My replies in four paragraphs are lifted verbatim from one of my political sites, Is Democracy a Sham in Pinas?
It's a cynical fantasy for Filipinos to think that getting rid of family political dynasties and so-called oligarchs will end. The moral sense of purpose is not the same in practice. The Filipinos cannot moan and groan and tell every tim, dick and hairy to hate them. The oligarchs are the powerbase, albeit a minority, but because of the Filipinos' lack of determination to put the right people in government, the disappointment is clear to see.
The inflexibility that many have has a lot to do with their own confusion of the kind of reforms and changes they aren't even sure they know would help. Filipinos are basically good and intelligent, however, it is their lack of direction, perception and dynamism---the quiet discretion to make things happen---and convert them into nuggets of wisdom, not spite.
Political maturity comes with a mature society. There is nothing worse than banging their heads on the wall and shout, "Changes! Reforms!"The Filipinos must change first before anything else can happen. Blaming the oligarchs all the time isn't the answer, long-term. The ordinary Filipinos make up the majority but many just don't know how to make use of that power. The power is staring them in the face: the ballot box.
On Oligarchs: It works both ways. If the ordinary Filipinos keep allowing it to happen, by voting for the same family members, then this will never stop. The power of the ballot , or the lack of it, has to do with the growing number of political family dynasties. The people must take responsibility for this sad state of affairs. On the other hand, this is something that will continue not just in the Philippines but in all countries of the world--rich and poor. The Filipinos also make a sham of the electoral process by kowtowing to the manipulators and smooth words of the traditional political family dynasties.
