Enrile dismisses criticism of dynasties as son Jack prepares for Senate run

If President Aquino can do it, so can his son Jack, according to Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, as he defended his son's inclusion in the UNA senatorial line-up.  "My God, why do you deny my son the right to use my name?" the octogenarian Enrile replied to a question about a possible Enrile dynasty in the Senate. "In the same way the President is not denied the use of his name because of his father and mother. What is the difference?" Cagayan Rep. Juan "Jack" Ponce Enrile Jr., 54, is seeking a Senate seat in an election where 12 out of the 20 senatorial bets from the two biggest coalitions come from known political families. Jack is Senator Enrile's only son. The elder Enrile vigorously defended his son in his newly launched memoir from persistent rumors that Jack had actor Alfie Anido killed in the 1970s after the latter had a quarrel with his then-girlfriend Katrina, Jack's sister.  In an interview with Howie Severino on GMA's News To Go, the elder Enrile said: "I'm not making him (Jack) a senator. The people will be the one, if they want... They are the ones who invest with him the power of a senator, not me." Article II Section 26 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states: "The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law."   Since the ratification of the Charter, however, Congress has yet to pass an enabling law defining "political dynasties." Other senatorial candidates in 2013 with familiar last names include newcomers Bam Aquino and Grace Poe-Llamanzares. Bam Aquino is a first cousin of President Aquino, while Llamanzares is the daughter of the late Fernando Poe Jr., who ran in the 2004 presidential elections. One could argue that since Poe lost that election to Gloria Arroyo and had never occupied an elective seat, his daughter is not part of a dynastic tradition.  UNA's big three – Vice President Jejomar Binay, former President Joseph Estrada, and Senate President Enrile – all have children running for the Senate under UNA: Binay daughter Nancy Binay, Estrada son JV Ejercito, and Jack Enrile. — Mandy Fernandez/LBG/HS, GMA News