Political Dynasty in the Philippines: Balancing Perspectives

1. Political dinasty in the philippines By Sídney Valdez Fuente: englcom http://sydneyvaldez.blogspot.com.ar/2013/12/argumentative-essay-political-dynasty.html

2. Palabras transparentes: • Political • Dinasty • Families • Democracy • Vote • Community • Education • Corruption • Opportunities

3. Conectores • Meanwhile (mientras tanto). Conector de adición/tiempo • Howewer (sin embargo). Conector de contraste. • First(primero). Conector de tiempo • Moreover (además). Conector de adición. -Since the 8th Congress (1987’), more than 50% of our politicians are members of the old political families.[…] However, here in the Philippines, many of lawmakers are proposing some laws like the Anti-Dynasty bill that might prohibit political dynasty and even some Filipinos are against of this concept.

4. ¿ De que trata el texto(tópico)? El texto trata sobre la instauración de dinastías políticas en filipinas. Esto genera un problema porque mas del 50% de los funcionarios políticos que representan al pueblo obtienen sus cargos por ser miembros de antiguas familias políticas.

5. argumentos • A favor de las dinastías políticas: • las familias serian capaces de terminar los proyectos. • Los nuevos políticos tienen referencias políticas que les transmiten sus parientes para desenvolverse mejor -”A lot of us may be against of political dynasty but if we broaden our minds, it also has benefits for our country. First, the families would be able to finish the unfinished projects of the former leaders. They would be able to continue the legacy that their family has left. It would be easier for the next leaders to think of new projects since their families can help them and they are used to the situation of the place they are handling. Second, the next leaders have enough background on politics. They can have advices and suggestion from their relatives. Usually, if the parents are politicians, there is a tendency that their children might inherit their parents’ sense of leadership. Another advantage is that they are well-versed in governance. They are trained and well-educated when it comes to politics. They know what they are doing and what they need to do for the betterment of our society.”

6. En contra de las dinastías políticas: • Genera corrupción y desigualdad en oportunidades para la obtención de un cargo • Solo respetan su imagen y hacen abuso de ella, hacen promesas y nos las cumplen. • La votación no es del todo transparente, ya que se manipulan los votos y no se muestran las plataformas políticas, ni se hacen eco de ellas, solo de su carisma. “ One of the reasons is that it causes corruption. Though, corruption has been accused to our government a long time ago, the issues of dynasty worsen it. These families just collect money and do not use it for the projects in their community. They just show that they are responsible leaders when the election is getting near. They do not use the money that the government is giving for good. They just use it for their selves and everyone can prove it through their luxuries. Next is that it shows unequal opportunities for other aspiring leaders. Since all members of the family are trying to have a position, other politicians are being refrained to continue running for the elections. The worst part is that if the family is famous among the community. They will be having many supporters even they know that they do not contribute to their community. Also, political dynasty worsens poverty in our country. They seem to forget their promises after getting elected. They do not put into actions whatever they said in front of many people. They just do good deeds if they know that there is an exchange for it. In this country a lot of people believe that the poor people get poorer every year. The politicians think that showing the media that they care for their community is enough but how about their platforms? Does the community benefit from it? They only care for their image. Lastly, dynasty defeats the purpose of democracy. It makes people lose their rights to vote and freedom in choosing who they think is good for their place. They would not be able to choose if the same family runs for election. The issue of vote buying also rises. Some of the politicians tend to pay people just to win”

7. Conclusión • En conclusión el autor sostiene que las dinastías en la política van en contra del propósito de la democracia porque desestiman el poder del voto, hay una restricción en las elecciones y generan un malentendido entre la comunidad y la relación sociedad-gobierno. • El autor, naturalmente, se manifiesta en contra de las dinastías políticas. • According to (Lincoln, 1963) the government is for the people and by the people. In summary, political dynasty is not only affecting our government but also our whole country. Also, it becomes the root of the misunderstanding within the government and society. Everyone must be ready with changes like electing new leaders. We must use our right to vote wisely because it will also affect our lives - In my opinion, political dynasty in the Philippines should be abolished because it promotes unequal opportunities, causes corruption and defeats the purpose of democracy.

8. Frases nominales • Political dynasty / dinastía política • Old political families/ antiguas familias políticas • Power estructure/ poder estructural