Re-electionist Senator Richard J. Gordon on Tuesday, Dec. 28 vowed to revisit and review proposed measures pending in the Senate meant to enable the Constitutionally-mandated prohibition against political dynasty to flourish in the country.
Gordon, who chairs the Senate Justice and Human Rights committee, offered some solutions that could stem the proliferation of the constant shuffle of elective positions among family members.
“Dapat may political party system na talagang titiyaniin kung talagang sino ang ilalagay, hindi yung kamag-anak system ((There should be a two-party system which seeks to select whom to run, not not the family system),” he said in a recent radio interview, citing the United States’ party nomination system.
“Pangalawa, dapat, the more mature we are, the longer we have in terms of experience, dagdagan niyo ‘yung term (Second, the more mature we are, the longer we have in terms of experience, add more years to the second term). Huwag namang three years kasi ang three years, walang nagagawa. Kaya naghahanda sila ng kapalit, hinahanda na ang anak, kapatid, tiyuhin (The tenure should not be for three years because nothing can be accomplished in a three-year span) Minsan sila-sila na nag-aaway (There are times they fight among themselves), ” he added.
Large political clans in the country have found a way to circumvent term limits by crowning their relatives, often their spouses, siblings, or children, as their successors to continue its programs.
More than often, the local electorate vote the relatives in a seemingly never-ending cycle of power claimed by a certain family over that area.
Gordon, a lawyer by profession, urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to implement election laws judiciously if they are serious in cutting down political dynasties in the country.
“Definitely, we have to stop the system. But we can only stop the system if the COMELEC also shows na papairalin nila (It should stop it). E katulad niyan, bawal mangampanya, e ngayon nangangampanya na lahat (Although campaigning is prohibited, all are actually campaigning). Dapat 90 days ang kampanya ng presidente at senador, pero nakikita niyo andami nang mga billboard (The campaigning should be for 90 days but now we are seeing so many billboards),” he said.
“So naglolokohan tayo (We are fooling ourselves).We do not want to implement the law. Even I think, itong kaibigan ko pag sinabi kong I am against dynasties, baka hindi na kami iboto ng mga dynasties ngayon na existing andami niyan all over the country (When I tell my friend that I am against political dynasties, they might not vote for me because there are many political dynasties),” he added.
As senator, Gordon had his imprint in several election-related laws which have changed the country’s electoral landscape.
Gordon was the author and sponsor of Republic Act (RA) 1095 which postponed the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, RA 11593 which reset the first Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to 2025, and RA 11591, which extended voter registration for the 2022 elections.
However, the most important election law Gordon passed was RA 9369, which paved the way for the country’s transition to a fully-automated election starting in 2010.