Philippine Political Clans Set To Tighten Grip In Upcoming Polls

The Philippines' party-list system, introduced in 1987 to ensure the poor and marginalized have a say in government, is instead dominated by rich and powerful families today.

- Mara Cepeda

LEYTE - A muddy carabao trudged slowly across a narrow footbridge under the blazing sun, its owner guiding the majestic beast home as the Bangon River gushed below.

The bridge is part of a flood control project built in 2018, which now spares the quaint Philippine village of San Miguelay from floods that once destroyed farmers' crops in the surrounding fields.

Village chief Eric Roca, 38, watched the farmer pass by and nodded.

"This project has been such a lifesaver for us," Mr Roca told The Straits Times one afternoon in March. "We really feel the services here of FM Romualdez and Tingog."

He was referring to Mr. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, the House Speaker and cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr; and party-list group Tingog — meaning "voice" in the local Waray language — which is associated with the Romualdez family, of which Mr. Martin is the patriarch.

The Philippines has a party-list system, which was introduced in 1987, to reserve 20 percent of seats in the House of Representatives for groups representing the underprivileged and marginalized. This allowed the likes of indigenous peoples, laborers and farmers to have their say alongside the nation's political elite in Congress.

But nearly four decades later, the system is now being co-opted by the very same political dynasties it was designed to keep in check. By fielding family members as candidates for party-list groups in elections, already powerful clans like the Romualdezes can further entrench their influence in government and keep out newcomers and the under-represented.

For example, Mr. Martin's wife Yedda Romualdez is one of Tingog's two representatives in the House, along with her former chief of staff-turned-lawmaker Jude Acidre. They will both contest again in the May mid-term polls, together with the Romualdezes' eldest son Andrew. Meanwhile, Mr. Martin is vying for a third term as Leyte representative.