Dynasties (Last Part)

Because in every clan, there are families that belong to the dominant order, and there are those that are merely subservient ones.

I consider ours belonging to the subservient ones. Even if we do have the power to rise up against the order, our gratitude towards the dominant and our vital position in the chain of influence would prevent us from doing so.

- The Jomanian Doctrine: Politics of Families

---

Last friday, I had a merienda date with my aunt at Pancake House in CCP. That same day, the elections in my sister's university was ongoing and the tension between families were already at its height. My mom, who bought my argument that we should never confront her sister sent pleading text messages to my cousin instead in order to diffuse the tension. Mom told her that she should not take things personally. After all, its just campus politics. She should always bear in mind that my sister is her blood relative. Blood will be always thicker than water.

Same thing is true with me. Taking advantage of my closeness to my aunt, I went all the way to treat her at Pancake House, at my expense to assure her that as a family, we will never take sides. Our desire is for the preservation of the family and like her, we hope that the conflict will end after the elections. It turns out she shares my sentiments.

---

A week before their elections, my sister expressed her sentiments to my mom about my treatment of her. She said that she gets hurt everytime I blurt to her that she's just a hopeless freeloader at home. She also can't understand why she could not get any support from us, when we're the only ones she could really rely on.

I understand my mother's concern about our conflict. In fact, despite her personal disapproval at how she waste the last of her academic years engaging in such fruitless activites, my mom chose to take her side instead of mine. Her reason was I'm too harsh and unforgiving about my demands and that I'm alienating her at home. The stress and pressure from running a university-wide campaign has already taken a toll on her mind and being, and that an added pressure from me might lead to her breakdown.

So she begged me to keep my sentiments to myself, for the sake of maintaining the peace at home.

That same week, she would often go home past midnight with her core group only to continue their meeting and planning at home. Such lessened contact prevents us from clashing. However the large number of people we have to support is eating a portion of our resources. This could become a point of contention between us siblings. What made me stop raising this issue is the fact that Punks also uses our resources everytime he sleeps over at home. She could always counter my complains with that argument.

---

As my mother recollects my sister's involvement in our frequent mother-son consultations, I've realized that things are not doing well for my sister. There's a hint that her authority was being challenged by a faction who's not impressed with her leadership. At the same time, countless inter-party complains pushes them to the brink of disqualification.

One evening, as the family waits for her arrival, I decided to check on her files on my computer just to check on her performance. It turns out that as a new political alliance, her leadership was untested. In fact, her choice of a standard bearer had already spelled defeat for her entire line-up.

If only I knew their situation way ahead, I might be able to give her an advice or two about running a machinery. After all, I was a secretary general during my time.

As my aunt puts pressure on us to convince my sister to resign her post, I begin to understand how difficult it is for my sister to hold everything together especially with her lack of experience. Sometimes, she would just cry to my mom out of sheer frustration and exhaustion from doing a thankless job. On many times, she would ferociously defend her party about my aunt's accusation of being a dirty player in their election campaign.

These things, for a time made me think about my stand. The issues of pride and ego begins to surface as my aunt tries to put my sister down and demand her immediate resignation from her party. I felt that Im being pitted against my own sister for the sake of satisfying a cousin's desire for dominance. However, my concern about the future and the preservation of the family also puts me in a position where I have to compromise my sister's right to choose her happiness over our long term survival. Losing my aunt's favor would mean that we have to swallow our pride the moment we have run to her for assistance.

Therefore we had to make a choice.

My aunt demanded for my sister's resignation a couple of times shortly before their campus elections. By then we knew that it's already too late for my sister to back down from her top position. Doing so would simple leave her shattered for the rest of her life. I suggested that she could transfer some of her responsibilities to a junior student, while running things from behind. However, it seems like my sibling doesn't understand the concept of succession in power so she never listened my advice.

Her stubborness and willingness to break relationships with people who cross her reminds me of a story back in my college years. Back then, I have a friend who belongs to a rival party. We've known each other for years, we're even classmates during the last two years of our college life. However, our party affiliations simply prevented us from getting close. We could not even engage in a small talk out of fear of being accussed of submitting to the other. She's been known as a strong-willed woman. For a time, I even thought she'd take over my position as the class president after she was nominated in that position during a class election.

Our relationship went on from being warm to being cold. It was the only time in my life I showed extreme display of distrust while still appearing cordial and accomodating to a person. Days before graduation, we had an unobstructed conversation summarizing our four years in college. Then and there she blurted to me, "kung hindi lang dahil sa partido, naging sobrang close siguro tayo."

We waited four years just to open up to each other only to part ways days later.

---

During the canvassing, my sister kept on texting us to pray for them. Apparently, they are on the brink of losing the entire council and that their rival is already gaining the upper hand.

I remembered what my aunt told me that afternoon about the only sad outcome my sister would get after the council elections had ended. It turns out that the reason why my cousin is furious at my sister's polical maneuvering is because among all her cousins, she considers closest to my sister. Now that their familial bond is broken, she feels that her connection with the bloodline is over.

That same day, in one burst of heated argument, I also told my sister how her arrogance will cost her dearly. First, I pointed out to her the value of gratitude above all things. It's a fact that the reason why she got admitted to that university is because of my aunt's connections. It would be her greatest humiliation to see someone she worked to be admitted go to waste. Second, even if we never solicited direct favors from my aunt, she had rendered us assistance during our most difficult moments. Her assistance when dad was in his deathbed will forever remain in my memory. Lastly, because my sister chose politics over academics, I have to brace to the reality that I may have to work for the next six months while she enjoys the comforts of remaining a student.

Before Friday ended, her karma has been served:

For all the efforts and sacrifices she had rendered just to push her party to victory - they lost all the major seats in the council to their rivals.

Now that everything is over, she had to pick up the pieces and pay the price for not heeding our warning.