By Roel T. Amazona
TACLOBAN CITY, June 23 (PNA) – Local government officials who belong to Leyte’s political scion have expressed reservations on the anti-political dynasty bill.
These politicians believed that the proposed bill will not prosper due to the number of lawmakers who are products of dysnasty.
In an interview with two members of prominent political clans in the province, they expressed opposition to the enforcement of anti-political dynasty, but one sees a possibility of its approval.
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez said that politicians in the country were elected by people, which means positions are not inherited from family members.
“You should not deprive people of whom they want and who they intended to vote, because if you deprive them you are showing the public that there is a manipulation going on and we are showing them that we are forcing the people, which is not really happening,” Romualdez said.
He pointed out that even in the United States of America, there are also families that are part of political clans like the Kennedy’s and the Bush’s.
“What the national government should focus on is how to educate voters, to strengthen and empower them to vote wisely,” said Romualdez, a nephew of Former First Lady Imelda Marcos.
“We really don’t know if what the capabilities of our candidates are. We only learn it once they are already elected,” said Romualdez, a former congressman.
The mayor’s wife, Cristina is a city councilor. His cousin, Ferdinand Martin is a congressman, representing Leyte’s first legislative district. All the three are in their last term of office.
Romualdez clan ruled the province during the Marcos regime. When former President Ferdinand Marcos left the country along with his family, the Romualdezes also left the province, which paved way for new political clan to enter local politics – the Petilla’s.
Palo town Mayor Remedios Petilla, the matriarch’s political clan, who succeeded her husband as Leyte’s governor said she strongly opposes the anti-political dynasty bill.
“Suppose they are qualified for the position, will they not be disallowed to run just because some of their family members are already in the government?” Petilla asked.
Citing her family as example, she said that there is a positive impact of having one family being elected into office. “You can see continuity of the programs.”
Their clan has started ruling the province when her husband, Leopoldo entered politics in 1992. After his term, Remedios ran for governor and held the office for nine years. After serving three terms, she was elected for congressional seat for three years.
Their son, Jericho succeeded her and controlled the province for three consecutive terms, but before he finished his term, President Benigno Aquino III appointed him as Department of Energy secretary.
Another son, Leopoldo Dominico is the present Leyte governor.
But aside from them, their relatives are also holding elective position in the province.
Remedios’ sister, Carmen Cari is the mayor of Baybay City. Her son Carlos is a congressman while his brother, Michael is the city’s vice-mayor.
In contrast, Leyte Vice-Governor Carlo Loreto, a cousin of Petilla, also opposed the proposed law.
For Loreto, political or elective positions should not be limited to only one or two families.
“It should be open to everybody, who has the willingness to sacrifice and to serve the people,” he said.
“If that is the kind of law or version of anti-political dynasty bill will be, not against personalities, but because that person deserves to hold government positions, I think that this will work,” he added.
Loreto added that there is a possibility that the bill will be approved by legislators just like on what happened to pork barrel when it was abolished by the government.
“Nobody believed that it would happen, but right now pork barrel is gone. I think that is the essence of democracy. We do what we have too,” Loreto said.
The 1987 Philippine Constitution promotes anti-political dynasty, which states that “the State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”
Aside from the Romualdezes and Petillas, other political clans in the province of Leyte are the Apostols in the second legislative district of Leyte.
In Tacloban City, Chua family an ally of Romualdez, also dominates the local political arena with three family members are city councilors.
In other parts of the region, local seats are also dominated by either one or two families – the Tans of Samar, Espinas of Biliran, Ongs of Northern Samar and Mercados of Southern Leyte.
The anti-political dynasty bill seeks to prohibit relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity to hold or run for both national and local office in “successive, simultaneous, or overlapping terms.”
The bill is now being deliberated in the House of Representatives. (PNA)