66 Chasing the Wind: Assessing Philippine Democracy Tracing their political lineage all the way to the early American colonial era when the clan patriarch, Partido Federal member Joaquin Ortega was first appointed as La Union's governor in 1901, the family has become a permanent fixture in the political life of the province.23 Table 9: Provinces with Highest Number of Political Families, 1987-2010 No. of Political Families HDI Rank 2006 1.Pangasinan 7 20 No. of Congressional Districts 6 2.Leyte 7 49 5 3.Cebu 6 21 6 4.Negros Occidental 6 26 6 5.Tarlac 5 16 3 6.Quezon 5 58 4 7.Iloilo 5 12 5 8.Surigao del Sur 5 60 2 9.Davao del Sur 4 14 2 10.Davao Oriental 4 66 2 11.Batangas 12.Camarines Sur 4 4 15 36 4 4 13.Nueva Ecija 4 44 4 14.Surigao del Norte 4 46 2 Major Political Families Agbayani, Estrella, Bengson, Perez, de Venecia, Celeste, Cojuangco Apostol, Loreto, Veloso, Locsin, Romualdez, Petilla, Cari Osmeña, Durano, Gullas, Garcia, Kintanar, Martinez Marañon, Alvarez, Lacson, Yulo, Ferrer, Arroyo Aquino, Cojuangco, Yap, Teodoro, Lapus Alcala, Enverga, Punzalan, Suarez, Ta ñada Garin, Lopez, Syjuco, Defensor, Tupas/Suplico Ty, Murillo, Pimentel, Falcon, Pichay Almendras, Bautista, Llanos, Cagas Almario, Lopez, Palma-Gil, Dayanghirang Laurel, Recto, Perez, Ermita Alfelor, Andaya, Fuentebella, Villafuerte Joson, Violago, Lorenzo/Villareal, Umali Ecleo, Navarro, Matugas, Barbers Table 10: Governorships Ruled by a Single Political Family, 1992-2010. HDI Rank, 2006 Political Family 1.Rizal 2.La Union 2 10 3. Lanao del Norte 4. Camarines Sur 23 36 5.Leyte 6.Agusan del Sur 49 57 Ynares Ortega/Orros (1988-2010) Dimaporo Villafuerte (198892; 95-2010) Petilla Plaza