prevailing in large patches of the country. That setup tends to produce political lords and political dynasties ever so often. If we want to end the dominance of political dynasties in the country, then the feudal setup needs to be addressed.
Political dynasties are not the problem in more advanced economies. Their farmlands are being tilled by capitalists and not by feudal lords. Unlike here where leaders are seen as royalties whose every decision should be followed by subservient serfs.
When a politician wins an elective post, he becomes like a feudal lord or even king in a feudal setup with the voters as the subjects. That immediately raises his relatives to royalty status whose ascension is no longer measured by intellect or leadership abilities. Relation to the feudal lord or king becomes the main consideration in assessing their person.
As for the politician, he sees the post that he snagged as a throne that needs to be protected and held on to at all costs. I got this from a patriarch of a political dynasty in Cebu who urged an unprepared relative to the post he had to vacate because of term limits. He said he invested time, money and effort in snagging the post, so why would he cede it to others? support offices…Iyaman! Thank you very much!
If you are reading this today, you can still visit us at the La Trinidad Municipal gym until Thursday (Oct. 25). You can also visit our Facebook page: La Trinidad Tourism, Culture, and Arts, for more updates regarding the said activities. Kala! Umali Kayo! Bisita po kayo!
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I have this strange dream a couple of days ago. Sometimes we dream of familiar experiences that represent our current condition or psychological state; flying which may mean a sense of freedom or some independence, dream of not getting to a destination which may symbolize setbacks or frustration for not being successful enough, dream of falling teeth which exposes our fear of getting old or becoming insignificant, dream of being bitten by a snake and suddenly waking up, which may reveal our fear for change. There are a lot of those which reveal those that we internalize, but the dream I had days ago is different: the no. 160. That can’t be a lotto combination, but it is uniquely intriguing just the same. I searched its meaning on the internet out of curiosity (even as a numerology sceptic) and this is the common result: The deep down basic essence of the energy which number 160 represents is related to introspection and self-determination. 160 is about wisdom and healing and beliefs, and unlimited potential. Quite interesting don’t you think?