by Dr. Nicole Curato
ABS-CBN senior political correspondent Lynda Jumilla asked senatorial candidate Edward Hagedorn in the April 21 debate: “Bakit tatakbo ang inyong asawa? Kayo po ba ay nagtatayo ng dynasty sa Puerto Princesa?”
Hagedorn said no, and that it is only his wife, Maria Elena, running for a post as mayor, after much prodding from his constituents.
This, however, is not accurate.
What Hagedorn failed to mention was that his wife is running against Lucilo Bayron, the incumbent vice mayor and his wife’s brother-in-law.
Also, Hagedorn’s brother, Douglas, previously a city councillor, is running for congress in Palawan’s new congressional district. His nephew, Mark David Hagedorn, also formerly a city councillor, is running as vice mayor in tandem with Maria Elena Hagedorn.
Nicole Curato is a sociologist. She currently holds the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Early Career Research Award at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy & Global Governance in Canberra.
