Leonen tags Romualdezes, Dutertes ‘fat’ dynasties
Each year of legislative inaction allows political inequalities, patronage and other problems associated with concentrated political power to persist.
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Each year of legislative inaction allows political inequalities, patronage and other problems associated with concentrated political power to persist.
Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen cited the Duterte and Romualdez families as examples of “fat” political dynasties, saying political clans have expanded their influence by simultaneously occupying multiple government positions, including partylist seats intended to represent marginalized sectors.
Leonen made the observation in his concurring opinion on the Supreme Court’s ruling directing Congress to fulfill its constitutional duty to enact an anti-political dynasty law. He said political dynasties had become “widespread, concentrated, multi-positional and flexible.”
He explained that political families hold executive, legislative and, in some cases, partylist positions simultaneously, use overlapping offices to preserve influence, and shift across institutional channels when one route narrows.
Likewise, Leonen pointed out that “vertical” or “thin” dynasties involve relatives succeeding one another in the same political post, while “horizontal” or “fat” dynasties involve members of the same clan simultaneously holding several government positions.
“At present, at least five clan members are politically active, such a ‘fat’ dynasty may be described as ‘obese,’” Leonen said.
Leonen cited the Dutertes as an example of both thin and fat dynasties in Davao City.
He described the succession of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte in the city mayoralty as an example of a thin dynasty.
Myriad effects
He also cited the family as an example of a fat dynasty. In 2022, Sara Duterte was vice president, Paolo Duterte was representative of Davao City’s first district, Rodrigo Duterte was mayor and Sebastian Duterte was vice mayor.
Leonen also cited the Romualdez family as another example.
At the opening of the 19th Congress, Martin Romualdez became House speaker while his wife, Yedda Romualdez, served as Tingog Partylist representative, he said.
In the 20th Congress, Leonen noted that Martin Romualdez, Yedda Romualdez and their son, Andrew Julian Romualdez, were all in public office.
The family also has a political presence in Tacloban City, where Martin Romualdez’s son Ferdinand Martin “Marty” Romualdez Jr. became a city councilor, while his cousin Alfred Romualdez was reelected mayor and Alfred’s son Raymund Romualdez was elected vice mayor.
Leonen said political dynasties could affect electoral competition, accountability and access to public service.
“The constitutional prohibition against political dynasties is not merely symbolic or accidental,” he said. “It was designed to address the concentration and perpetuation of political power in the hands of a few entrenched families, and to widen meaningful access to public service for others outside such familial networks.”
Each year of legislative inaction allows political inequalities, patronage and other problems associated with concentrated political power to persist, Leonen said.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision penned by Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando, earlier declared that Congress committed grave abuse of discretion by failing for 39 years to enact a law prohibiting political dynasties, as required under Article II, Section 26 of the Constitution.
The Court directed Congress to comply with its mandatory constitutional duty to enact an anti-political dynasty law at the earliest opportunity.
