Politics splitting family members & close relatives

These are times of not only a fight for survival between or among family dynasties. These are also times of intramurals inside families. In Makati, term-limited senator Nancy Binay is running for city mayor. Her opponent is the husband of her sister, Abigail, Makati Representative Luis Campos. In Parañaque, Aileen Claire Olivarez, wife of incumbent mayor Eric Olivarez is opposing the coming back of Representative Edwin Olivarez to the city mayorship.

Senator Nancy has the full support of her dad, former vice president Jejomar Binay, as well as her mom Dr. Elenita Binay, and her younger brother, former Makati mayor Junjun Binay. Nancy's husband is standing alone with his wife. There seems to be not much love lost between Abigail who is, by the way, running for senator, one the one hand, and the united front of father Jejomar, mother Elenita, and brother Junjun, on the other hand. Not too long ago, Abigail and Junjun were running against each other for the same position of Makati mayor. Abigail defeated Junjun and the rest is history, or her story.

In Parañaque, incumbent mayor Eric had come into a modus vivendi with his brother, Representative Edwin, that they would swap positions, like what senator Nancy and mayor Abigail are doing. But the wife of Eric cannot be stopped, as she bragged that her decision was made with the blessings of her father-in-law, the patriarch, Dr. Pablo Olivarez, also former mayor of Parañaque. Aileen Claire declares that she is running because she wants to solve the problems of drugs, garbage, floods, and the challenges of housing, lack of employment, and livelihood for the urban poor.

In Taguig, there was almost a clash between incumbent Mayor Lani Cayetano, wife of Senator Alan Peter, and Lino Cayetano who almost decided to run for mayor too. But elder sister Pia prevailed over Lino to run for Congress instead. But then again mayor Lani opted to support Lino's opponent, Ricardo Cruz. This means that all is not well in the house of the Cayetanos. And the Cayetanos are fighting tooth and nail against their perennial rivals, the Ceraficas who are now allied with the traditional rivals of the Cayetanos, the Tinga Clan.

In Las Piñas, April Aguilar-Nery, daughter of incumbent mayor, Imelda Aguilar, is being challenged by her first-degree cousin Carlo Aguilar in their common ambition to follow the long tradition of the Aguilars to dominate the city government of that bamboo organ city. The original Aguilar was Dr. Felimon Aguilar, the father of Senator Cynthia Aguilar and the father of April as well as Carlo's own father too. Cynthia is the mother of incumbent Senator Mark and possible incoming senator Camille. Las Piñas voters only know two names: Aguilar and Villar. All the rest scramble for the rest of the political crumbs.

Many people do not know that the Nograles Clan and the Duterte Family are distant relatives. Now, they are about to clash again as they used to some three decades ago. I am exasperated and I do not want this to happen in Cebu. But in the last elections, the Calderons of the seventh and the second congressional districts were junking their first-degree cousin Ace Durano in favor of a non-relative, the dragon lady of the Capitol.

They say that blood is thicker than water. But, I tell you, politics is thicker than blood.