MANILA, Philippines – Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon have taken a strong stand against political dynasties, particularly when family members hold both executive and legislative positions within the same local government.
“When in one local government, the checks and balances are compromised by a dynasty, by people belonging to the same family, then that is not good for our democracy and that is not good for our country in general,” Belmonte said on October 19, Saturday during the Social Good Summit.
“Case in point, if you have a mayor who’s the husband and the vice mayor is the wife, that for me is an absolute no-no,” Belmonte said.
“The vice mayor has to ensure the mayor spends government funds properly and judiciously. If they’re in cahoots with one another, the role of overseeing taxpayer money is compromised.”
She argued that while relatives holding distant positions in different localities may not pose an issue, consolidating power within a single city does not bode well for democracy.
Biazon echoed Belmonte’s sentiments, explaining that the risk arises when a family’s influence crosses executive and legislative boundaries.
“If the keypoint there is that if the family controls or cuts across the different positions of power. Like for example there’s somebody in the executive, there’s some other one in the legislative, most especially in the local government. But if there’s a, not a chance that they could connive to influence policy or in the implementation of programs, that could be a safeguard,” Biazon said.
In the Philippines, the mayor oversees the city’s administration and major projects, while the vice mayor presides over the legislative council. As the head of the council, the vice mayor plays a crucial role in shaping the budget and agenda, managing debates, and building support for specific policies. The mayor, on the other hand, is the one who approves the policies or ordinances by the council.
Although coming from political families, Belmonte and Biazon stressed that there should be regulation on political dynasties. Belmonte’s father, Feliciano Belmonte Jr., served as Quezon City Mayor and Speaker of the House, while Biazon’s father, Rodolfo Biazon, was a senator.
For the 2025 elections, some families are attempting to secure both executive and legislative seats within their cities or provinces.
For instance, Vilma Santos-Recto and her son Luis “Lucky” Manzano are running for governor and vice governor of Batangas, while in Las Piñas, April Aguilar and her mother Imelda Aguilar are running for mayor and vice mayor, respectively.
In Davao City, former President Rodrigo Duterte wanted to reclaim the mayoral seat, while his son, incumbent local chief executive Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, is eyeing the vice mayoral seat.
This family-dominated dynamic is not exclusive to local governments; it is prevalent at the national level as well. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, hold two of the country’s highest offices.
The Ateneo School of Government defines a political dynasty as a “family that has successfully retained political power by controlling one or several elective positions over successive generations.” Political dynasties can be classified as “thin” (where family members succeed one another) or “fat” (where multiple family members hold positions simultaneously).
While the Philippine Constitution calls for the prohibition of political dynasties, defining and enforcing this prohibition remains a challenge, as Congress, largely composed of members from political dynasties, has yet to pass a law to define it.
– Rappler.com