From: Nutribun Republic
Same names, same problems.
In every Philippine election, the same names dominate the ballots—Marcos, Duterte, Tolentino, Tulfo, Cayetano, Villar, and Revilla. Over 70% of incumbent officials come from political dynasties. Instead of serving as a genuine democratic process, elections have become mere formalities for transferring power from parents to children or from one sibling to another.
Political dynasties claim to be pillars of experience and stability. However, despite their decades in power, poverty, corruption, and a lack of meaningful reforms persist. Political dynasties do not strengthen democracy—they are the ones destroying it.
By weakening electoral competition, enabling corruption and patronage politics, and eroding government accountability, a handful of families are slowly taking control of the country’s political system. In this system, Filipinos lose the ability to make real choices, and democracy becomes nothing more than an illusion.
No Genuine Competition: A Battle of Surnames, Not Capabilities
In a true democracy, elections should be fair and based on merit. However, in the Philippines, winning is not determined by platforms or capabilities but by name, wealth, and political machinery.
Most candidates from political dynasties have access to vast campaign funds and extensive political networks. For example, in the 2019 midterm elections, seven winning senators came from well-known political dynasties, including Imee Marcos, Nancy Binay, Bong Revilla, and JV Ejercito. Because of their surnames, they can easily secure votes from the masses despite having limited track records in public service.
Beyond campaign funds, political dynasties also dominate local government units, which they use to consolidate and expand their power. Davao City, for instance, has long been governed by the Duterte family, where former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte served as a mayor for 22 years before being succeeded by his daughter, current Vice President Sara Duterte. This scenario mirrors what has been happening in Ilocos Norte under the Marcos family and in Pampanga under the Pineda family.
The lack of genuine competition in elections directly affects governance quality. Instead of choosing the most competent leaders, voters are left with a limited selection from the same ruling families. Instead of fresh perspectives and new ideas, the same flawed system persists—one that fails to provide long-term solutions to the country’s enduring problems.
Corruption and Patronage Politics: When the Government Becomes a Family Business
Democracy is built on the equal distribution of wealth and opportunities. However, political dynasties strengthen patronage politics, where government officials use their positions to benefit their own families and allies instead of serving the public.
One clear example is the Pork Barrel Scam of 2013, where billions of pesos from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) were stolen by several senators through the fake NGOs of Janet Napoles. Among the implicated politicians were Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada, and Juan Ponce Enrile, all of whom come from powerful political dynasties. Despite facing corruption charges, many of them managed to stage political comebacks—a reflection of the country’s flawed judicial system and how political dynasties shield themselves from accountability.
Beyond corruption, patronage politics also enables nepotism. For instance, after winning the 2022 presidential election, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. immediately appointed his sister, Imee Marcos, as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms. This appointment highlights how political dynasties use their influence to preserve their hold on power, prioritizing their own interests over the public good.
In a true democracy, the government should serve the people, not a privileged few. Yet under the current system, the interests of a handful of families take precedence over the nation’s welfare.
Lack of Accountability: When Your Family Is the Law, Who Holds Them Responsible?
One of the most fundamental principles of democracy is government accountability to the people. Leaders must answer for their actions, but how can this be enforced when power is merely transferred from one family member to another?
A glaring example is the Maguindanao Massacre of 2009, in which the Ampatuan clan’s private army murdered 58 people, including 32 journalists, to maintain their political monopoly in the province. While some members of the clan were convicted, others still managed to return to politics—demonstrating how political dynasties use their influence to evade full accountability.
Instead of facing consequences, political dynasties often leverage their power to shield themselves from justice. This is evident in Congress’ repeated failure to pass the Anti-Political Dynasty Law—a law mandated by the 1987 Philippine Constitution but consistently blocked by lawmakers who themselves come from political dynasties.
If there are no effective checks and balances, how can we ensure that our leaders truly serve the people instead of their own families?
What Can We Do?
To save democracy in the Philippines, the Anti-Political Dynasty Law must be strengthened and passed. While the 1987 Philippine Constitution mandates legislation against political dynasties, it has never been effectively enacted due to obstruction by lawmakers who themselves come from these powerful families. Filipinos must demand its passage to prevent the continued concentration of power in the hands of a few.
Beyond this, we must also empower independent candidates by implementing reforms in the campaign finance system, ensuring that elections are not limited to wealthy political clans. Additionally, the electoral system must be restructured to allow ranked-choice voting or a stronger political party system, reducing the dominance of entrenched families and preventing turncoatism, where politicians switch parties solely for personal gain.
More importantly, we must become more critical as voters. Our choices should not be based on name recognition or popularity but on thorough research and evaluation of a candidate’s track record and platform. Only by doing so can we elect leaders who truly serve the people and not their own families.
The Future of Philippine Democracy
Political dynasties remain one of the biggest obstacles to genuine democracy in the Philippines. They weaken electoral competition, fuel corruption, and erode government accountability. If we truly want a democratic system, we must break the dominance of a few powerful families in politics.
Ultimately, however, the power to bring about change lies in the hands of the voters. In the next elections, we must ask ourselves: Will we choose the same familiar names, or will we choose real change?
The idea that elections have become more about legacy than leadership seems unfortunately accurate—it’s discouraging to see how merit, vision, and accountability are often second thoughts to familial loyalty.. The examples you cited, especially the 2013 Pork Barrel Scam and the Maguindanao Massacre, provide a strong basis for how unchecked power can corrupt the core of democratic institutions.
Your call for an enforceable Anti-Political Dynasty Law and campaign finance reform is becoming increasingly important. But equally important is your point about voter responsibility—unless we, as citizens, critically engage with our choice on a consistent basis, the cycle will continue. Preventing anti-democratic rule isn’t just a legal or political battle—it’s a cultural and civic one too. Would you support a grassroots campaign focused on political education and independent candidate support at the district level?
Growing up in a city led by political dynasties for decades, the issue of political dynasties resonates well with me. It is really saddening that our elections today have become a family business instead of a political activity that could allow us to elect the best leaders who will dedicate their terms to the service of the people and not for the entrenchment of their families in power. Although sometimes there is genuine competition between some political family members and some opposition candidates, the latter is always placed at a great disadvantage because of the presence of patronage politics in the Philippines that makes voters prioritize their private interests, which may be satisfied by members of political dynasties, over that of the public.
Sometimes, I think that one measure that the voters should use in choosing their leaders is what the candidates can do outside politics. If they can still serve the people even if they are not elected after the elections, if they will still have a community to come back to and serve after the election period if they lost, then maybe it is one of the assurances that they are really for public service and not just for the electoral seat. Because, as mentioned in the blog above, political dynasties lead to nepotism—elevating people with no heart and skills in public service into power.
Indeed, it is time for us to have an Anti-Political Dynasty Law, and the first step to achieve this is to elect leaders who will not place the interests of political dynasties over the welfare of the Filipinos.
Hello, Karylle!
This article was a pleasure to read, as it not only covers one of the most significant issues in the political landscape of the Philippines, but it also resonates with me. As someone from the province, I have noticed a pattern of the same family names since I was a little kid. In fact, their projects—such as basketball courts, barangay halls, and waiting sheds—have really swamped our province with surnames that are modeled after them. I truly agree with your observation that elections have become mere formalities for transferring power from one family member to another.
Furthermore, I believe it is a worthwhile addition to discuss local politics in conjunction with the national level, as they are responsible for determining the local scene and solidifying their areas of authority. This may have been a critical factor when national-level politicians sought to influence their respective areas. The local political dynasty has the ability to consolidate power at a much faster pace than the national level, as they are the ones who hold nearly all of the power within specific localities.
I like how you ended your article by highlighting the passage of the Anti-Political Dynasty Law because I believe that this is the most important step for our political system and political landscape to change and become more pro-people, as well as to foster the flourishing of our democracy by giving other candidates a chance who have been running but have not been given an opportunity to serve the people due to the power that these political dynasties wield.