All in the family. Political dynasties and the failed fantasies of electoral democracy in the Philippines

The ascendancy of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos in the 2022 presidential elections has come back in vogue the perennial issue of political dynasties in the Philippines. They are not only an historical phenomenon that traces back to the Spanish colonial rule and survives through three colonial regimes and five experiences of Filipino republics; it is also a structural system of power concentration impeding the development of a real democratic participation at local and national level. The article examines the nature of political families from an historical perspective and unpacks the terminology employed so far in the academic literature to refer to the monopoly of power in the Philippines. Further, it seeks to shed light on constitutional changes adopted after Ferdinand E.E. Marcos was ousted in 1986, in a bid to dismantle the political clans.