Political dynasties in the Philippines
The Philippine political structure is an oligarchy under the control of a few notable families. The term coined by Filipinos to describe this practice is ""Political dynasty"".One can trace its roots from the Spanish colonial times where favored families of the mestizo stock, or the illustrados were given responsibilities of gobernadorcillo, or alcalde. As such, these men have wielded some influence in their communities, and patronage politics was a common undertaking. This phenomenon continued well into American rule of the Philippine Islands, as Illustrados were integrated into the democratic process introduced by the Philippine Bill of 1902. During this period, family names such as Cojuangco, Lopez, Marcos, OsmeƱa and Aquino started to emerge, names which are now household names in the present day.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.""Many have called for the Congress to pass the Anti-Dynasty Law, but this bill has been passed over by each Congress since 1987. Some have pointed that oligarchy is the root problem of all the corruption in the Philippine government.Despite the entry of the Party List System in the 11th Congress, the proportion of lawmakers with relatives in elective positions have remained the same in the post-Marcos political scene. The table below illustrates the percentage:Political scientist Dante Simbulan, in a study of the elites of Philippine politics from 1946 to 1963 lists 169 prominent families. These families have produced 584 public officials, including seven Presidents, two Vice Presidents, 42 Senators, and 147 Representatives. The tables below outlines the demographics of families in politics.In the 9th Congress of the Philippines:In the 11th Congress of the PhilippinesIn the 12th Congress of the PhilippinesIn the 14th Congress of the Philippines (from July 23, 2007 to June 4, 2010), it was surveyed that more than 75% of the lawmakers are members of the old political families.