BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – Mayor Jerry Treñas’s announcement last week of his daughter and executive assistant, Raisa Treñas-Chu, as his official candidate for Congress in next year’s midterm elections elicited mixed reactions from the public.
Raisa is set to be the National Unity Party’s congressional candidate for the city’s lone district, succeeding incumbent Rep. Julienne “Jam-jam” Baronda.
Jose Maria Miguel, Raisa’s brother, currently serves as a city councilor, while their cousin, former city councilor and executive assistant Jay Treñas, is the second nominee of the Uswag Ilonggo Party-list. This situation raises questions about the Treñases potentially establishing a political dynasty and the legality of such dynasties in the country.
In a press conference, Mayor Treñas dismissed concerns about forming a political dynasty, emphasizing that the decision rests with the public.
He highlighted that Ilonggos are discerning voters, recalling that presidential candidate Leni Robredo received more votes in Iloilo than former president Rodrigo Duterte.
“This is not forced upon the populace. The point here is that the public will judge,” he said during the conference.
Some voters argue that political dynasties can bring continuity and stability to governance, assuming the leaders are competent and qualified.
However, others contend that such dynasties harm democracy and the political system by concentrating resources and power within a few families, leading to inequality.
Although not explicitly illegal, the 1987 Philippine Constitution includes provisions aimed at curbing the influence of political families. Article II, Section 26 mandates that the state shall ensure equal access to public service opportunities and prohibit political dynasties as defined by law.
To enforce this provision, the late Ilongga senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago introduced Senate Bill No. 1580, the Anti-Political Dynasty Act, which sought to level the political playing field and open it to individuals equally qualified to compete with those from politically dominant families.
“The monopoly of political power and public resources by such families affects the citizenry at the local and national levels. The socioeconomic and political inequalities prevalent in Philippine society limit public office to members of ruling families,” the bill’s explanatory note read.
The bill was presented on first reading and referred to the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Organization on September 11, 2013. Despite being filed on September 5, 2013, it has yet to progress, much to the frustration of Defensor-Santiago.
“I am disappointed. Without public clamor, these bills will never see the light of day. The committees to which these bills were referred are sitting on them,” she expressed then.
The proposed legislation defined a political dynasty as the situation where a spouse or relative within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity of an incumbent elective official seeks or holds elective office. It sought to prohibit such individuals from running for reelection in the same province during the same election. The Commission on Elections would be tasked with enforcing this rule, either on its own initiative or upon a verified petition, by denying the candidacy of violators./PN
