Newsbreak Chats: Keeping power within families

MANILA, Philippines – In a country of 110 million people, with more than 18,000 elected positions available, major or strategic ones are occupied by members of less than 200 families.

As presidential candidates go around the provinces courting votes for the 2022 Philippine elections, they inevitably have to deal with these families that have a great deal of influence over entire provinces, congressional districts, cities, and key municipalities.

Among the candidates for president and vice president, at least four come from political dynasties: Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Sara Duterte, Vicente Sotto III.

And whoever wins at the national level, most of the political dynasties will stay entrenched in their localities, a number of them predictably transferring affiliation to the next ruling party.

So much talk about the “inclusivity” of the electoral process and the “participation” of ordinary people in democratic governance.

How do public offices become available to more people outside this exclusive circle?

Meanwhile, the 2022 campaigns are witnessing the rise of organized volunteer movements across the country. Supporters of presidential candidate Leni Robredo are being coordinated by what are called RPCs or Robredo People’s Councils, mounting rallies and doing house-to-house campaigning in localities where their candidate doesn’t have the support of traditional political families.

Will this give rise to a sustained people’s movement that can make elected officials listen to them even after the elections? Or will the new leaders raised by such volunteer movements eventually establish their own political families?

Rappler investigative editor Miriam Grace Go will discuss these and more on Thursday, March 31, with our journalists producing our series on political dynasties.

Hear from Regions head Inday Espina-Varona, Visayas bureau coordinator Ryan Macasero, and Mindanao bureau coordinator Herbie Gomez on Thursday at 4 pm. – Rappler.com

Read the other stories in our Political Dynasties 2022 series:

Overview