Dual roles at House: ‘Trapos’ and anarchy

Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (Conclusion)

As it is, the present House has only five party-list representatives in all, and it is all too easy for their voices to be drowned out by the traditional politicians who seem in control of Congress once more.

It was in the previous House, where these trapos were smaller in number, that some of the country’s more progressive pieces of legislation were passed. These included the Clean Air Act, which bans incinerators and legislates fuel standards, and the Solid Waste Management Act that calls for waste minimalization and segregation.

It was also the 11th House that impeached a president.

But at least the rich families of the current Congress’ "traditional" legislators thought it wise to invest in education, resulting in a House in which the members have educational qualifications that are equally impressive as those of their predecessors.

It is no shock, of course, to learn that the biggest proportion of lawmakers are graduates of business courses, with a number of them pursuing further studies in business and economics overseas. Thirty-five or some 16 percent are graduates of political science, the second top undergraduate course of the current members.

Like in the 11th House, the University of the Philippines has the most number of alumni, 34, among the current legislators. Ateneo de Manila University has 20 graduates, De La Salle University, 16, and University of Santo Tomas, 13.

One-fourth of all members hold at least one master’s degree, some from overseas universities. Six have doctorates, while 21 had enrolled in advanced or specialized studies.

A significant number — 94, or about 44 percent — trained in law. In the three previous Congresses, the proportion of representatives who had attended law school averaged 45 percent.

The youngest lawyers in this House — Rolando Andaya Jr., Francis Escudero and Robert Ace Barbers — come from some of the country’s most enduring political clans. Two of the more veteran lawyers — Emilio Espinosa Jr. and Carlos Imperial — come from a long line of politician-lawyers in their families as well. Imperial’s uncle, Carlos A. Imperial, was a member of the First Philippine Assembly in 1907 who later became associate justice of the Supreme Court. His father, Domingo, was a senator in 1934 and was also once an associate justice of the Court of Appeals. Emilio, meanwhile, has a lawyer-brother, Tito, who was a Masbate representative for two terms from 1987.

These politicians may or may not have read An Anarchy of Families, in which author Alfred McCoy observed that legal skills seem to stand out in "the ability of politicians to capitalize upon the opportunities of office." McCoy pointed in particular to Ramon Durano Sr., whose legal education "allowed him to translate his political influence into private wealth."

But it was also the business empire built by Ramon Sr. that made it possible for the Durano clan to hold onto power and to use the acquired resources for its younger generation of politicians.

Today, Joseph Ace Durano (Fifth district, Cebu) is on his second term in the House. His father, Ramon Durano III, is mayor of Danao City, an uncle, Ramon Jr., is vice mayor in the same city; a brother, Thomas Mark, and a cousin Oscar, are city councilors; another uncle is vice mayor of Sogod; and an aunt is a provincial board member.