PCIJ Newsletter: Political clans rule Philippine cities, too

The Philippines has 149 cities. PCIJ’s research shows that at least 75% — or seven in every 10 cities — are ruled by political clans.

Davao City, the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land area, has been ruled by the family of former President Rodrigo Duterte for over two decades. The former president himself is running in the May 2025 midterm elections in the hope to return to the City Hall.

We will witness the return of the rivalry between Duterte and the city’s other influential political clan — the Nograleses — after the two families, with a long history of bitter political feud, reconciled before Duterte won the presidency in 2016.

Duterte is running against his former Civil Service Commission chair Karlo Nograles, the son of the late former House Speaker Prospero Nograles.

We invite you to read our latest report on political dynasties in Philippine cities. We hope you can share them on your newspapers, websites, and social media pages. Click the link to access the files.

113 out of 149 Philippine cities also ruled by political dynasties

All cities in the National Capital Region are ruled by political clans, PCIJ’s research shows.

Binay clan members have long controlled Makati City. In May, we will once again see an intra-family rivalry in the city’s mayoral race. Outgoing Senator Nancy Binay is running against Makati City Rep. Luis Campos, the husband of her sister, outgoing mayor and senatorial candidate Abigail Binay.

The Aguilars of Las Piñas, Abaloses of Mandaluyong, Tiangcos of Navotas, Cayetanos of Taguig, Gatchalians of Valenzuela, and Belmontes of Quezon City have long ruled their cities, too. Either the incumbent mayors are running for re-election or their family members are seeking to replace them.

We started PCIJ’s series on political dynasties in the Philippines in October 2024, after the filing of certificates of candidacy for the May elections. This report completes our count of political clans in various positions in government: Senate, House of Representatives, provincial capitols, and city halls.

But our reporting on the country’s political dynasties will continue. Next, we will be focusing on select provinces and families.

Here are our reports in the series so far:

PCIJ has also been monitoring developments in the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or BARMM. These elections are supposed to take place simultaneously with the May 2025 midterm elections, but Congress members have pushed to postpone them.

In December 2024, the House of Representatives passed a bill postponing the BARMM elections to May next year. In the Senate, the proposal is still pending final approval.

A Senate committee has approved the postponement of the BARMM elections to August 2025 or just three months after May polls. We are told this is not the final word on the matter.

Everyone’s waiting for the decision of Congress. The impasse has disrupted election preparations and voter information drive. The Senate is expected to debate the issue in plenary tonight, January 27.

Follow our tracker for updates. If you haven’t yet, read the BARMM polls explainer we published in November 2024 to understand what is at stake.

We invite you to follow PCIJ’s social media accounts to stay updated on our latest reports.

Maraming salamat!