[Closer Look] The problem with Albee Benitez

Early morning of May 31, Victorias City Mayor and incoming Negros Occidental 3rd District representative Javi Benitez posted an appeal on his Facebook page.

It’s a cry of pain familiar with any child forced to endure a world looking on — and commenting — as celebrity parents feud.

Javi, a reserved, polite, and very deliberate young man brought up with all the burdens of legacy, went beyond asking the public to “move on” from gossip and “paid drama.”

His prayer for his parents to come to an understanding came with a December 2023 photo of a smiling family of four: he and his sister Bettina flanking his father Albee and mother Nikki.

Two months after they posed for that family portrait, news broke out of the 58-year-old Albee, the mayor of Bacolod City and its incoming representative, having an affair with an actress young enough to be his daughter.

Javi’s latest social media post came two days after the leak of Nikki’s Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act (VAWC) complaint against Albee.

Aside from this recent case of infidelity, she claimed a long history of emotional and psychological abuse, capped by his alleged withholding of a court-approved monthly financial support of P200,000, her restricted access to conjugal assets, and his efforts “to exert control over our personal and financial autonomy.”

Macho entitlement

Javi wishes the public to focus on other important national concerns. A few things make this difficult.

For one, Albee is a potential replacement for House Speaker Martin Romualdez, one of his confidantes told Rappler.

The bigger problem is the incendiary response of Albee’s lawyer, Peter Sanchez, to the leaked complaint.

It is a full statement, not a grow away line or two. There is no reason to think Albee did not approve that classic example of entitlement and, yes, misogyny, especially given his previous statements on the state of their marriage.

Albee called the case “baseless and retaliatory.”

Citing the dissolution of their property in 2004, the Bacolod mayor claimed he “continued to provide not just ordinary support but a high standard of living” for more than two decades, ”even long after their separation.”

Albee had referenced that separation and dissolution of properties in 2024, in the aftermath of news about his affair.

He was unequivocal: “We have not been a couple for several years.”

His wife’s response was equally firm: “We’ve been living under one roof for 31 years.”

His son’s curt riposte: “We’re as shocked as everyone.”

Dissolution of property does not necessarily mean legal separation. Separate sleeping arrangements do not make Albee a single man. His petition for annulment proves their marriage still exists.

Not a doll on the shelf

In the world’s last remaining country without divorce, the bigger news is how glibly Albee dismisses Nikki’s involvement in his political career — and, given how political power fuels the economic interests of Philippine dynasties, her role in allowing him to enjoy the stature needed to sustain and expand his business empire.

His statement turns Nikki into a nonentity in his political career. A cursory search shows how involved she was on the sidelines of governance.

It’s on his website as 3rd District representative. She has undertaken numerous medical missions under Nikki Cares Foundation since 2017. She was still at it in 2024.

He even highlighted in 2023 the “unwavering support of my wife, Nikki”, saying she “has echoed our advocacy for service to others in need.”

Reporters covering local elections in 2022 also remember Nikki present at political shindigs in their residence. An introductory video in his first outing as mayor describes him as a “loving husband.”

She was around when he took his oath of office and during the opening of his new mayor’s office. She accompanied him to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first State of the Nation Address in July 2022. (She was Kakampink; he backed the son of the dictator, whom his parents worked for.)

Both were also together at the August 30, 2023, conferment of an honorary doctorate to Ceres family matriarch Olivia Yanson.

All these were public events and posted either on Albee’s page, the city’s website, and reported by news outfits.

Stop victim blaming

There are, of course, flawed marriages that plod on for convenience. But implicit to these relationships are roles and duties, including preserving dignity and, yes, the inheritance of children. The latter continues with the dissolution of property.

It’s understandable if wives left behind to pick up after philandering husbands fight to preserve children’s interests — and seek some payback for the humiliation and pain.

Bilyonaryo reported in March this year that Albee had cashed in his DigiPlus shares to the tune of ₱200 million. Nikki filed her complaint in April.

Perhaps Albee could have won all his political races without Nikki by his side. But the fact is, she was, and not just during campaign season. He benefited from her presence.

Albee could have responded to the leak with a simple message noting it’s in court and he will abide with any judiciary outcome. Instead, he buried that in the bottom of the statement, after flexing his patriarchal “generosity.”

Bacolod City’s top women’s organization, the Development Advocates for Women Network, pushed back hard.

“Time and again, we have witnessed how public figures are shielded by influence, privilege, or political ties, while women who speak out are discredited, silenced, or revictimized. This is not merely a private issue — it is a reflection of societal structures that continue to fail women.”

Big words, and from an organization founded by a city councilor under Albee’s bloc. Whether he needs the lesson or not is anybody’s guess.

But can President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., still smarting from the last elections and busy with reorganizing government, afford the optics of rewarding a politician with such a cavalier view of duty and honesty? – Rappler.com