Manila, petition to the Supreme Court against political ‘dynasties'
As the mid-term elections of 12th May approach, a group including former judges and bishops has appealed to the Supreme Court - “the last bastion of democracy” - for intervention against the division of public offices among clans. The ban is in the 1987 Constitution, but Congress has never legislated. The petitioners: ‘An anti-dynasty law must be passed’. The Marcos and Duterte families are the tip of the iceberg of a system.
Rome (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Ban once and for all the ‘political dynasties’ in the Philippines, responsible for economic stagnation and corruption.
A widespread phenomenon, the most striking example of which is President Marcos Jr., son of the former dictator, and his vice-president (now his enemy) Sara Duterte, daughter of the former president.
It is the subject of a petition addressed to the Supreme Court by former judges and other groups in the middle of the campaign for the mid-term elections on 12 May.
The petitioners - including an editor of the 1987 Constitution - accuse Congress of violating the fundamental charter, which expressly called for a ban. But such a ban was never legislated, as it was against the interests of the legislators themselves.
According to the petitioners - who are repeating a request already made in 2012 - the initiative to pass a bill defining ‘political dynasties’ would represent a ‘mandatory ministerial duty’.
They are seeking ‘the help of the last bastion of democracy, this honourable Court, to order Congress to pass an anti-dynasty law as soon as possible’, reads the text presented yesterday.
The 1987 Constitution states: ‘The State shall guarantee equal access to public service opportunities and shall prohibit political dynasties’. The request was presented by, among others, former judges of the Philippine Supreme Court Antonio Carpio and Conchita Carpio-Morales.
The data speaks for itself: political clans are literally invading the institutions. After the 2022 elections, a quarter of the Senate was made up of just three families. While in the House, eight out of ten district seats belong to family dynasties.
The current vice-president is Sara Duterte, daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, former president from 2016 to 2022 - now in custody in The Hague, accused of crimes against humanity for his ‘war on drugs’ - still very popular in the Philippines.
The Tulfo family, mentioned by the petitioners, also represents political stagnation. There could be six of them in the next legislature, including the incumbent senator Raffy Tulfo. An attempt to break the Tulfo political dynasty was deemed ‘insufficient in form’.
The petition urges the Supreme Court to intervene in the case of a serious violation of the Constitution by a legislative body. ‘The phrase “as may be defined by law” (present in Article II, Section 26, ed.) does not give Congress the discretion to refuse to respect this constitutional command.
It simply gives Congress the discretion to define what constitutes a political dynasty,’ the petition continues. According to the signatories - including Bishops Crispin Varquez and Broderick Pabillo - dynasties have over time prevented qualified people from accessing institutions by running for public office.
Members of family clans often do not have the common good at heart. ‘These families that held political power, as demonstrated by their previous curriculum, almost always prioritise policies that benefit their own interests - the petition continues - neglecting the broader development of the community, perpetuating economic inequality and maintaining the dependence of voters on them’.
All these phenomena have led to widespread, deeply rooted poverty, pushing millions of Filipinos to seek their fortune abroad. The Philippines is the Asian country with the greatest income gap. This figure is also motivated by the high assets of political clans, which mark the disparities and shake the democratic foundations.
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