Family dynasties, an omnipresent feature of Filippino political life, aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The Supreme Court threw out a petition aimed at ensuring the Election Commission enforces a constitutional provision barring the existence of political dynasties. In response, the Court argued that enforcement was not possible without a Congress backed enabling law in place. All of this comes in the heated run-up to election polling in May.
The petition was filed by Ricardo Penson, a road builder as well as (shockingly) an independent candidate for the Senate. According to an article from the Manila Standard Today, Congress has been hesitant to clearly define what exactly a “political dynasty” is.
