Politics in the Philippines has been under the control of a few notable families .

It is normal for a politician's son, wife, brother, or other kinsman, to run f or the same or other government office. The term coined by Filipinos to describe this practice is "Political dynasty", the equivalent of an oligarchy in politic al science. One can trace its roots from the Spanish colonial times where favored families o f the mestizo stock, or the Illustrados were given responsibilities of Gobernado rcillo, or Alcalde. As such, these men have wielded some influence in their comm unities, and patronage politics was a common undertaking. After the Philippine-American War, the United States colonial authorities took u nder their wings these Illustrados to join the democratic process. During this p eriod, family names such as Cojuangcos, Lopezes, Marcoses, Osmeas and Aquinos beca me household names. The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines states in Article II Section 26, "The S tate shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohi bit political dynasties as may be defined by law." Though, political dynasties h ave been a present staple in Philippine political arena. Many have called for the Congress to pass the Anti-Dynasty Law, but this bill ha s been passed over by each Congress since 1987. Some have pointed that oligarchy is the root problem of all the corruption in the Philippine government.[1][2] Despite the entry of the Party List System in the 11th Congress, the proportion of lawmakers with relatives in elective positions have remained the same in the post-Marcos political scene.[3] The table below illustrates the percentage: House Number Percentage Percent Without Party List 8th Congress (1987-1992) 122 62% 62% 9th Congress (1992-1995) 128 64% 64% 11th Congress (1995-1998) 136 62% 65% 12th Congress (1998-2001) 140 61% 66% Political scientist Dante Simbulan, in a study of the elites of Philippine polit ics from 1946 to 1963 lists 169 prominent families. These families have produced 584 public officials, including seven Presidents, two Vice Presidents, 42 Senat ors, and 147 Representatives. The tables below outlines the demographics of fami lies in politics.[4] In the 9th Congress of the Philippines: Representatives' relatives who are in office No. % of All Reps. Parents 60 30% Children 18 9 Spouses 16 8 Siblings 43 22 Other Relatives 56 28 In-Laws 30 15 Grandparents 35 18 In the 11th Congress of the Philippines Representatives' relatives who are in office No. % of All Reps. Parents 66 30% Children 17 8 Spouses 25 11 Siblings 38 17 Other Relatives 64 29 In-Laws 32 15 Grandparents 40 `8 In the 12th Congress of the Philippines Representatives' relatives who are in office No. % of All Reps. Parents 71 31 Children 25 11 Spouses 22 10 Siblings 47 21

Other Relatives 60 In-Laws 31 14 Grandparents 41 In the 14th Congress of was surveyed that more al families.[5]

26 18 the Philippines (from July 23, 2007 to June 4, 2010), it than 75% of the lawmakers are members of the old politic