Carmela S. Fonbuena
PCIJ Executive Director
We launched our series on political dynasties in October 2024 after our social media feeds were flooded with images of political clans posing with their relatives in government—lined up, certificates of candidacy in hand.
PCIJ’s maps of district seats, governors, and city mayors show that the country’s elected positions are dominated by members of political clans. The same political families have also swarmed the party-list seats.
Our latest package of reports offers hope. We looked into instances where political dynasties fall from power.
Click the links below to read the reports. We hope you can share them on your websites and social media pages. The materials are here.
TJ Burgonio’s two-part series shows that even mighty dynasties fall, such as the Laurel political clan, which is now practically “defunct.”
There are several ways dynasties can fade away. In the case of the Laurels, it was a “failure of dynastic succession,” according to Julio Teehankee, a political science professor who has authored several studies on political clans in the Philippines.
Dynasties also fall from power when voters say “enough.” Part 2 of Burgonio’s report looked at the dismantling of dynasties in Leyte, Cainta, and Pasig.
Even the mightiest political dynasties fall silent—and fade away
When voters say ‘enough’: Dynasties in Leyte, Cainta and Pasig fall from power
Electoral defeats of political clans do not always end their rule in the country’s provinces, towns, and cities. Many have managed to successfully return to power.
But in Pasig City, the Eusebio political dynasty has not returned to power since Mayor Vico Sotto defeated the family.
A separate piece written by Arjan Aguirre, assistant professor at the Ateneo De Manila University, shows how the young politician is redefining local leadership.
Dismantling a dynasty: Vico Sotto is redefining local leadership
Aguirre wrote: “What makes Sotto an interesting case also is the fact that he bears a popular surname that is already a household name and even connected to an existing dynasty in Quezon City. But we should not forget that he chose to run a campaign seriously by joining and eventually creating a political party, building his network of organizations and volunteers, offering and realizing his platforms of government through an impressive educational background and deep experience in public service, among other things.”
Please help us amplify them by posting on your websites and social media platforms. And let us know what you think!
Maraming salamat po.
