Family Ties

With barely six months to go before what many call as one of the most important electoral process in this country's history, one question behooves us,"will there really be change?".

We pose that dangling question like the Damocles sword over the heads of every Filipino in the light of recent developments not only because of the Maguindanao massacre involving a Muslim political dynasty in Mindanao but also of the fact that there is a growing number of familiar surnames in the list of candidates from the lowest ranked town councilor up to the highest position of government.

Julio Tehankee, a fellow of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism wrote in 2007 that there are 160 families domination Congress in more than a century( And the clans played on,www.pcij,org).

The PCIJ pointed out that "for decades political families, not political parties has been the most significant force behind Philippine politics; elections are exercises or tests of the political clout of political families if not mere bitter contests with rival clans."

In Negros Occidental alone, there are many familiar surnames in the ballot in 2010. Political families in the province have seen a recent resurgence and many of them are running unopposed. In the mountain town of Salvador Benedicto the father is a member of the provincial board, the eldest son is the town mayor and the mayor, the former mayor is now her son's vice mayor. In the province' sixth district, the outgoing congressman is running for vice governor and her lawyer-daughter will try to replace him in the position.

Many a study of Philippine political culture have a come to a conclusion that our politics is based on patronage where the Filipino in terms of his political choices, is guided not by abstract principles like democracy or ideology but personal relationships where he can reap benefits that he or or his family wants.

It is this political reality that many of the political oligarchs in the Philippines take advantage especially in the local arena where they consider their constituents as their fiefdoms ready to bow down to their wishes. These power elites believe that it only their family that can bring development to the people. But these are not development in the context that it has a long term impact in the life of the people, but rather, development in the micro sense, that is the despensing of favors to gain blind loyalty.

The story is as old as pre- Spanish history. But the facts still hold true. Members of political families make a musical chair out of government posts every election time to protect there economic interests if not cover their tracks.

To the question we posed earlier," will there be change?". The answer still lies deep in the hearts and minds of those who will vote in 2010- US.