POLITICAL DYNASTIES IN THE

PHILIPPINES
Readings in Philippine History
• Political dynasties have long been a feature of
the Philippine political landscape. They are
typically characterized as families that have
established their political or economic
dominance in a province and have
coordinated efforts to move on to
involvement in national government or other
positions of national political that treats
people prominence.
 What is Political Dynasty
• Political dynasties refer to family units with
members involved in government activities.

In the Philippines, political dynasties refer to

groups of politicians who come from the same
family.
This can occur in two ways.

• For members of a family to occupy a same

certain government position in every term.

• For a number of family members to occupy

government positions at the same time.
Philippine Laws
• The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines states
in Article II Section 26: "The State shall
guarantee equal access to opportunities for
public service, and prohibit political dynasties
as may be defined by law."
• On January 24, 2011, Senator Miriam
Defensor Santiago filed Senate Bill 2649 which
prohibits political dynasties from holding or
running for elected local government
positions
• ISangguniang Kabataan Reform Law (Republic Act
No. 10742) was signed into law which made
some significant changes to the Sangguniang
Kabataan (SK). It changed the age of the council
from 15 to 17 years old to 18 to 24 years old and
it forbids individuals from seeking a youth council
appointment who are closer than the second
degree of consanguinity (have the same
grandparents) from any elected or appointed
official in the same area.
• Thefirst Philippine law with an anti-political
dynasty restriction for elected positions, as
permitted by the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
5 Negative Effects of Political
Dynasties
• Anti Democracy
• Anti- Political Party System
• Abuse of Power, Political
Violence & Corruption
• Anti-Family
• Hinders Economic Progress
Statistics of Philippine Political
Dynasties
• In the years 1995-2007, an average of 31.3% of all
ongressmen.
• 23.1% of Governors were replaced by ‘’relatives.’’

The term "relative" here referring to anyone with a

familial connection such as a wife, a son or
daughter, a cousin, etc. In many of these cases,
the people who would eventually go on to take
their place had no previous political background
or experience save their familial connection.
• In a study done in 2012 by economists Beja,
Mendoza, Venida, and Yap, it was estimated
that 40% of all provinces in the Philippines
have a provincial governor and congressman
that are related in some way.
• 2014 study done by Querubin of the
Department of Politics in New York University
indicated that an estimate 50-70% of all
politicians are involved or associated in a
political dynasty within the Philippines,
including local government units.
Notable Philippine Political
Families
Ampatuan
• The family's patriarch, Andal Ampatuan Sr.,
was elected Governor of Maguindanao in
2001.
• His sons, Andal Ampatuan Jr. and Zaldy
Ampatuan, were the former mayor and
governor of ARMM respectively.
• 80 members of the Ampatuan family ran for
governmental positions during the 2013
elections
The Estrada political family began with Joseph
"Erap" Ejercito Estrada, who began as a
successful film actor.
• Mayor of San Juan from 1969 to 1986,
• Senator from 1987 to 1992, and vice president
from 1992 to 1998.
• 13th President of the Philippines. During his
term, Estrada's wife and First Lady, Loi Estrada,
served as senator.
• Many other members of the Estrada family
are still active in politics, particularly in San
Juan. Among these are his sons, Jinggoy
Estrada and JV Ejercito, who both served as
Mayor of San Juan.
Marcos
• The Marcoses are one of the most well-known
political families in the Philippines. The
dynasty started with Mariano Marcos, a
lawyer from Ilocos Norte who was a member
of the House of Representatives back in
1925. Ilocos remains to be the Marcoses’
political stronghold today.
• Ferdinand Marcos, son of Mariano Marcos.
Ferdinand is one of the most controversial
figures in Philippine history, due to his
declaration of martial law and the numerous
alleged human rights violations and alleged
rampant corruption of public funds during his
rule.
• Imelda Marcos, wife of Ferdinand and former
first lady, is currently a district representative
of the second district of Ilocos Norte.
• Imee Marcos, is a governor of Ilocos Norte.
• Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., was a
former senator who was a candidate for vice
president in the 2016 national elections.
The Marcoses currently cannot set foot in any
United States territory because of a
‘’contempt ju.’’
Human Rights in the Philippines
• Human rights in the Philippines pertains to
the concept, practice of human rights within
the Philippine archipelago. The concept of
"human rights," in the context of the
Philippines, pertains mainly (but is not limited)
to the civil and political rights of a
person[1] living in the Philippines by reason of
the 1987 Philippines Constitution.
 What is Human Rights
• Human rights are a justified set of claims that
set moral standards to members of the human
race, not exclusive to a specific community or
citizenship.[3] Membership in the human race
is the sole qualification to obtain these rights.
Practices of human rights
The Labor Code is the legal code governing employment
practices and labor relations in the Philippines. The Labor
Code stipulates standards in terms of wages and
monetary benefits, hours of work, leaves, rest days,
holiday pays, and benefits, among others.
 Labor Code Practices
• Wages and monetary benefits
• Hours of work
• Rest Day
• Leave
• Employment of Women
Wages and monetary benefits
• Minimum Wage
Remunerations or earnings paid by an employer
to an employee for service rendered are called
wages. Article 99 of the Labor Code of the
Philippines stipulates that an employer may
go over but never below minimum wage.
Paying below the minimum wage is illegal.
• Thirteenth Month Pay
According to Presidential Decree No. 851, an
employer is mandated by law to give his
employees thirteenth month pay.
• Retirement Pay
Philippine Labor Code states that, the retiring
age of an employee is sixty (60) years or more
but not beyond sixty-five (65) years. The
retiring employee who has served at least five
(5) years in the said establishment shall be
entitled to retirement.
Hours of work
• Normal Hours of Work
- The normal hours of work of an employee shall
not exceed eight (8) hours a day.
• Overtime Work
– states that any work that exceeds eight (8) hours
is considered overtime work. This is legal provided
that the employee is paid for the overtime work.
• Night Shift Differential
– Article 86 of the Philippine Labor Code explains
that the night shift is between ten o'clock in the
evening and six o'clock in the morning.
Rest Day
• Weekly Rest Day
Holiday Pay
• Special Non-Working Holiday Pay
• Regular Holiday Pay
- states that a worker shall be paid his regular
daily wage during regular holidays whether or
not the employee goes to work. The employer
can require an employee to work on any
holiday but the employee must be paid an
amount double his regular wage
Leave
• Service Incentive Leave
– states that if an employee has given at least one
(1) year of service, he shall be entitled to a yearly
service incentive leave of five (5) days with pay.
• Paternity Leave
– Republic Act No. 8187, otherwise known as the
"Paternity Leave Act of 1996". RA 8187 states that
a married male employee is allowed to take 7 days
off work with full pay for the first four deliveries.
• Maternity Leave
Employment of women
• Facilities for Women
- Provide seats proper for women and let them use these seats
when they are free from work or during work hours provided
that they can perform their duties in this position without
sacrificing efficiency.
- Establish separate toilet rooms for men and women and
provide at least a dressing room for women.
• Discrimination
– states that a woman cannot be paid a lesser
compensation than a man for work of equal value.
– Favoring a male employee over a female employee
with regard to promotion, training opportunities,
study, scholarship grants based on only their sexes is
also illegal.
• Prohibited Acts
– Based on Article 137 the employer is not allowed
to:
• Deprive any woman employee of any of the
benefits
• Terminate a woman because of her pregnancy
while on leave or in confinement due to it.
• Discharge or refuse the admission of such
woman from returning to her work for fear that
she may again be pregnant.
Benefits
• Social Security Benefits
– "The Social Security Program provides a package of
benefits in the event of death, disability, sickness,
maternity, and old age. A worker, whether regular or
casually employed is entitled to these benefits.
• PhilHealth Benefits
– "The National Health Insurance Program (NHIP),
formerly known as Medicare, is a health insurance
program for SSS members and their dependents
whereby the healthy subsidize the sick who may find
themselves in need of financial assistance when they
get hospitalized. Employees of the public and private
sector are covered by these benefits.