Political daughters, sons want to move away from parents’ shadow

By Alex P. Vidal

“True independence and freedom can only exist in doing what’s right.” BRIGHAM YOUNG

Daughters and sons of prominent political figures who are running for public office are under pressure to prove they deserve to be elected into public office on their own merits, competence and qualifications, not because they are offspring of political figures with name-recall advantages.

These children of political behemoths want to paddle their own canoes and establish their own standards and styles of governance. They want to prove that on their own, they can institute social and political reforms and accelerate the standards of public service to the higher level sans the spoon-feeding support from their more experienced parents.

Many of them are vying for local and national positions and are determined to follow the footsteps of their parents and continue the family legacy in politics. Some of them are in politics either because they have been inspired and motivated by the quality of leadership instituted by their parents or because of the volition of their parents who don’t want certain positions to transfer to other political dynasties in their provinces and districts.

VACATE

Some of these political parents are aware that if they vacate the positions and allow other families or political rivals to occupy or “borrow” them for the next four years, their chances of regaining back the positions are nil. In our society, once certain political families have tasted power, it’s hard to live without it; and some dominant political families will move heaven and earth to retain the power by hook or by crook.

In the absence of qualified children, some politicians tap their wives or husband or even brothers and sisters. The objective is to keep certain positions for other members of the household to occupy and turn them over the next members of the families after another term of office has expired. And so on and so forth. The primary goal actually is to build a political empire to be ruled by members of the dynasty for the next generation.

DOMINANCE

The political dominance of certain families is actually against the constitution. in The 1987 Constitution, Section 26, Article II, provides that the State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined law.

The reality shows that politics in the Philippines have been under the control of a few notable families and several attempts by serious lawmakers to file the anti-dynasty law have proven to be unsuccessful due to lack of interest and support from the lawmakers themselves who are also interested to perpetuate their families in power.