Voting for political dynasties

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

POLITICAL dynasties, with or without the provision in the Constitution prohibiting it, will likely remain with us for a long time, and that’s because it’s they who decide what’s good for them.

Unknown to many, Sen. Ping Lacson filed a bill in last Congress defining a political dynasty that would have served as the implementing guideline if it had been passed.

The bill prohibits members of a family up to 3^nd consanguinity (or 4^th?) to be elected and to occupy posts of mayor, vice mayor, councilor at the same time on any given term, and including congressman in the districts where relatives have been elected as mayors, etc, and governor in provinces where relatives serve as congressmen or board members.

Need I say the senate bill did not have a counterpart bill in the House of Representatives?

* * * * *

Before political dynasties became the norm, political families in the 50s-60s usually had only one member who earnestly pursued a life in public office. Often, that member was the poorest of the lot.  The politico’s siblings who chose to become doctors, engineers, teachers were definitely better off.  Those who stayed in public office yet managed to enrich themselves were almost always known to be behind jueteng operations to support their lifestyles.

Until the early 70s, seeing re-electionists among congressmen for more than two terms were rare. Anyone who did in those times were perceived to be foolish and naive. The re-electionists, however, among city and town officials, were of a different breed. They were those who “dedicated” themselves to public service as a career… incredibly rich in influence, deemed impoverished by the banking standards. For their “dedication and commitment” they were generally deeply respected. But there was no economic future for them except perhaps the enormous psychic income they derived from their constituents, i.e., being invited as guest speaker, seeing their names on welcome streamers, lionized during public meetings, served the best food on the best table in the house, being seated beside a local beauty, having garlands around their necks everyday, etc.

The day the flag of the pork barrel was raised in Congress in the early 80s as the response to national negligence in developing infrastructure in the countryside was the day political dynasties came into being.  Over the years, more members of political families saw opportunities to make public service finally a lucrative economic venture.  As in any business activity, organizations were created, logistics were provided to keep a seat in Congress to be entitled to have access to pork barrel that promised then a modest 10-15% kickback in project costs. (The going kickback rate today is 30-45%!).

And when the Internal Revenue Allotment, courtesy of the 1991 Local Government Code, came into being, the creation of political dynasties became the logical end. Elected officials of local government units, like their congressmen, began to have access to bonanza funds from the national government. Suddenly, there’s no business like political business.

Then the expansion of political dynasties became a long-term business objective when the Constitution limited terms of office of elected officials. When a son/ daughter reaches the maximum term, the father or the mother is asked to substitute for one term to allow the son/daughter eligible for another nine-year term.  It was necessary to protect the families’ returns on their organizational investments. Today, it is common to see members of families doing a round-robin over several posts – from governor to congressman, mayor to councilor, etc.  – with the intent of keeping their fingers inside the public kitty while protecting their organizational assets.

The question that begs a qualification is: are political dynasties a good or bad thing? While the general perception is political dynasties are about greed, arrogance, power and official thievery, there are a number political families in our midst who, by the Constitution’s definition, are political dynasties yet are exemplary in their activities and service to the public. They are the members of the family who selflessly find self-satisfaction in public service and consciously emulate each other’s members’ impressive performances.

What clouds the integrity of all political dynasties, however, is the fact that they are generally wealthy and are presumed to have had tainted sources of income.

Tomorrow, we will be electing /re-electing members of political dynasties who rule the province, districts, towns and cities. Good luck to all of us! May their kind be the good ones this time.

* * * * *

INEFFICIENT SERVICE. Local subscribers to Digitel phone service in Pangasinan are getting frustrated over its worsening inefficiency and unreliability.  One of them is my sister, a San Fabian resident, who had complained about a sudden interruption and was constantly assured by the Digitel office in Dagupan City of an early restoration of the service.

It took three weeks before Digitels’ technician finally appeared at her front door to respond to the complaint.

What makes Digitel so unreliable that it thinks it can treat its customers shabbily? The answer perhaps lies in the “2-year lock-in” provision in Digitel’s contract that compels prospective customers to agree to if they want a phone service.  It penalizes the trapped subscriber if the latter terminates the service before the 2-year lock-in period lapses.

Most phone subscribers would normally not find this condition (also required by PLDT as well) abominable because they presume that the phone company promises reliable and efficient service for the duration of the lock-in period. Alas, that is not the case with Digitel. Reliability of the company and the efficiency of their service appear to be the farthest from the minds of the company’s personnel in the province.

This type of inefficiency is alien to the culture of work ethic of the tireless Gokongwei family. I know that for a fact because I had the privilege of working with them closely. I am appalled that the work force here is giving the wrong impression about the family.

Back to Homepage

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments