A POLITICAL analyst has warned that political dynasties remain a key driver of violence in local elections, where personal rivalries can escalate into deadly confrontations.
“Sa local politics, dynasty can make politics violent. Ang political competition making violent (In local politics, dynasties can make political competition violent),” said Neil Ryan Pancho, a faculty member of the Department of Political Science and History at Ateneo de Davao University. He made the statement during the Kolokabildo #Kolokabayan2025 forum held on Wednesday, April 30, at Holy Cross of Davao College.
Pancho defined political dynasties as families whose members hold elected positions simultaneously or one after another. This concentration of power, he said, often creates a tense and volatile political atmosphere.
Although the 1987 Philippine Constitution bans political dynasties, Pancho pointed out that no enabling law has ever been passed to enforce the provision. Several bills have been filed in Congress, but none have become law.
“When families are deeply involved, violence becomes more likely due to intense political tension,” he explained. “Everything becomes personal—about family, honor, and attacks that go beyond politics.”
He cited the deadly rivalry between the Ampatuan and Mangudadatu clans that led to the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, one of the worst election-related incidents in Philippine history, which claimed 58 lives, including 32 journalists.
Such violent rivalries have led the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to declare certain areas as “election hotspots,” often accompanied by gun bans during the election period to prevent bloodshed.
Pancho also highlighted the difference in tone between national and local elections.
“National politics may be diplomatic, but at the local level, it becomes deeply personal,” he said.
“Naga-attend ko’g miting de avance, and I’ve seen how brutal the attacks are—there’s no censorship (I’ve attended miting de avance events where attacks are uncensored and vicious),” he said, describing the hostile tone of local campaigns.
Victims of election-related violence often include not just candidates but also voters, supporters, and even Comelec officials.
“Every time a Comelec election officer is killed, I feel bad. These are the people safeguarding our democracy, yet they become targets,” Pancho said.
In Mindanao, political tensions are further worsened by clan feuds or rido, which often erupt into violence.
On March 26, 2025, election officer Atty. Maceda Abo and her husband Jojo were ambushed and killed along the Cotabato-Shariff Aguak Road in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte—one of the latest cases of politically motivated attacks.
During the same forum, Comelec-Davao Acting Regional Director Atty. Gay Enumerables acknowledged the commission’s limited capacity to address political dynasties, citing the absence of a specific law.
“If there’s no law prohibiting political dynasties, anyone can file their certificate of candidacy,” Enumerables said.
She added that a small step toward reform was made through the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform Act of 2015, which disqualifies SK candidates who are second-degree relatives of incumbent officials.
She also admitted that the dominance of political dynasties discourages capable individuals from entering politics.
A recent report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), published in January 2025, found that 113 of the country’s 149 city mayors belong to political dynasties. RGL