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Filipino Realpolitik (Politics in the Philippines)
Putting the spotlight on politics in the Philippines brings several culture and social norms to the fore - some positive, others negative.
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The political system is widely believed to be riddled with corruption, but Filipinos are passionate about getting involved in the elections and the politics as a whole.
The oligarchy of powerful families that constitute the Filipino elite is well in evidence at all levels of the legislature, and politics is a family business that can be classed as a kind of benevolent paterfamilias at best and keeping an eye on vested interest at worst. Candidates slide from mayoral seats to the House of Representatives and back again, once they reach the legal limit for terms served. So the name do the rounds election after election.
Widows of assasinated candidates often end up in their husbands' jobs, most famously Corazon (Cory) Aquino who led the country of the dark days of Marcos' rule after Benigno senior's assassination. But even in the 2007 elections, two widows were elected after their husbands died during campaigning. And despite the international condemnation that was heaped on the Marcos regime after the People Power Revolution, the Marcos family is still well ensconced in their traditional stomping ground around the family home in Ilocos Norte. Daughter Imee Marcos is a congresswoman and Bong Bong Marcos (Ferdinand Jr.) was a governor and is currently a member of the House of Representatives.
Politicians are a colorful lot. Characters include discredited president Joseph Estrada, who as an actor, was known as Erap, the reverse of the Filipino word pare, meaning pal or buddy, and Chavit Singson who owns several tigers at his lavish hone in Ilocos Norte. The Singson family is one of the most powerful mestizo land-owning clans and they've ruled Vigan by Spanish diktat and the ballot box since the 1800s.
Politics continue to be a tough career choice. Over 100 people were killed in campaigning in the run-up to the 2007 poll, schools acting as polling stations were torched and several instances of voter intimidation were recorded (mainly in the southern provinces). Despite this, the Filipinos wear their heart on their sleeves at election time, smothering their homes with election posters and riding through the streets in noisy cavalcades to proclaim support for their favorite candidates.