Winning Philippines senators could pass legislations

Manila: A majority of the 12 winning senatorial candidates in the May 13 polls can help push President Benigno Aquino’s favourite reform legislations, but not an anti-dynasty law that will enable the Constitution’s call for a more democratic Philippine politics, observers said.

Eight of the winning senatorial candidates, from the ruling and the opposition parties, have been identified as part of the country’s political dynasties. They are Juan Edgardo Angara, Paulo “Bam” Aquino, Maria Lourdes “Nancy” Binay, Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Joseph Victor “JV” Estrada, Aquilino Martin “Koko” Pimentel, and Cynthia Villar

Grace Poe Llamanzares, a newcomer and a leading senatorial winner, has adoptive parents in the entertainment industry, the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. who lost in the 2004 presidential race, and actress Susan Roces, popular in the 60s. Although a part of President Aquino’s senatorial team, the opposition, specifically by former Joseph Estrada, a former actor and close friend of Poe, campaigned for her victory.

Second top senatorial winner Loren Legarda, a former media practitioner, has not been identified as part of the country’s political dynasties. But she was once married (until 2004) to Jose Antonio Leviste, governor of Batangas, in southern Luzon, from 1972 to 1980. He is now serving time at the National Penitentiary for his conviction in 2009 of homicide for the death of his aide.

Two former right wing rebels, Gregorio Honasan and Antonio Trillanes are part of this year’s winning senatorial candidates. They have not yet established their respective political dynasties, but they are supported by a political party led by members of the country’s top political dynasties.

Assessing the impact of the election of the scions and proteges of political dynasties in the recent senatorial elections, the Inquirer asked in its editorial: “Will enough legislators muster the will to pass even a smaller scale anti-dynasty bill that would have the effect, at least, as far as national positions are concerned, of decongesting the pathways to political power?”

Describing the scenario of the new set of winning senatorial candidates who will be joining at the opening of Congress, 12 other senators whose term will end in 2016, Rigoberto Tiglao, a columnist of the Manila Times said: “What better [or rather more shameful] indication of the strength of political dynasties in the country than the new Senate having [now] two pairs of siblings, Pia and Alan Cayetano, Jinggoy and JV Ejercito.” He did not mention former Congresswoman Cynthia Villar who will be joining Senator Manny Villar at the Senate.

“The anti-political dynasty movement in our country isn’t helped at all by the fact that President Aquino himself — despite his anti-corruption and straight-road rhetoric — has proven to be a believer in political dynasties by having his nephew Bam who has no experience at all in an electoral post, run for the Senate,” said Tiglao, who added, “I’ll bet that his sister Kris would try to be the second Aquino in the Senate in 2016.”