Elections: The tool of the ruling class, the illusion of democracy

QUIXOTIC as that statement might sound, we have to trust our science-based intellect to see through the ruling class’ lies, propagated by US imperialism, and express our minds — for the sake of future generations who would eventually, I’m convinced, junk this tool of the oppressor class.

Indeed, the decline of the world’s champion of electoral systems — the US — has become imminent, and the alternative form of organizing society, meritocracy, as practiced by the People’s Republic of China and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as against the plutocracy of the West, will be more and more accepted by society.

It is Marxism, developed on the eve of capitalism’s dawning in Europe, and the overthrow of monarchies, which expressed well what elections are really for. Marx pointed out, “The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.”

Isn’t that precisely what our presidential system has in fact been: One faction of the ruling class backing a particular candidate against that of another?

Elections in our country have only led to dynasties, in essence, a system not really so different from the fiefdoms of the Middle Ages. It is even worse. Never did the Middle Ages make a street entertainer into a duke to rule over a duchy (or dukedom).

A huge part of Cavite, ironically a province that was a center of revolution against Spain’s medieval-type rule, is ruled by the Revilla clan, which started with Jose Acuña Bautista, whom you would recognize with his screen name Ramon Revilla, a popular action star known as the “Hari ng Agimat” in Filipino cinema. He entered politics in 1992 as a senator, serving until 2004, voted by Caviteños who were confused that they were voting for his screen roles “Pepeng Agimat” and “Nardong Putik,” depicted in so many popular movies as defenders of the poor.

Expanded

The Revillas have expanded a lot since, with clan members holding multiple positions simultaneously across local and national levels.

Ramon’s son, Ramon “Bong” Revilla, an actor, has been a senator since 2010, following earlier stints as Cavite’s vice governor (1995-1998) and governor (1998-2001). The clan’s power is such that even if he was convicted and judged guilty of plunder in 2018, and ordered to pay the government P124 million for misusing his pork barrel funds, he was acquitted of the criminal charges and allowed to run again. He got a court order to change his surname to “Bong Revilla” to ensure that his name in the ballot form would be first in the listing, and immediately recognizable as “Bong Revilla.”

Bong’s wife, Lani Mercado, also a former actress, has been a congresswoman for Cavite’s 2nd district (Bacoor) since 2016, after serving as the town’s mayor (2010-2016). She’s running for reelection in 2025. Bong and Lani’s son, Jolo Revilla, served as Cavite’s vice governor (2013-2022) and is now the 1st district congressman (covering Kawit, Noveleta, Rosario, Cavite City). He’s also running for reelection in 2025. Another son of Bong and Lani, Ram Revilla, was selected as a provincial board member for Cavite’s 2nd district in 2022, further expanding the clan’s local influence. If there’s an important vacant post in Cavite government, a Revilla will get it, apparently.

Bong’s brother, Strike Revilla, was mayor of Bacoor (2007–2016) and has been a congressman for Cavite’s 2nd district since 2016. In today’s election, he’s running for mayor of Bacoor again, facing minimal competition due to the clan’s entrenched power. Bong and Lani’s son, Bryan, holds a party-list seat in the House of Representatives as the top nominee of Agimat ng Masa, a position he’s seeking to retain in 2025. The Revillas have expanded out of Cavite, with Ramon Sr.’s daughter Andrea Bautista-Ynares marrying into Rizal province’s powerful Ynares clan. She has been mayor of Antipolo City, Rizal, since 2019, after her husband Jun Ynares’ two terms (2013-2019) expired.

Cavite

The most powerful political clan in nearby Tagaytay City, which is within Cavite, didn’t need to have a popular actor to build it up, a case study of the phenomenon in many provinces wherein a clan’s power grows through election cycles as it accumulates more power through the years because of their hold of the state machinery.

The clan’s founder, Isaac Tolentino, was the city’s longest-serving mayor, from 1954 to 1980. His son, Francis, was appointed mayor by President Corazon Aquino in 1986, and from thereon has held on to the city, with no opposition at all. His brother Abraham “Bambol” succeeded him in 2004. After he reached the three-term limit, Abraham went on to become a House representative while his wife Agnes became mayor for three terms. Abraham returned to become mayor in 2022.

Francis became senator under Rodrigo Duterte’s camp in 2022, and is now running for reelection under Marcos 2’s tent. Agnes Tolentino is running unopposed in the elections today for vice mayor of Bacoor.

The Tolentinos have fielded the next generation to rule their fiefdom. Abraham’s youngest son Aizack Brent Tolentino, aged 25, is running unopposed for Tagaytay City mayor in the elections today. Another daughter, Athena, aged 26, was vice governor of Cavite until she succeeded Jonvic Remulla in 2024 when he became interior and local government secretary. Abraham’s daughter Aniela — aged 29 and almost straight from British universities — became representative in 2022 of Cavite’s 8th district, where Tagaytay is located, and is running for the same post in today’s election, facing two obscure rivals said to be merely token competitors.

The Revillas and Tolentinos exemplify how dynastic politics undermines democratic competition in the Philippines. Their ability to field multiple family members across positions ensures a near-monopoly on power, a trend worsened by the absence of an anti-dynasty law, as Congress — dominated by dynasty — has failed to act for over three decades.

Streetlights

I hope this new generation of Tolentinos installs enough streetlights, even just in the main avenue of Tagaytay, the Tagaytay to Nasugbu Highway, which, after all, is one of the country’s top tourist destinations yet one of the darkest at night, at least in my experience. Every weekend, the area is a demonstration of weak governance: the two-lane Tagaytay-Nasugbu highway is a race track for sports cars and motorcycles, endangering tourists’ and residents’ lives.

Cavite and Tagaytay are close to the nation’s political, economic and cultural capital and therefore logically should practice the modern forms of democratic rule. They aren’t.

The two areas’ lack of democracy is the rule rather than the exception in the country. The following provinces — an incomplete list — far from Manila have been ruled by dynasties for at least 30 years, or in our modern era:

Ilocos Sur’s politics has been dominated by the Singsons for 50 years; La Union by the Ortegas, who are the Philippines’ longest-ruling political dynasty, with 11 Ortegas running for eight positions today; Rizal by the Ynares family; Lanao del Norte by the Dimaporos; Leyte by the Petillas (the northeastern Leyte branch of the much bigger Veloso clan that has dominated much of western and southern Leyte for decades); the Agusan provinces and Butuan City by the Plaza clan Bukidnon, 3rd district by the Zubiris; Davao Occidental by the Bautistas; Davao Oriental 2nd district by the Almarios; Isabela by the Dys with the patriarch Faustino Dy’s five sons holding governor and mayor across Isabela’s municipalities. Camiguin by the Romualdo clan.

Cities

Following are the cities ruled by the same clan for at least 30 years:

Davao City by the Duterte clan; Makati by the Binays; Batangas City by the Dimacuhas; San Juan by the Estradas; Las Piñas by the Aguilars; Mandaluyong by the Abalos clan; Navotas by the Tiangcos; Taguig by the Cayetanos; Valenzuela by the Gatchalians, with the patriarch a Chinese-Filipino billionaire; Quezon City by the Belmontes; Pasig by the Eusebios, although challenged by Mayor Vico Sotto, whose parents, ironically, were the hosts of a widely popular noontime show, Vic Sotto and Coney Reyes.

Where I live, the incumbent mayor is running unopposed, the representative of the district running for reelection has pretend-rivals. The gubernatorial candidate is a member of the province’s most powerful political clan, the son of a Cabinet member, also, in reality, unopposed. Do I help this system’s pretense that it is a democratic one by voting today?

After all, Duterte’s senatorial candidates which reputable surveys show are in the magic 12, will win. Francis Tolentino and Ben Hur Abalos — the only real Marcos boys — will be losing terribly. Marcos’ other “candidates” are with his slate for the money, not because they believe in him. They would even be the first to stab him in the back as soon as he’s unsalvageable as a president.

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Elections: The tool of the ruling class, the illusion of democracy
Source: Breaking News PH