Mom is mayor, son is governor

Mom is mayor, son is governor

 

[시사타임즈 = 이철원 시사타임즈 회장] The modern electoral system in the Philippines started in 1907, and electoral politics boasts a long history of over 100 years. However, politics in the Philippines has been dominated by several major political families, which began when the indigenous ruling powers of the Philippines were colluded with colonial powers during the Spanish and American colonies. In the early days of the Spanish colony, a small number of people tried to rule the whole of the Philippines, so some elites were recruited. From this point on, the ruling hierarchy began to form. Even if the dominance passed from Spain to the United States, the political elite remained the core of power until now. Even now, about 200 powerful families in the Philippines maintain their political influence while owning vast amounts of land and corporations. In 1987, the constitution was amended to limit the president to a single six-year term and senators to two consecutive terms. A representative example is that former President Arroyo ran for and was elected to the House of Representatives immediately after the president to avoid judgment by law due to fraudulent wealth. , the eldest daughter was elected governor of Ilicos. Ex-President Estrada ran for president again and was defeated by President Aquino, but his son was elected to the Senate.

 

▲The governor_s mother (left), the governor, and the president (center) (c)시사타임즈

 

In particular, former President Estrada deliberately ran for president when it was difficult for two candidates to decide who would win the presidential election. So President Estrada's fixed votes cut another candidate's votes, which had a decisive effect on the election results. This is a new political term called the ‘estrada effect’. Such family politics became a major cause of corruption politics due to a chronic disease that was difficult to reform no matter who came to power. In the past, the Philippines played an important role in the democratization winds in Asia, but it is questionable whether true democracy is being realized now.

 

Leyte province, where ARAW is active, was no exception. Moreover, it is divided into the Imelda family and the pettila family who oppose it. Mayor Tacloban is Imelda's nephew who owns the most real estate in the region, and the Governor Pettila family is also known to have a lot of cash.

 

Leyte was the governor of the current governor's father in the early 1980s, after which his father passed on the governorship to his wife (the governor's mother). After serving as governor, his mother ran for the House of Representatives, passing the governorship to his eldest son and his eldest son also serving as governor two times before moving to the government's energy minister, passing the governorship to his younger brother, the current governor. He was not personally passed on, but was elected through normal elections, but ran alone without any other candidates. If someone ignores a powerful political family and runs for office, they may be buried in the local area or lose their life if they make a mistake. The governor's mother, now 76, still serves as mayor of Palo City. She acts as a political godmother in the region, so she is treated as much as the current governor at various events, and some mayors call Mayor Palo her mum. But even more remarkable is the governor's aunt, the mayor of Palo, who is 79 years old, but is the current mayor of Bai Bai in the south of Leyte. There are over 80 governors and mayors in the Philippines.

 

I always had to care about the governor's mother, Mayor Palo. Although she is an old woman, she likes Korean cosmetics, so I gave her lotions and lipsticks. When I built her agricultural leader training school in Tanawan, a neighboring city other than Palo city, she was upset that she didn't build it in her city.

 

When I said, “I didn't decide the location of the agricultural school, but your son, the governor, you must scold him.” She laughed and said, “Now that my son is grown up, he doesn't listen.” As I was about to return to Korea a week after completing my mission, I felt so far away from true democracy as to why people still have no choice but to support the political family from generation to generation. 

 

글 : 이철원 시사타임즈 회장

 

※ 이 기사는 시사타임즈의 공식입장이 아닌, 필자의 견해임을 밝힙니다.

 

 

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<저작권자(C)시사타임즈. 무단전재-재배포금지> 

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이철원 시사타임즈 회장 wangco123@timesisa.com