The end of a dynasty? Chamber of Estrada is the most important loser of the mid-term elections within the Philippines

On Tuesday night, Emilio’s nephew Ramon Ejercito appeared doomed in his bid for governor of Laguna province, southeast of Manila.

Two of Estrada’s sons ran for the senate: certainly one of them, Jinggoy Estrada, was eliminated from the sphere of candidates, and the opposite, Jinggoy’s half-brother JV Ejercito, was teetering on the sting.

If Ejercito loses, it should mean that for the primary time since 1969, Estrada won’t be in public office.

Sibling rivalry within the Binay dynasty

Meanwhile, in Makati City, Monday’s elections saw the autumn of one other powerful dynasty.

Former Vice President Jejomar Binay (76) lost his likelihood for a seat within the lower house. The blow got here after two of his children competed against one another in a hotly contested race to turn out to be mayor of the country’s financial heart.

Vote counting showed that incumbent Mayor Abigail Binay-Campos, 43, is on course to win re-election against her brother, Jejomar “Junjun” Jr Binay, 41.

Their bitter dispute could have divided the family’s interests and resources, affecting the political possibilities of one other sibling, 45-year-old Nancy Binay, who was running for re-election to the Senate in Monday’s elections.

Although pre-election polls showed Nancy strongly favored to win, Tuesday’s vote count places her in a precarious twelfth position – the last place on the list of winning senators.

The fate of the Binays and Estradas shows that Philippine politics remains to be largely dominated by dynasties, but even a seemingly powerful family can suddenly be shaken by internal tensions.

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Binay Sr., currently on trial for corruption, founded his dynasty in 1986 when he became mayor, then ran successfully for vice chairman before ending in an unsuccessful presidential bid.

His wife and youngsters ran for and won local and national office, but their rigorously choreographed game of musical chairs was ruined by a dispute between brother and sister. Binay Snr himself lost his congressional bid to a long-time rival.

Estrada’s house collapses because of this of internal fighting

Fifty years ago, Estrada parlayed his popularity as a B-movie motion star right into a political profession.

He rose from mayor to senator to vice chairman after which president, where he held the position for just three years before being forced out of office.

Estrada’s political profession endured two “popular power uprisings”, impeachment, trial, conviction and imprisonment. Pardoned by then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Estrada returned to run for mayor of Manila and managed to create a strong dynasty – which now apparently lies in ruins.

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Ironically, it was this success that might shake up each political dynasties. The two became so dominant within the Philippines that members began to activate one another.

According to political analyst Manolo Quezon III, the split within the Estrada dynasty “unfolded in seemingly inevitable slow motion because the Jinggoy faction coveted San Juan, which was once Gui’s seat [Estrada’s common-law wife]”.

“The patriarch failed in his primary role of repelling all newcomers while maintaining peace between warring families and sons,” Quezon added.

Both of Estrada’s sons desired to run for senator, confusing voters.

JV Ejercito, Estrada’s son by his common-law wife, said on Tuesday: “I have to be honest, from the very beginning I disagreed with my father and brother because I was against us running together. It would distract us too much.

Quezon said Estrada’s family disputes “eliminated longtime allies who, sensing internal discord, declared independence to defeat them.” Estrada lost the mayoralty to a young former protégé, actor Francisco “Isko” Moreno.

Moreno himself likely intends to stay and build his own dynasty. He has already told reporters that one three-year mayoral term is not enough: “I want 10 years.”

The “world capital” of political dynasties

In a country where families, not candidates, win elections, the midterm session was no different.

He saw family members run and win several positions – families with surnames like Pacquiao, Cayetano, Villafuerte.

All of President Rodrigo Duterte’s children ran and won: eldest son Paolo secured a seat in Congress, daughter Sara became mayor of Davao City, and youngest son Sebastian became vice mayor of Davao City.

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Proving the longevity of the dynasty, the family of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos also returned. Daughter Imee Marcos was on track to win the senatorial election, and her son Matthew had a chance to become governor of Ilocos Norte province in the northern Philippines.

The dominance of political dynasties dates back hundreds of years, when what eventually became the Philippines was a collection of numerous settlements and kingdoms ruled by strongman chiefs. The Spanish conquistadors, who claimed the islands, took advantage of this system by giving privileged chiefs and their families leading positions in villages throughout the colony.

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In 2013, the late Senator Miriam Santiago stated that the Philippines, with 178 active political families, is the “world capital” of political dynasties. She called them “stationary bandits, gluttons for power and privilege, the equivalent of mafia crime families.”

In a 2009 book, political historian Alfred McCoy described Philippine politics as “anarchy of families”.

However, the instinct seems to be ingrained in Filipino culture.

“Dynasties are the organizing principle of Philippine society,” said analyst Manolo Quezon. “Show business, the church, academia, bureaucracy, art and science, banking, education, the military – all are built on dynastic expectations.”

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This article appeared within the print edition of the South China Morning Post as: Estradas amongst powerful families fell on the ballot box