Political Dynasty

Abstract

Politics, the activities or works associated with the governance of a country or area. This is also a practice of influencing other people living within a specific place in which the politician is being elected. The politician has the power to govern his area.

Election, in the other hand, is the right and power of the citizens to appoint their chosen persons to govern their land. An act or process of electing people who they think deserves to the position.

In Philippines, election has several types. The election for Executive Branch (also known as National Election) with an interval of 6 years, the election for Legislative Branch (for Senators and House of Representatives) which is happening every 3 years and the Local Election (or Barangay Election) which is happening every 3 years as well.

In this paper, I will discuss the impact of the Political Dynasty here in the Philippines knowing that this is one of the factors that being analyzed during election season. I will cite here (1) how Political Dynasty occurs, (2) what are the good and bad points of this issue today and (3) how this will affect the overall result of governance in the country.

Introduction

The occurrence of political dynasties was believed to be first recorded in the pre-Magellanic period. In his book The Making of a Filipino, Renato Constantino pointed out that “communities at this time were already accustomed to an early form of government and politics.” The pre-colonial society had the datu, raja, and maharlika as rulers and stewards of tribal communities. According to Constantino, their strong familial bonds espoused the development of the leadership and social prestige of this ruling class. Perhaps the datu, raja, and maharlika class served as archetypal models for  the formation of political dynasties in the Philippines.

During the Spanish colonial period,  the term principalia was introduced. The principalia embodied the new kind of local elite. To...