SC: Political dynasties insulting, an affront to the Constitution

The prevalence of political dynasties remains an insult to the 1987 Constitution that explicitly bans them, the Supreme Court (SC) declared.

- By GHIO ONG

According to an SC decision penned by Associate Justice Antonio Kho Jr., ‘‘That 80 percent of the district seats in the House of Representatives and 75 percent of the country’s cities are ‘ruled’ by political dynasties is an affront to the Constitution.’’ Kho cited two reports from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) in 2025 that revealed 212 out of 254 district representatives, and 113 out of 149 city mayors, belong to political dynasties.

From the 212 winning district representatives, 174 ‘‘have at least one relative who was elected to a local position (in the May 2025 elections) or is serving a term until 2028.’’ The PCIJ reports gave as examples the Marcoses and Dutertes, who both secured their bailiwicks Ilocos Norte and Davao City.