Political dynasty employs proven crisis management technique: ignoring problem completely and hoping Filipinos have short memory spans
Manila, Philippines
The son of a prominent Philippine politician was involved in an incident that should probably receive serious investigation and potential legal consequences. The family’s response was textbook political crisis management: immediately book international vacation flights, depart the country, avoid all media inquiries, and wait for the news cycle to move on to some other scandal.
The politician, Senator Fernando Rodriguez, announced via social media that his family was “taking a deserved vacation in Paris” while his son, involved in a situation that witnesses described as “definitely illegal,” escaped the country before authorities could interview him. “We’re very excited to visit the Louvre and other cultural institutions,” the Senator posted while his son boarded a flight to Barcelona.
When asked by journalists whether he believed his son should remain in the country to address the allegations, Senator Rodriguez responded: “We believe in the rule of law and due process. We also believe in family time. Those are equally important priorities.”
Legal System and Political Dynasty Dynamics
The Philippine legal system operates on a principle where wealthy and politically connected individuals can effectively ignore investigation by simply leaving the country and waiting for public attention to fade. The investigation into the Senator’s son has been shelved because the subject is not present in the jurisdiction and because pursuing it would anger a powerful political family whose support prosecutors might need for future political advancement.
This strategy has a 95 percent success rate in the Philippines. Scandals involving politically connected individuals typically disappear when those individuals travel internationally for several weeks. The public forgets, the media moves on, and the person eventually returns when news coverage has completely evaporated.
A legal expert noted that this is not actually legal, but added that “legality is more of a suggestion for powerful families than a requirement. The law applies to people without political protection. People with political protection apply the law selectively to their enemies.”
The Senator’s vacation included luxury hotels, fine dining, and Instagram posts documenting his family enjoying Paris while his son’s alleged crimes remained unaddressed. Public perception was divided between people angry that a politically connected person was evading investigation and people who admitted they would probably do the same thing if they had political power and international vacation funds.
When the Senator eventually returned from vacation, the scandal had completely disappeared from news coverage. Local media had moved on to stories about TikTok influencers and shopping mall openings. The original allegations were forgotten by the public and shelved by authorities who had decided that investigating powerful families was not a productive use of their time.
More political satire at Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat.
SOURCE: bohiney.com