Political dynasties remain powerful in Philippine politics to this day. However, in recent years, the Philippines has experienced some significant transformations in the realm of traditional politics. Some politicians have emerged at the local level willing to confront those supported by dynastic politics. Since most literature on Philippine politics have emphasized the durability of elite domination, such changes have not yet been fully studied. This article addresses how progressive politics evolves in contention with a political dynasty based on a qualitative, exploratory case study approach by highlighting the case of Dinagat Islands where a progressive congresswoman who ran for Congress defeated a candidate from an entrenched political dynasty by practicing programmatic governance. It explores how government capacity to respond to demands of the people can be improved. As a result of this, the article clarifies a new, though not common, dynamic of Philippine politics in the 2010s and provides important implications for the possibility of future political development and theorizing in the country.

<p>This paper argues why the Competition Act was successfully enacted during the Aquino administration. Focusing on its political factors, the paper also illuminates the significance of Aquino's reformist politics and the implication of his vision of "inclusive growth."</p><p>The legislation of the Act was made possible by three elements. First, at the macro level, taking advantage of establishing the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, the Aquino administration set the political goal of "inclusive growth," which aimed to confront "growth without employment" that came to light during the Arroyo administration. The Act was included in it as an important part. Second, at the micro level, Senator Bam Aquino, who had been addressing issues of SMEs, became the main author of the bill, promoted it skillfully in Congress, and persuaded those who are cautious. Third, in the economic dimension, having experienced high economic growth and some foreign direct investment since the mid-2000s, Filipino conglomerates, who had been the opposition force to competition bills since the 1990s, begun to acknowledge the necessity of reforming economic rules and old business practices.</p><p>Based on this analysis, the paper broadens the argument and points out several aspects of Aquino's reformist politics. First, the government showed it is essential to foster SMEs as well as infrastructure development to overcome the weakness of job creation, which has been a structural problem of the Philippine economy for a long time. Second, the government recognized that removing various entry barrios and monopoly is inevitable to foster SMEs and it should be done not only by deregulation, which had been a central measure to revitalize economy, but by the government's active intervention. Third, to eliminate corruption and personalistic politics, the administration promoted political participation of civil society organizations and tried to advance transparency and accountability and strengthen rule of law.</p><p>Although Aquino and Duterte look contrasting leaders, the Duterte administration largely took over Aquino's reformist direction including the competition policy. Therefore, to understand political changes in the Philippines from now on, Aquino's reformist politics must be referred to as its unignorable stage.</p>

Despite its much-touted agenda to fight poverty and corruption, the Aquino administration was not able to produce good results during its term at the national level. However, some political forces and policy reforms that emerged with the administration achieved remarkable change at the local level. This paper explores the case of Siquijor Province, where an entrenched political dynasty was defeated in the 2013 and 2016 elections by candidates supported by the Liberal Party and its allied forces, Akbayan, and analyzes factors that brought this change by focusing on activities of People Power Volunteers for Reform, the impact of bottom-up budgeting projects, and the mobilization of powers of the national government through personal relationships. It also notes achievements of the Aquino administration at the local level, provides a critical perspective to the elite democracy discourse that sticks to a static view of Philippine politics, and clarifies local practices by progressive forces that confront oligarchy.