Anti-dynasty as irony
The rising consciousness against political dynasties may become ironic. We are laudably critical, asking candidates to present more than a famous surname. Some propose, however, to boycott anyone branded a dynast, credentials or none. To quote Obi-Wan Kenobi, “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.”
Paulo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV is the perfect case study. To cite credentials, Bam was a valedictorian and Student Council president of Ateneo de Manila, and received a summa cum laude in management engineering, its most difficult course. His Hapinoy program established his outstanding track record in social entrepreneurship, validated by a Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) of the World award. To cite the dynasty, Bam is a cousin of President Aquino. He changed his eyeglasses to remind us that he is the stunt double of the late former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino II, martyred icon of Philippine democracy.
Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara graduated from Harvard Law School, the University of the Philippines College of Law (where he was an editor of the Philippine Law Journal), and London School of Economics. A three-term congressman and a spokesperson of the prosecutors at the Corona impeachment trial, he has a sterling legislative track record highlighted by key finance and education laws. He holds a TOYP of the Philippines award and is a law professor. His father is Sen. Edgado Angara, a former UP president whose name is synonymous with Philippine education.
Few media reports are worded thus. It is counterproductive when our narratives increasingly cast Bam as the President’s cousin instead of a social entrepreneur and youth leader, or Sonny as Ed Angara’s son instead of a veteran lawmaker. Stereotyping has become easy to the point that some opponents emphasize they are not from any dynasty but offer little else, down to a candidate who was reported as believing “there should be no constitutional principle of separation of Church and State.” It is indeed a negative for a candidate to be running on nothing more than an inherited name, but it is not a positive to have an unknown name!
Equally counterproductive is criticism that focuses solely on candidates’ names. Inquirer columnist Neal Cruz has been most vocal, at one point citing Bam Aquino in the same breath as convicted child rapist and former congressman Romeo Jalosjos. Cruz, preferring the spelling “Bum,” wrote: “He came from nowhere wanting to be senator immediately just because he is an Aquino, a cousin of the President, and a Ninoy Aquino lookalike. He has not even served as barangay captain….” Unless critics delve into credentials and specifically claim that Bam’s helping thousands develop sari-sari-store livelihoods does not qualify him for national office or that Sonny’s Expanded Senior Citizens Act embodies flawed policy, it is impossible to have a constructive conversation. The stereotyping has become so ironic that were their surnames less storied, we would uniformly tout Bam and Sonny as the fresh young faces to watch in the next Senate.
Admittedly, Bam’s glasses are such a turnoff that his Facebook page subtly reminded voters he has worn glasses since Grade 6. My frustration, however, is directed more to our political maturity. The reality is that repeating “Tito Ninoy” often enough gains more votes than being an Ateneo summa cum laude, and Juan Edgardo Angara dropping the “Juan” gains more than Ivy League distinction. I remember voting for Bam well before the cheesy glasses, when I knew him only as an upperclassman who welcomed me into Ateneo. My college claim to fame was being editor of The Loyola Lampoon in 1999, and President Bam gamely posed for my front page, not knowing we were running the Bill Clinton-inspired headline, “Sex Scandal in Sanggunian.” Not once did Bam ever mention Tita Cory, and I only found out he was “that kind of Aquino” when he was conspicuously absent from a function on Ninoy’s death anniversary.
I hope to see more credentialed, idealistic young senators, and I would be irresponsible if I blindly ruled out TOYP awardees such as Bam and Sonny. The present reality is that boycotting anyone connected with a political dynasty will leave a woefully subpar pool. Even the beloved Jesse Robredo was the scion of a dynasty.
It is not completely accurate that our Constitution outlaws dynasties. It actually reads: “The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.” The key words are “equal access” and the true goal is to one day see the talented son of a farmer or a fisherman credibly seek public office alongside an equally talented Aquino or Angara. It is our loss when anyone connected to a political dynasty is summarily cast aside as the price to curb this legitimate problem.
In an ideal world, the sight of a candidate with a famous relative will be taken as no more than a pledge of his good name to bond the post sought. The United States has seen and admired its share of political families, from the Kennedy mystique and its evocation of a sense of royalty and Camelot to Hillary Clinton seeking the presidency as her own woman independent of Bill.
The ideal world will unfortunately not take shape in the scant days I have to decide who I am voting for. In the meantime, I am happy to see Bam the young Ateneo valedictorian and Sonny the young Harvard lawyer in the Senate.
Oscar Franklin Tan (www.facebook.com/OscarFranklinTan, Twitter @oscarfbtan) teaches constitutional law at the University of the East. He is an alumnus of Harvard Law School, the University of the Philippines College of Law, and the Ateneo de Manila Management Engineering program.
