It was Holy Thursday. The noise from electoral campaigns was hushed, but no one could quiet the multicolored tarpaulins of politicians, flouncing and flapping as we breezed through the road.
“Wala namang binago dito (nothing has changed here),” our tricycle driver told us as we made our way to a public market in a Batangas town in April.
Kuya Ramon’s opinions couldn’t be silenced by the campaign ban, either. The May 12 elections was just a few weeks away. He was hoping for some changes in his town.
Their mayor, he said, has done little to make basic needs accessible and affordable in his nine-year reign. Ramon refuses to vote for the local chief executive, who is seeking the vice mayoral seat in the May 12 midterm elections, or his daughter, a municipal councilor vying for her father’s seat.
The transport worker wants a better future for his family and hometown. The political dynasty that has ruled his town for decades, he said, offered no hope.
It is a familiar sentiment, one I observed through readers’ enraged comments after the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) published stories about the rise of obese dynasties and the continued dominance of political clans over gubernatorial, congressional, and mayoral seats.
Everyone is so corrupt. Running for office has become a money-making venture
“Everyone is so corrupt. Running for office has become a money-making venture,” one commenter said.
Studies have shown that when members of the same clan hold multiple government posts, checks and balances are weakened. In this environment, misuse of public funds is common.
Political clans can also craft policies to favor themselves, experts said. This is how Filipinos are deprived of even the most basic services, becoming the biggest losers.
Both online and offline, the call to challenge political dynasts has gained momentum. A recent survey shows about three in five Filipinos favor candidates who support the passage of an anti-dynasty law.
On Monday, May 12, we have a chance to break the grip of political clans in the country.
How should we choose the candidates to vote for? It’s not always an easy decision, so I asked a few people to weigh in on some possible dilemmas.
1. Support promising non-dynastic candidates
Each voter is expected to vote for 12 senatorial candidates, one party list group, one congressional representative and a series of local officials. When faced with the option of choosing between a promising non-dynastic candidate and a dynastic one, champion the former.
This is the plea of election reform advocate lawyer Eirene Aguila to voters.
“Kapag naghahalal tayo, isipin natin: sino ba ang gusto natin diyang magsilbi sa atin? Sino diyan ang ilalagay ang kapakanan ko bago ang kapakanan ng anak niya, bago ang hanapbuhay at masarap na buhay ng pamilya niya?” she said in an interview with PCIJ.
(“When we elect our leaders, let’s think: who do we want to serve us? Who among them will prioritize my welfare over his children’s, over the lifestyle of his family?”)
While famous family names dominate the top 12 spots of many election surveys, voters should consider lesser known candidates — among them labor leaders and women’s right advocates — with greater platforms than more popular bets.
Picking a party list group could be trickier since their ties to dynasties may not be as obvious. Checking out stories that expose these ties can help voters assess and choose a group.
The goal is to pack the Senate and the House of Representatives with more principled non-dynastic candidates. This way, there are better chances of enacting a robust anti-dynasty law.
2. What if all candidates belong to dynasties?
What about local positions where all candidates belong to a dynasty? This is the case in some towns and cities.
For Aguila, looking at the track record of these candidates could set apart the “better” individual for the voter.
What if a voter really believes in the leadership of a dynast? After all, there have been political clan members known for their progressive policies. And just because a candidate is a non-dynast, that does not automatically mean that he or she has Filipinos’ best interests at heart.
If this is the case, Aguila hoped that the voter could refrain from choosing other members from the dynast’s family.
“Maaring yung mahusay yung tao na miyembro ng dinastiya. Pero kapag marami na sila, hindi ata kapakanan ko ang mangunguna. Magiging kapakanan ng pamilya,” she said.
(One member of a dynasty may be remarkable. But when there are many of them, I don’t think my interests will come first. It will be the interests of the family.)
3. What if the dynasties are unopposed?
And yet, there’s another scenario — how do we deal with unopposed dynastic candidates?
Unfortunately, there is no realistic voting strategy for this case. They only need one vote to win the elections.
Uprooting an entrenched system won’t happen overnight. Even if some dynasties are ousted after May 12, many are still expected to secure national and local seats, and new dynasties may still emerge.
Our vote is powerful on election day, but our power doesn’t end there. It extends well beyond it.
The salaries of winning politicians come from our hard-earned taxes. We should demand the services we deserve. What more if an entire clan is sustained by public funds?
It is this sustained clamor that will help us secure affordable rice, clean and reliable water, sturdy traffic barriers, and other essential services. For Kuya Ramon, only then might he finally see the change he hopes for his family and hometown. — PCIJ.org