Dr. Noemi L. Ibo, Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Prof. Emilio C.

Valenzuela, Head of the Political Science Department, Dr. Rosemary T. Frias, Subject Professor, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. First of all, I would like to commend your group for coming up with an activity of this sort. A discussion on the issue pertaining to political dynasties is indeed timely and relevant, not only because you are political science students, but because as members of the electorate, you have to make informed decisions comes May 2013. And, yes, your vote, your choice, matters. That is why it is truly a privilege to be a part of this undertaking, and this early, let me thank you already. I really am excited to begin with my presentation, but I cant help but to be a little sentimental. Please bear with me. Like you, I also walked the halls of this prestigious institution, got mentored by the finest instructors and got away with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Social Work. These walls even bore witness to my undying love for my ex-girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend coz she is now my wife. Its really great to be here! Slide 1 Going back, and as you can see, I will be sharing with you some perspectives on a decades-old issue which has just been resurrected yet again and is finally getting the attention it deserves. Political dynasties have long existed even in democracies. In his writings way back in 1896, Mosca argued that even when political positions are open to all, a family tied to those already in power would confer advantages. Also, in 1911, Michels stated that the leadership, once elected, would entrench itself to power. Slide 2 Being so, I would like to open this up by giving to you a statement from the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. I surely would want to expound on this, but I am convinced the picture has done that for me, in a much clever way, I must say. Slide 3 Even so, it would surely help if we can take a look at some useful definitions of what a political dynasty is, as can be found from www.thefreedictionary.com Notice the keywords therein family, rulers or leaders and succession or sequence. Slide 4 Here are also some quotes from the writings of Dr. Jose V. Abueva and Orlando P. Carvajal. As we all can see, these definitions explicitly relates dynasties to government and, yes, politics. So does the definition offered by Wikipedia. Oligarchy. What does this mean? I think I missed this out in my research, can anybody from the group tell me what oligarchy means? (government by the few; a government in which a small group exercises control, especially for corrupt and selfish purposes).

Thus, by associating political dynasty with oligarchy, we are given a hint as to the reason for establishing such dynasties. Slide 5 Under Philippine laws, however, there is no definition of what a political dynasty is. Yes, political dynasty is prohibited under our Constitution, but there is still no law that implements this provision, an enabling law supposed to be enacted by Congress. Article II, Section 26 imposes upon the state the obligation of guaranteeing equal access to public office, but left the task of defining political dynasty at the hands of Congress. History now tells us that Congress has fared really bad on this task. Slide 6 But in the 15th Congress of the Philippines, some legislators had the guts, yet again, to propose measures that will end political dynasties in our country. Foremost of whom is Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. We all know that with her intelligence, courage and candor, Sen. Santiago has made a handful of enemies. But did you know what she has to say about her adversaries? Sana birthday candle ka na lang. Bakit? Para habang pinapatay kita, pumapalakpak sila! Slide 7 Representative Teodoro Casio of the BayanMuna Partylist, along with other colleagues in the House of Representatives, has proposed a parallel bill in the lower house and has offered the following definition: Yes, the battle against political dynasties is a tedious, uphill climb. Thus, it may take a long time before any legislation can be passed. For the meantime, we just have to live with these realities.