The ouroboros of Philippine politics

By: Nine

Cartoon by: Klai

They say legends are not told—they are made.

A staggering 80% of Congress hail from an already established lineage of politicians. By definition, political dynasty is a situation wherein members of the same family are occupying elected positions, either in succession or simultaneously across different positions. As politicians, whose supposed primary goal is to alleviate the problems of their respective localities, these dynasties treat their government positions as their heirloom, letting democracy repeatedly elect them to office.

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) reported that, as of January 2025, 113 of the country’s 149 city mayors belong to political dynasties. PCIJ also previously scaled the dominance of these dynasties in congressional districts, party-list groups, and gubernatorial races. With the aforementioned percentage of political dynasties in the national level down to the local government units, it would be easy to assume that they are continually in position because they provide exponential progress.

Yet close to 50% of Filipinos rate themselves as poor, and in 2021, the Philippines ranked third in poverty level amongst the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) countries at 18.1%. To gauge the weight of the standing, poverty levels of the rest of the Asean (apart from Myanmar and Laos) are below 10%. These influential families have entrenched themselves in the country’s political system, posing concerns about limited access to leadership roles, the dissolution of the democratic processes, and the insistence of patronage politics.

Social conditions are a direct repercussion of a dynasty’s actions. The consistent rise of elected officials with extensive familial links to past and present politicians marks a growing inequality in terms of access to power and political influence. In turn, this dominoes into the persistence and prevalence of social and economic divides. Living in a country where stability is an outlier, it is stupefying to know that most political dynasties are “serving” regions with relatively higher poverty levels. While inequality is accounted for by many factors, it is undeniable that the worsening concentration of political power dramatically changes the status quo.

Economically, this dynastic grip ripples. As the same names remain undeterred during the elections, the accumulation of their power can also reduce local economic growth and curbs the provision of good governance. Albeit the stark disproportion between the number of years in power and economic growth, these families continue to prevail. The continued rise in poverty comes from the lack of action by the leaders–failure in governance of these political dynasties despite being in position for years on end.

When the elections continue to venerate legislators who abuse the power they are given, it is crucial to scrutinize a government that is supposed to serve its people. With a system that dates back to the Spanish colonization, it is incredibly difficult to restructure the government with the sheer number of those who hail from a dynasty. They cannot legislate against their own interests. Similarly, they cannot create policies that they do not benefit from. The Villars, one of the most prominent political dynasties, are exemplary of this.

Elitist views, such as those of Sen. Cynthia Villar’s, continue to do more harm than good. Recently, Sen. Villar insisted that the restoration of the National Food Authority’s (NFA) power to purchase palay from local farmers is not necessary. She mentioned that “Inefficiencies in targeting and distribution as NFA has struggled to get rice to the families who need it the most with only 17% poor households benefitted from NFA rice, while nearly 68% were non-poor.” In spite of the Villars’ enduring reign and the obvious lack of empathy, they continue to gall at Philippine politics with Camille Villar securing a senate seat in the 2025 midterm elections. The Villars are only one family amongst the large percentage, because despite not showing significant steps forward, these dynasties continue to win elections by larger margins, likely owed to distinct advantages due to incumbency.

With the conclusion of the midterm elections, the legacy of political dynasties continue, one surname at a time. The Philippines’ chokehold on dynastical politics counters the prohibition of the Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution: “The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.” Nearly four decades since the Constitution had been sanctioned; yet the Congress remains dominated by these dynasties, nullifying the legislation against them. Since its writing, the provision has no law to implement it. This catch-22 broaches the question of who do these families serve: the Philippines or themselves?