Philippine Senate is a family affair
MANILA, Philippines—All in the family.
That’s how the Senate is shaping up, with some of the country’s most influential political clans fielding other family members in the 2013 midterm elections.
The 16th Congress, which holds office from 2013 to 2016, might end up with at least two pairs of siblings and a father-and-son tandem, given the names of prospective candidates being floated so far.
The senatorial lineup of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay could include Juan Ponce “Jack” Enrile Jr., San Juan Rep. Jose Victor Ejercito, and reelectionist Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. Binay’s daughter Nancy has also been mentioned as a possible senatorial candidate under UNA.
Enrile is the son of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, while Ejercito is the half-brother of Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, the Senate President Pro Tempore.
Cayetano, the Senate minority leader, is the younger brother of Senator Pia Cayetano who, like Enrile and Estrada, is on her second and final term.
Also at the tail-end of their terms are Senators Edgardo Angara and Manuel Villar. Angara’s son, Aurora Representative Juan Edgardo Angara, and Villar’s wife, Las Piñas Representative Cynthia Villar, are said to be eyeing Senate seats next year.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Senator Francis Pangilinan are related, as well. Pangilinan’s wife Sharon Cuneta is the niece of Sotto though Sotto’s wife, Helen Gamboa, and Sharon are estranged.
Estrada on Friday acknowledged the possibility of having relatives in the same chamber during the same term, but said there was nothing necessarily wrong with the arrangement. Having a family member in the Senate had the “advantage” of having a “unified position” on issues or advocacies, he added.
Estrada had served with his mother, then Senator Luisa “Loi” Ejercito, during the 13th Congress from 2004 to 2007. Ejercito ran and won in 2001, months after her husband, former President Joseph Estrada, was removed from office.
Estrada also downplayed the idea of a “political dynasty” despite several relatives being elected in the same chamber. “You know, as long as you have the determination to serve our people and our country, no problem,” he told the INQUIRER in a phone interview.
By Estrada’s reckoning, gone are the days when voters would go for a candidate simply because of popularity or name recall.
“People are no longer dumb, especially the masses,” he said in Filipino. “They see things, they observe. They know who’s working and who’s not. They can’t be fooled anymore.”
Estrada said voters would also go by “track record and performance” in choosing their candidates for elective office. He dismissed the idea of Ejercito, his half-brother, easily winning a Senate seat next year based on his being the son of the former President. “It will still depend on the voters. So far, his ratings are high,” he said.
