Political families dominate all levels of government

Almost 30 years after the ratification of the 1987 Constitution, its provision requiring Congress to pass a law prohibiting political dynasties has yet to be followed.

Without the enabling measure, political families have through the years overrun all elective posts, from the presidency to barangay kagawad.  

GMA News Research’s database on political families identifies more than 600 political families after the 2013 election.

(GMA News Research defines members of political families as those government officials with at least one relative who has been elected and/or appointed to office in the past and/or is currently holding a government post, including barangay officials.)

In the House of Representatives of the 16th Congress, which is currently deliberating on an anti-political dynasty bill, 75 percent of the members came from clans whose members held or are holding elective and appointive posts.

That’s 218 out of the 290 district and party-list representatives.

Eight of 10 district representatives belong to political families. They comprise 195 out of 234 district representatives.

Among party-list representatives, it’s four out of 10—23 of 56 are members of political families.

Among the congressmen themselves, 41 are related to each other.

There are four pairs of siblings (Garin, Gatchalian, Plaza, Rodriguez), three pairs of spouses (Albano, Dimaporo, Villar) and four uncle-nephew pairs (Amatong, Belmonte, Ortega, Singson).

Also present are aunt-nephew pairs (Marcos-Romualdez, Ledesma-Arenas) and six in-law pairs (Marcos-Tiangco, Garin-Cari, Cojuangco, del Rosario-Lagdameo, Hataman, Noel).

There is a mother-child pair (Arroyo) and a pair of cousins (Garcia-Magsaysay).



Twelve representatives are related to senators. They came from such well-entrenched clans as Angara, BInay, Cayetano, Defensor, Enrile, Escudero, Marcos, Osmeña, Revilla and Villar.



Of the 24 senators, 21 are members of political families. Only Sens. Gringo Honasan, Grace Poe-Llamanzares and Antonio Trillanes do not belong to clans whose members held elective or appointive posts.

President Aquino, of course, is related to the two Cojuangcos in the House—his maternal uncle Tarlac First District Rep. Enrique “Henry” Cojuangco, who died in May, and cousin-in-law Pangasinan Fifth District Rep. Carmen “Kimi” Cojuangco. Sen. Bam Aquino is a cousin.

Rep. Binay is a daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay. Sen. Nancy Binay is a sister.

The first bill banning political dynasties was principally authored by then Sen. Teofisto Guingona in the Eighth Congress (1987-92). It could be the first such proposed legislation after the ratification of the 1987 Constitution. The Senate passed the bill but was snubbed at the House.

Similar bills had been filed before the Senate and the House in the succeeding congresses. -NB, GMA News