Outlaw dynasties before Cha-cha

With political dynasts pushing it, federalism is becoming suspicious. Congress’ mad rush to draft a federal constitution seems to be for ulterior purposes. The dynasts do not appear to care if a shift from present unitary to federal form would be good or bad for the nation. The public impression is that they’re just interested in a ten-year transition – during which they can stay in office with no election.

To prove that they’re sincere and thus trustworthy, politicos must first pass an anti-dynasty law. By such enactment they would renounce vested interest. It can be done within a month – faster than debating a new fundamental law. Many anti-dynasty bills already have been filed, all effectively killed by inaction. They differ only in scope – the degree of consanguinity or affinity in simultaneous or sequential tenures of kinsmen – and penalties for violators. All the politicos need to do is review the short transcripts of the committee hearings, then vote.

An anti-dynasty law is long overdue. The 1987 Constitution asked for it 31 years ago. Article II, State Policies, Section 26 requires: “The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.” Yet no Congress since then has complied – precisely because they’re all dynasts.

Political dynasties are the source of most of the people’s woes. They breed warlords and private armies. They are the reason for election cheating and violence, and corruption like pork barrels, contract padding, and theft of tax money. They lead to local economic stranglehold and stifling of political dissent. The dynasts get to own everything in the province, city, or town, from the corner gas station and hardware store to the shopping mall and the mining-logging concession. Migration and brain drain result. With no livelihood opportunities except through the dynasts, the left-behinds are trapped in poverty. Their only respite from it are occasional cash and food bonanzas, like from election vote buying, conditional doles, barrio fiestas, and seasonal employment as “aliping namamahay and saguiguilid” (serfs) in the dynasts’ manors and plantations.

Dynasts sprang from the first few mestizos entrusted by Spanish and American colonial masters with lower government positions. Such oligarchs were the political issue of the new-born Republic of the 1950s-1970s. More dynasties sprang from the political cronies installed during Marcos’ military rule. And yet more from Cory Aquino’s replacement of undesirable governors and mayors with local officers-in-charge.

They have refused to step down since. Leeches are infinitely better; they let go after having their fill of blood. Dynasts just keep on sucking the wealth of the land. The longer the dynasts have reigned, the worse the poverty in their locale.

Some dynasties have senators, district and party-list congressmen, and governors and mayors, provincial board members and councilors. Others have members appointed to national or local executive positions, and as judges.

The concentration of power in their clans enable them to control self-perpetuating taxation, legislation, and economic policies.

Up to 15 years ago, dynasties quietly competed to each amass up to P200M in illegal wealth. Today their common target is P2B ($40M), to enable them to build mansions in the provincial and national capital, buy apartments in America or Europe, and to live in luxury till the fourth generation.

Wipe out the dynasties, and the nation can begin to exact justice for the decades of political violence, corruption, and oppression. Bright minds will stay and strive to develop their locales. There will be equal opportunities to serve the government honestly and energetically.

Otherwise, suspicion will linger that federalism will only extend politicos’ terms with no election.

Federalists claim that provinces and cities cannot progress due to lack of capital. Yet banks do not lend to family corporations where the president, treasurer and board members are all related. In the same vein, they won’t lend to jurisdictions where the governor, mayor, and congressman come from one armed and greedy family.

Without dynasts a federal system can be economically freer and politically democratic. With dynasts federalism will become feudalism.

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