Guinevere Latoza

1 month ago | pcij.org | Guinevere Latoza

It’s the same number as before the May 12 elections. But despite the outcomes, the clans did not always win gubernatorial races with ease. A deeper study of the electoral contests revealed continuing resistance to dynastic rule, with some successes even if few. In the next three years, most provinces will remain in the hands of governors who come from political dynasties.

1 month ago | pcij.org | Guinevere Latoza

The provinces of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are known for a high concentration of political dynasties. The 2025 election results show that the Alonto-Adiong clan of Lanao del Sur, Hataman-Salliman clan of Basilan, and the Sali clan of Tawi-Tawi remain firmly entrenched. But change has come for Maguindanao, where two branches of the Mangudadatu clan have alternated in ruling the Capitol for the past 15 years. That era has now come to an end.

1 month ago | pcij.org | Guinevere Latoza

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) has identified over a hundred Facebook pages presenting themselves as media outlets but are actually running political ads for national and local candidates in the 2025 elections. These pages have been paying Meta to boost Facebook posts that appear to promote local and national candidates or attack their rivals.

1 month ago | pcij.org | Guinevere Latoza

It was Holy Thursday. The noise from electoral campaigns was hushed, but no one could quiet the multicolored tarpaulins of politicians, flouncing and flapping as we breezed through the road. “Wala namang binago dito (nothing has changed here),” our tricycle driver told us as we made our way to a public market in a Batangas town in April. Kuya Ramon’s opinions couldn’t be silenced by the campaign ban, either. The May 12 elections was just a few weeks away. He was hoping for some changes in his town.

2 months ago | pcij.org | Guinevere Latoza

A broad coalition of political and civil society organizations and individuals lodged a petition with the Supreme Court (SC), urging Congress to enact a law banning political dynasties in the country. The 1987 Constitution prohibits political dynasties, and the petitioners argued that Congress’s failure to pass an enabling law constitutes a violation of Article II, Section 26 of the Constitution, which explicitly bans them.