13th Congress: 8 in 10 district reps hail from political families

The 1987 Constitution prohibits the emergence of political dynasties. But the provision needs an implementing law. Two decades after, Congress has yet to pass the law, locked in debates on the definition of “political dynasty."

News Research identified at least 210 political families* whose members hold government posts, from councilors to the presidency.

There is at least one political family in almost every province.

Congress after Congress, the House of Representatives is host to the same surnames.

The 13th Congress has at least 166 representatives who are from political families. That’s almost 80 percent of our district representatives--or eight in ten--were from a political bloodline.

It’s a notable increase compared to the 66 percent of the 12th Congress, based on the PCIJ study.

In the present Congress, only 46 district representatives are not from political families.

Some of them, like Quezon City Second District Rep. Mary Ann Susano and Zamboanga City Rep. Erico Basilio Fabian, replaced those who were members of political families.

Table 1. Replacing the clans

Legislative District	12th Congress	13th Congress
Valenzuela City, Second District	Magtanggol T. Gunigundo	Antonio M. Serapio (deceased)
Oriental Mindoro, First District	Charity P. Leviste	Rodolfo G. Valencia
Zamboanga City, Lone District	Celso L. Lobregat	Erico Basilio A. Fabian
Quezon City, Second District	Ismael III G. Mathay	Mary Ann L. Susano
Batangas, Second District	Frank Perez	Hermilando L. Mandanas
Palawan, First District	Vicente A. Sandoval	Antonio C. Alvarez

More than half of the district representatives of the present Congress are re-elected members of political families.

 

In some cases, when one political family goes, another one moves to take its place. Thus some seats have passed on from one political family to another.

Table 2. Members of political families in the 12^th Congress replaced by members of other political families

Legislative District	12th Congress Representative	13th Congress Replacement
Zamboanga del Norte, Third District	Angel M. Carloto	Cesar G. Jalosjos
Mandaluyong City, Lone District	Neptali M. Gonzales II	Benjamin D. Abalos Jr.
Zambales, First District	James J. Gordon Jr.	Ma. Milagros H. Magsaysay
Negros Occidental, First District	Julio A. Ledesma IV	Tranquilino B. Carmona
Leyte, Fourth District	Ma. Victoria L. Locsin	Eufrocino M. Codilla Sr.
Sultan Kudarat, Lone District	Angelo O. Montilla	Suharto T. Mangudadatu
Nueva Vizcaya, Lone District	Carlos M. Padilla	Rodolfo Q. Agbayani
Quezon, Second District	Lynnette A. Punzalan	Proceso J. Alcala
Camarines Sur, Second District	Cho Roco	Luis R. Villafuerte
Nueva Ecija, Fourth District	Raul L. Villareal	Rodolfo W. Antonino

And then there are House seats which are not unlike those at a family dinner table -- truly a family gathering. In the past Congress, at least 26 congressmen fielded their children, siblings, parents and in-laws as replacements.

Parents and children

They include 10 fathers who handed down their posts to a son or daughter--with half of them bearing almost the same names.

Table 3. From father to child

Legislative District	12th Congress Representative	13th Congress Successor	Family held the post uninterrupted since ---
Cavite, First District	Plaridel Abaya	Joseph Emilio Abaya	1995
Isabela, First District	Rodolfo Albano Jr.	Rodolfo Albano III	1969 (but held post from 1957-65)
Negros Occidental, Sixth District	Genaro Alvarez Jr.	Genaro Rafael Alvarez III	1995
Agusan del Norte, Second District	Edelmiro Amante	Ma. Angelica Rosedell Amante	2001 (but held the post in 1987-95)
Laguna, Second District	Joaquin Chipeco Jr.	Justin Chipeco	1995 (but held post in 1961-65, 1969-72, 1987-92)
Biliran, Lone District	Gerardo Espina	Gerardo Espina Jr.	1995
Surigao del Sur, Second District	Jesnar Falcon	Peter Paul Jed Falcon	1995
Bataan, Second District	Enrique Garcia Jr.	Albert Garcia	1995 (but held post in 1987-92)
Iloilo City, Lone District	Raul Gonzalez	Raul Gonzalez Jr.	1995
Negros Occidental, Second District	Alfredo Marañon Jr.	Alfredo Marañon III	1995

Most prominent in the list is the Albanos, the family whose reign in the First District of Isabela remains unbroken since the 1960s.

Patriarch Delfin Albano was congressman of the then Lone District of Isabela from 1957 to 1965. His son Rodolfo Jr. served from 1969 to 1998. Rodolfo Jr.’s son Rodolfo III succeeded him in 1998. Rodolfo Jr. again ran and won in the First District in 2001 before turning over the post again to Rodolfo III in 2004.

Five brothers bequeathed their seats to their siblings.

Table 4. Siblings

Legislative District	12th Congress Representative	13th Congress Successor	Family held the post uninterrupted since --
Pampanga, Fourth District	Juan Pablo Bondoc	Anna York P. Bondoc	1987
Cebu, Fifth District	Joseph Durano	Ramon Durano VI	1949
Cebu, First District	Jose Gullas	Eduardo Gullas	1992 (but held post in 1969-72)
Zamboanga del Norte First District	Romeo Jalosjos	Cecilia Jalosjos-Carreon	1995
Masbate, Third District	Fausto Seachon Jr.	Rizalina Seachon-Lanete	1995

These include Cebu’s Durano family, one of the oldest clans in the country.

The Duranos have been in power since the late 1940s: the career of patriarch Ramon Durano as Cebu’s First District representative spanned six Congresses from 1949 to 1972. His son Ramon III or “Nito" is assemblyman from 1984 to 1986 and congressman of the Fifth District from 1987 to 1998. Ramon III’s son Joseph Felix Mari “Ace" Durano inherited the post in 1998, serving until 2004. He was succeeded by his brother, Ramon “Red" Durano VI.

The Bondocs have held court in the Fourth District of Pampanga since the Eighth Congress. Emigdio served from 1987 to 1998, when he handed down the post to son Juan Pablo. It was Juan Pablo who bestowed the post to sister Anna York in 2004 after serving two terms.

Back to the father

Four children left to pass on their seats to their fathers. Three of them were merely “returning" the post, the parent having served earlier.

Table 5. Members of political families who passed the seat to their fathers

Legislative District	12th Congress Representative	13th Congress Successor	Family held the post uninterrupted since --
Quezon City, Third District	Ma. Theresa Defensor	Matias Defensor Jr.	1995
Camarines Sur, Third District	Felix William Fuentebella	Arnulfo Fuentebella	1992 (but held post in the 1900s and from 1953-72)
Tawi-Tawi, Lone District	Soraya Jaafar	Nur Jaafar	1992
Albay, First District	Krisel Lagman-Luistro	Edcel Lagman	1987

In most cases, the child served as “seat warmers" to their fathers who had served their last term. Both Camarines Sur Third District Rep. Arnulfo Fuentebella and Tawi-Tawi Lone District Rep. Nur Jaafar served three terms from 1992 to 2001. When their term ended, Fuentebella fielded son Felix William while Jaafar fielded daughter Soraya. Both reclaimed the seat in 2004.

Albay First District Rep. Edcel Lagman also served three terms, from 1987 to 1998. He then fielded daughter Krisel Lagman-Luistro, who served two terms before he regained the seat in 2004.

The exception was Quezon City Third District Rep. Matias Defensor, who held no elective post before he replaced daughter Ma. Theresa. The Defensors ruled in the district since 1995 through son Michael.

Conjugal seats

Four representatives in the 12^th Congress passed on their seats to their spouses.

In most cases, the male spouse fielded his wife after finishing three terms -- Abad, Dilangalen and Suarez, whose wife Aleta served only as benchwarmer. Syjuco fielded his wife Judy at the last minute in the 2004 elections.

Table 6. Members of political families who passed the seat to their spouses

Legislative District	12th Congress Representative	13th Congress Successor	Family held the post uninterrupted since ---
Batanes, Lone District	Florencio Abad	Henedina Abad	1995 (but held post in 1987-92, 1962-72)
Maguindanao, First District	Didagen Dilangalen	Baisendig Dilangalen	1995
Iloilo, Second District	Augusto Syjuco	Judy Syjuco	1998
Quezon, Third District	Aleta Suarez	Danilo Suarez	1992

Certain political dynasties even fielded in-laws so as not to break their reign.

The Espinosas have ruled Masbate since the 1930s, beginning from the patriarch Emilio who served in the 10^th Philippine Legislature.

Emilio’s sons, Emilio Jr., Tito and Moises all served as congressmen. Tito turned over the post to wife Vida in 1995. Vida served three terms before handing down the post in 2004 to son-in-law Narciso Bravo Jr., husband of her daughter Ma. Vida. Another in-law who was successfully fielded by a political family was Iloilo First District Rep. Janette Garin. The Garins have held contol over the First District of Iloilo since 1987. After serving three full terms, Oscar Garin fielded his wife Ninfa as seat warmer in the 11^th Congress. Oscar again served in the 12^th Congress before passing the post to daughter-in-law Janette. --with a report from Richard Rodriguez, GMANews.TV
* - This number is correct as of March 19, 2007. News Research is still updating the database of political families.