The chosen

Now that the Marcos family's recognized successor, ex-speaker of the House Martin Romualdez, seems to have been knocked out of presidential contention due to accusations that have linked him to the massive corruption scandal, with the surveys showing his numbers to be dismally dismaying, the analysts and armchair columnists have written finis to his ambitions and started speculating.

- Joseph T. Gonzales

The next burning question is: who's going to be the chosen one? Who will be handpicked to raise the banner and protect the family's fortunes? With the Duterte family out for revenge, giving up the throne to any member of that vengeful clan will be tantamount to political (and most probably financial) suicide.

Of course, not the sister, who has made it very clear she wants to continue sleeping in the arms of the enemy. Not the son, who is too young, and rumor has it, has been associating too closely with the uncle and enjoying the largesse that came with his territory. Will it suddenly become the wife, who has been credited as being the strategic genius behind the throne?

But all these speculations, however, ignore the constant grumbling against political dynasties. Why must the Marcos family's political longevity, especially given the track record of the members, be of any further concern? Let the dynasty stop being dynastic, and maybe, after a couple of election cycles, a fresh-faced representative from that clan can then come forward and plead his or her case to the electorate. Take a rest, please.