The fight for power amongst the Filipino political dynasties

The Philippines is seeing a trend of political dynasties - what does this mean for the already-crumbling democracy of the nation?

To say that the Philippines is a nation riddled in corruption and violence is an understatement considering the prevalence of political dynasties - generations of politicians that come from wealthy and established families, descendants of once corrupt leaders stepping in to continue their legacies. What is democracy in the Philippines when politicians are fighting for the seat like the Lords and Ladies from Game of Thrones? Not only do we see this in the current era, but it has been prevalent in the history of the Filipino presidency (Gloria Macapagal is the daughter of Diosdado Macapagal; Benigno Aquino II was the son of Corazon “Cory” Aquino, who was also the widow of Marcos’ opposition leader, Benigno Aquino, who was assassinated).

Already, the Philippine democracy is as thin and frail as melting ice amidst an epidemic of disinformation powered by social media - incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte secured his place in office in 2016 through disinformation, where the Rappler found fake news stories linked his first campaign which fueled hate speech, trolling, and misogyny. We see this trend lingering and continuing to run in the veins of the system as supporters of presidential candidate Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr. (the son of the late dictator and the candidate leading the presidential race as we speak), are using live-streaming to make false claims. As this New York Times article points out, live-streaming is difficult to take down and fact-check as the claims by these vloggers are said in the spur of the moment in front of a live audience.

Misinformation has turned into an ecosystem - bloggers and vloggers are getting paid to spread misinformation such as this story of Jon*, who describes himself as a “social media consultant” and who manages hundreds of fake accounts to spur stories or create certain images of his clients, who are mostly politicians and their campaigns. The Philippines is living in its own world, a region of the Internet that’s buried in lies and lies, and more lies to maintain a corrupted system of government. On top of that, a living legacy of a dictator who squeezed the nation dry of its riches, imposed martial law that oppressed the citizens, and publicly encouraged violence, is running for president. But, if he wins the presidency, will history repeat itself?

Ferdinand (known to the public as “BongBong”) Marcos Jr. is the son of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. BongBong was only 29 when his father was exiled as a result of an uprising by the People Power Revolution, and from then on he was determined to build his political career, to follow his father’s footsteps, and fulfill his “destiny to become president”. I wish I can say that this is the plot to an ABS-CBN telenovela, but this dramatic story is as dramatic as the fake news the campaigns spread. And riding on the coattails of his father’s legacy, BongBong may be bound to win. It is uncertain whether or not the gist of the previous Marcos will linger, but Pinoys are worried that it will. [This is a continuing story - stay tuned for more as the elections unfold].

Are you a Filipino or Filipino-American impacted by the elections? Email nicoleabriam@gmail.com to share your story and experiences.