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Inside Philippine politics & beyond

Manila’s Game of Thrones

October 27, 2018

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Beneath the smiles, resentments are simmering.

In this piece, Alan examines the dark side of political dynasties.

FEUDING DYNASTIES, BLOODY MASSACRES: GAME OF THRONES SEASON 8 … OR PHILIPPINE POLITICS?

In the ‘world capital’ of political dynasties, ruling families that have held power for decades trade positions like musical chairs. And when sibling or clan rivalries threaten this incestuous grip on power, things can turn deadly

BY ALAN ROBLES

21 OCT 2018

Speaking in Filipino, the man, 48, revealed how all these years he had been bullied by his elder half-brother. “I always gave way. But there’s a limit. Now I have to stand for my principles.”

Aired on national radio last week, the line could have been lifted straight out of a daytime melodrama, a baring of what Filipinos call sama ng loob, hidden resentment. However, the character showing his anger was one of the country’s most powerful men: Senator JV Ejercito, son of disgraced ex-president Joseph “Erap” Estrada.

Ejercito was telling a news programme why he was running for re-election in May next year, pitting him against his half-brother, the former senator Jose “Jinggoy” Ejercito, 55. There is no love lost between the two. According to Jinggoy, “we’re not on speaking terms”. He has his own grounds for resentment: in 2014, when both were senators, Ejercito signed a Blue Ribbon Committee report that identified several colleagues implicated in the theft of billions of pesos in development (“pork barrel”) funds. Jinggoy Estrada was one of them. He was arrested and spent three years in detention before he was allowed to post bail last year. Ejercito himself was charged with corruption when he was mayor. He was acquitted last year.

In the rest of the article, Alan explains how “the Estrada family’s octopus-like hold on power illustrates a basic fact of life in the Philippines: the building block of politics is not the party, it is the family. Elections are games of musical chairs where clan members follow an intricate choreographed dance that sees them trade positions, or hand them down to kin.”

To read the rest, please click on this link.

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Tagged With: Davao City mayor Sara Duterte, former Davao city Mayor Paolo Duterte, former Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin "JunJun" Binay, former President Joseph Estrada, former Senator Jingoy Estrada, Makati City Mayor Abby Binay, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, political dynasty, Senator JV Ejercito

Comments

  1. drill down says

    November 1, 2018 at 6:50 AM

    https://amp.livescience.com/63980-roach-kicks-prevent-zombification.html

    Roaches Kick Wasps in the Head to Avoid Becoming Zombies
    ————————–
    roaches can teach humans that fanaticism is evil. lol

    • Rolly says

      November 1, 2018 at 6:01 PM

      Meron din palang wasp sting si Duterte.

      • arc says

        November 2, 2018 at 4:07 AM

        one size fits all na ang military wasps niya. I hope they wont do a marawi city sa customs, exterminate! exterminate! exterminate! lol! bang, bang, bang, and customs is going to be under hunta; stung.

        star war’s storm troopers? numerous in numbers but scant in achievement. a blot in the landscape.

  2. Marmee Cruz says

    October 28, 2018 at 4:19 PM

    Having been a San Juan resident for almost of my life, I can safely and justly say that Erap was the best Mayor and the rest of his kin were never even close.

    Like Duterte, Erap was a great mayor and nothing more. The 2 are 2 peas in a pod: great or good mayors but inept and lousy as president!

    • arc says

      October 30, 2018 at 3:47 AM

      I’m starting to understand the modus po. 1st credibility is established, perpetrators worked harder for it, sacrificed much for it, and the rest comes easy.

      begging your pardon po at medyo cynical ako. have seen it before kasi. modus ng scammer yan to establish good rapport, trust and credibility. then, once in place, scammers help themselves to the harvest.

      look at former customs chief faeldon. he let duterte in the secret about the fake stamp machines that mighty corp used to stamp on cigarettes. mighty ended up paying back taxes kuno worth millions and if mighty actually did pay tax arrears, I dont know. faeldon got duterte by the hook and now duterte is totally sold on faeldon’s integrity, despite faeldon failing the honesty test so soon, failed to stop siya the 6billion worth of shabu shipment.

      basta inunahan o naunahan ng good work, consistency is not needed baga. di bale na kung palpak big time their consequent works. 1st impression count so much to digong, so important to him, the rest rarely matters.

      then, digong did the same with lapenya. having upped customs collection, lapenya got digong by the hook and now digong is totally impressed and sold on lapenya too. digong refused to believe subsequent kapabayaan ni lapenya coming so soon after his ginormous customs collection. consistency is not needed. basta naunahan ng good 1st impression, okay si digong.

      digong always look at the men they were, not the men they had become, their 1st impression preceding.

      okay, back to mayor joseph estrada po. he did good 1st impression at marami ang naniwala sa kanya to the extend na kahit anong kapalpakan done later, lusot yata siya. abswelto siya.

      have good 1st impression and the rest is easy. smooth as silk.

    • Rolly says

      November 1, 2018 at 5:57 PM

      Perhaps the best???

      But someone who did not enrich themselves in office would have been a million times better.

      • arc says

        November 2, 2018 at 4:18 AM

        pardon for being blunt po, I dare say had he not been gone, he would not have been missed! sorely missed.

        people prayed for miracle and was given one. but it was not the kind of miracle people had in mind, had wanted. miracle did not come with blaring trumpets, lacking in gloss and razzmatazz and was binned, sent to oblivion. mocked.

        the one that come after must have been god’s punishment to the people so ingrate, they killed his only begotten son.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist Then they came fof the Trade Unionists, and I did not out speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me— And there was no one left to speak for me. —Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)

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