The noose around our collective necks

By Michael Henry Yusingco, LL.M

In 2011, respected academic Björn Dressel wrote a paper entitled, The Philippines: how much real democracy?. A noteworthy query because the Philippines played such a key role in the democratization wave that passed through Asia in the 1980s through the 1990s, i.e. 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution.

Pertinently, Dressel correctly sees the paradox that has plagued us all these years. On one hand, he acknowledges “signs of a vibrant democracy”. In fact, an assessment of the 1987 Constitution by UP academics asserts that the Philippines can be aptly described as a “constitutional democracy”.

But on the other hand, Dressel points to “flaws in the democratic process” exemplified by elite domination of both politics and governance. President Bongbong Marcos himself is the patriarch of one of the biggest and oldest political family to date. And we all know that he owes his electoral victory to the alliance of the most powerful clans today.

As of last reckoning, close to 80% of the House of Representatives belong to a fat dynasty. That means these lawmakers are also related to at least two local officials in their district. After the 2025 midterm elections, the Senate could be overrun by political clans as well.

As a self-described democratic and republican state, the electoral process forms the cornerstone of our governmental framework. Indeed, according to the Supreme Court in the case of Macalintal vs Comelec [G.R. No. 263590, June 27, 2023]:

“The people’s exercise of their right to vote is an exercise of the freedom to act according to their will, choose their representatives, and consent to surrender a portion of their sovereignty to their chosen representatives who, for the time being, have the authority to act for the common good and protection of the people’s rights.”

Verily, the power to choose political leaders is inherent in all Filipinos by constitutional fiat. However, the domination of political dynasties effectively undercuts this constitutional design. We know that in many instances, the options for voters during elections are reduced to a contest between Dynasty A vs Dynasty B vs Dynasty C.

Alarmingly, when only a few families control the political landscape, voters may feel that they really have no choice in who to vote for. The lack of genuine electoral competition then generates a profound sense of helplessness amongst the polity. Without a doubt, the domination of political dynasties has a disempowering effect on the people.

Yet another paradox is vexing our politics and governance. According to Challenges to Democratization from the Perspective of Political Inaction: Insights into Political Disempowerment and Citizenship in the Philippines (Borja, et al, 2024):

“Splitting political participation into two basic forms, namely, electoral and nonelectoral participation, a majority of the Filipino citizenry can be characterized as a mass of enthusiastic but disempowered voters.”

The Philippines exhibits high voter turnouts during elections. However, nonelectoral political participation of citizens is low and limited to a narrow segment of Philippine society. Meaning, in between elections very few Filipinos participate in overtly political activities such as protest rallies and cause-oriented mobilizations.

There can be many explanations for this apparent civic disengagement. But according to Borja, et al, the reason for this is that Filipinos believe that they can influence government only through elections. Beyond that, we tend to view ourselves as political spectators and passive recipients of state welfare.

All in all, Filipinos are trapped in a grim and vicious cycle. We see the ballot as the only means to spur government response to our needs. Hence, the religious participation in elections. But the right to choose our political leaders has been rendered meaningless by the domination of political dynasties over the electoral process.

Sadly, the active voter participation in elections has little effect in preventing the concentration of power at the hands of a few. In fact, the justification often used by dynastic politicians is that voters elected them.

Thus, dynasties dominate political office as well. And lamentably, they are essentially given a free reign by the lack of citizen engagement in between election cycles. Once in government, they do everything possible, often with little regard to good governance, to make sure they get elected again. And the cycle goes on and on.

The domination of political dynasties robs voters of their freedom of choice and disempowers an already disempowered people.  Such is the noose around our collective necks.