Will Baguio Voters Open the Door to A Political Dynasty in the May Elections?

By Frank Cimatu

Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

Talks of political dynasties in Baguio began well before city politicians filed their certificates of candidacy.

During the official launch of the Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan (ANIM) in Manila on August 24, 2024, Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong declared that political dynasties will have no place in Baguio.

“Iba kasi sa Baguio eh. Alam mo, ang Baguio, hindi talaga naniniwala sa political dynasty (Baguio is different. You know, in Baguio, people really don’t believe in political dynasties),” he said.

“Very strong ang kanilang sentiments against political dynasty kaya walang nagkakaroon ng political dynasty (Their sentiments against political dynasties are very strong, which is why no political dynasty has taken root),” Magalong added.

ANIM is a multi-sectoral coalition advocating for key national issues, including the dismantling of political dynasties.

Magalong’s remark came as political tension hung over Baguio like the August fog. Baguio City Rep. Mark Go is currently serving his third and last consecutive term representing the city’s lone district. While it had been widely expected that his wife would run in his place, Go remained silent about his political plans.”

The filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) opened two months later. On October 3, Soledad “Sol” Go filed her COC for Baguio representative, joined by five local candidates from the “Maka-Baguio Tayo” (MBT) team.

Four days later, Rep. Go also filed his candidacy for mayor with the rest of the “MBT” team including his choice for vice mayor, councilor Mylen Yaranon.

Magalong filed for a third term as mayor after the Go couple.

The city elections became even more eventful when, almost at the last hour of the final day of COC filing, Mauricio Domogan — a six-term mayor and three-term congressman — filed his candidacy for the district seat at the House of Representatives.”

In 2022, 80-year-old Domogan was defeated by Magalong in the mayoral race and many thought that he already sang his swan song.

After the smoke cleared, there were record number of candidates in both the mayoral and congressional races in Baguio.

There are six candidates running for mayor including councilor Benny Bomogao and three other independents.

Go and Domogan are running against five others including former Rep. Nicasio Aliping, former vice-mayor Gladys Vergara, lawyer Francis Camtugan and councilor Isabela Cosalan.

“Vergara is the daughter of Bernardo Vergara, a longtime ally of Domogan. The two alternated in Baguio’s top posts for nearly three decades. Although Vergara has aligned herself with Magalong, the mayor chose Cosalan as his running mate under the Good Governance team.

Magalong has since remained silent on the political dynasty issue, but Baguio political groups on Facebook and Reddit continue to discuss it.

Rep. Go also drew criticism after describing his and his wife’s candidacies as a form of “synergy.” It was a very hard decision, Go said upon filing, after weeks of indecision.

Karin Bangsoy, political science instructor at the University of the Philippines-Baguio noted that Magalong and Go had actually teamed up in the last 2022 elections.

The Go couple’s decision to run for the two positions may reflect a growing “sense” among candidates that “running mates are hard to find and even harder to keep, as seen in the evolution of the Magalong-Go tandem.”

“It may be prudent on the part of the candidates to find people that they trust; and family is the first option. On the other hand, the voting populace may be less forgiving of a blatant dynasty slate,” she said.

According to Bangsoy, seeing a husband and wife run for office simultaneously is a first for Baguio City voters.

Studies by Filipino political scientists have consistently described political dynasties using terms like “fat” and “thin.” The first refer to political families with several members occupying different positions in government at the same time. The latter refer to “singular positions being occupied by different family members at different times.”

“The latter is not new in Baguio, which has seen the offspring of key political names also have their time in the spotlight. The former, however, is somewhat new for Baguio’s political consciousness, at least in recent memory. This may help to explain some of the backlash,” Bangsoy said.

Despite the criticisms, political dynasties were not among the top concerns of the city’s youth population, based on a survey conducted at the start of the year.

It showed that high cost of living (30%), traffic congestion (28%), poor public transportation (11%), unreliable water and energy supply (8%) and even fake news and apathy (5%) were their main concerns. The survey was conducted by the Baguio Youth for Good Governance (BY4GG).

Magalong has pledged to address some of these concerns. He proposed a congestion fee to help ease traffic in the business district and pushed for the development of a mall in the city market—two projects that were rejected by the opposition, which now counts Go as an ally.

It’s hard to say whether the May polls will serve as a referendum on how Baguio accepts or rejects political dynasties, but they could reshape the city’s political landscape. — PCIJ.org