Why did the dynastic Marcos change his mind about the anti-dynasty bill?

In the early months and up until the first year or so of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s presidency, his official delegation and the first line of the Philippine side in diplomatic engagements were almost always familial. 

Beside him would be his first cousin, then-House speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. Somewhere close by would be his son, Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, then a newbie lawmaker who was also deputy majority floor leader of the 19th Congress. 

In the 19th — and even 20th — Congress, Marcos kin, direct blood relations or those through affinity were aplenty both on the Marcos and Romualdez side. And then, of course, there are Ilocos Norte and Leyte, home provinces of the President’s father and mother, respectively, where the names Marcos and Romualdez abound. 

So there were not just a few raised eyebrows when Malacañang announced on December 9 that an anti-dynasty bill — legislation that would operationalize what’s long been codified in the Constitution — was among Marcos’ priority measures in the 20th Congress. 

The President himself has not actually spoken about his apparent new-found advocacy against clans and dynastic rule in Philippine politics. All announcements had been, thus far, made through Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro. 

Here’s what she had to say on Wednesday, December 10, when asked what prompted Marcos to join the anti-dynasty law push, as well as to endorse bills that would encourage an “open and inclusive” government. 

“Naiiba na po iyong political landscape. Nakikita natin na mayroong mga umabuso na politiko, may nagpapaikot ng batas. [The] public demands a fairer system. Ang nais ng Pangulo ay mas lumakas ang kapangyarihan ng taumbayan at hindi ng iilang mapang-abusong politiko. Nais ng Pangulo na ang taumbayan ay makapamili ng liderato nang naaayon sa merito at hindi sa apelyido,” said Castro in a press briefing. 

(The political landscape is changing. We can see that there are abusive politicians who circumvent the law. The public demands a fairer system. What the President wants is to empower the people and not just a few abusive politicians. The President wants the public to choose leadership based on merit and not just surnames.)

For decades, the Marcos clan has dominated politics in Ilocos Norte — the current governor is Marcos’ aunt through marriage and its vice governor is the son of Marcos’ (politically, and socially?) estranged sister, Senator Imee Marcos. 

Marcos himself has, no doubt, benefited from his dictator-father’s legacy — his 2022 presidential campaign often touched on nostalgia related to his namesake, never mind that his father’s reign was characterized by human rights abuses, nepotism, and corruption in government. 

Two decades later — with exile and a name rehabilitation effort in between — the second Marcos president has fashioned himself as a champion of good governance, particularly amid the flood control corruption controversy that he started. 

Advocates have long pushed for anti-dynasty legislation but it’s been a Sisyphean task — after all, both the House and Senate are dominated by legislators who hail from dynastic political families themselves. 

Will it finally be different this time, under Marcos? The first test will be in the House: Marcos’ son, Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos, as majority leader and chair of the committee on rules, can dictate how fast or slow a proposed measure goes through the legislative process. 

And even then, how will a ban on political dynasties shape up? Will it ban “fat” dynasties, when relatives run for and occupy different elected posts at the same time? Or will it cover even “thin” dynasties, or the succession of a post from one family member to another? Up to which degree of blood relation (or affinity) would the proposed law prohibit to serve in government at the same time? 

Even Castro kept it vague.

“Kaya ang bilin ng Pangulo, aralin itong mabuti para maging tama ang definition ng dynasty.”(The President’s advice is for lawmakers to study the proposed measure closely so a dynasty is correctly defined.)

With his popularity again declining and the biggest crisis to hit his administration yet only threatening to balloon further, the public waits with skepticism and bated breath. – Rappler.com