On Friday, retained Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced Sharon Garin as the Officer-in-Charge of the Department of Energy, replacing Raphael “Popo” Lotilla, who is moving to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), replacing Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga as Secretary.

On paper, Garin’s appointment may read like just another technocratic replacement. But dig a little deeper, and her surname screams politics — old-school, dynasty-driven, name-brand politics.

Because Sharon isn’t just any public servant. She is a Garin. And in Iloilo, that name carries weight — and baggage.

Dynasty on overdrive

Sharon Garin is the daughter of the late Oscar Garin Sr., the longtime congressman and former mayor of Guimbal, whose savvy in picking presidential winners kept his clan comfortably in power for decades. Her mother, Ninfa Garin, was also a politician. Her siblings? All in politics. The Garin brand is stitched into the very architecture of the province — quite literally.

Visitors to the southern towns of Iloilo’s first congressional district can’t miss the “Garinasiums” — gymnasiums branded with the family’s name, towering symbols of political entitlement masquerading as public service. That’s not satire, that’s state capture in brick and mortar.

Sharon herself served four straight terms as party-list representative of AAMBIS-OWA, a group claiming to represent marginalized workers in the agriculture sector. But critics say the group operated more like a placeholder for the family’s continued grip on national power. It’s a classic move in the dynastic playbook — insert a name, keep the seat warm, then swap in another relative when term limits kick in.

A loyalist’s reward?

The timing of her appointment raises more than a few eyebrows. Just a few years ago, during the 2022 campaign season, the Garins were caught in a controversy after they scheduled a UniTeam rally — yes, that UniTeam — in a government school facility just as the nation was commemorating the EDSA People Power Revolution that ousted the Marcos dictatorship. The backlash was swift and damning. The event was canceled, but the message was clear: the Garins were all in for Marcos Jr.

Was this latest post — control over the nation’s energy agenda — a reward for loyalty?

Sharon Garin’s new seat comes during crucial energy debates: skyrocketing power prices, debates over nuclear energy, and continued environmental concerns about fossil fuel reliance. Yet now, a key ministry is temporarily in the hands of a political operative from a family better known for clout than competence.

What happened to the Technocrats?

Raphael Lotilla, known for his legal mind and quiet credibility, is being transferred to the DENR—a move many are reading as a quiet demotion or, at least, a neutralization. Meanwhile, DENR Secretary Loyzaga is out—her exit is unexplained; her tenure was suddenly cut short.

The music had a more urgent tune if this is a game of musical chairs.

What’s next?

As energy becomes an even hotter political commodity in a nation struggling with power stability, fuel pricing and environmental crisis, Filipinos now face a familiar scenario: a vital national post handed over to a political dynasty insider.

Is this just temporary, or is Sharon Garin being groomed for a permanent seat at the Cabinet table?

Either way, the Garins are surging back into national consciousness. And from the look of things, they aren’t just content with “Garinasiums” anymore.