For first time in history, anti-dynasty bill passes House, but it’s hollow

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives passed on final reading on Wednesday, June 3, a bill seeking to define and regulate political dynasties, a feat for a chamber that has shunned such proposals for more than three decades, but its weak provisions may be the reason why it got through.

A total of 271 lawmakers backed House Bill No. 8389, a diluted version of the already weak initial bill that originated from the desks of Speaker Bojie Dy and Majority Leader Sandro Marcos. Sixteen voted no, while seven others abstained.

The 1987 Constitution, written after the 1986 People Revolution, bans dynasties but tasks Congress with making the definition. No measure had passed the House until Wednesday.

While historic, the approved bill has no teeth to stop fat or thin dynasties, and can easily be circumvented by political families. Its proponents, however, insist that the dynasty relationship defined in the bill will impact more than 5,000 elective offices.

Under the current version, a political dynasty relationship is set only up to the second degree of consanguinity, covering only parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, as well as the spouse. These family members can run simultaneously alongside the politician or succeed them in office immediately.

Originally, the initial bill proposed that the ban cover up to the fourth degree of consanguinity.

Some staunch advocates of an anti-dynasty bill have expressed openness to compromising with a second-degree ban, but the problem is with how the approved proposal clusters the prohibition: families are allowed to put forward candidates for a national post, a provincial post, a municipal or city government post, and as many congressional posts as possible, at the same time.

Hypothetically, a Marcos can run for senator, a Marcos can run for governor of Ilocos Norte, Marcoses can occupy the two congressional seats of the province, and Marcoses can be mayors of all 23 cities and towns.

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Even the political families of Speaker Dy of Isabela and bill sponsor Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur will hardly be impacted by the measure.

The bill’s strongest provision is also unlikely to survive the Senate. House lawmakers want to prohibit relatives from occupying more than one national post at the same time. The four pairs of siblings in the Senate are likely to challenge this provision.

Opposition lawmakers from Akbayan and Makabayan have withdrawn their authorship from the version of the bill that hurdled the House. Adiong, who defended the bill on the plenary floor, stands by the proposal.

“We must strike a careful balance, ensuring that we do not unduly impair the sovereign right of the people to choose their leaders, nor the right of qualified citizens to offer themselves for public service. This measure is not about restricting democracy, it is about strengthening and purifying it by opening wider opportunities for genuine public service and breaking the cycle of entrenched power,” Adiong said in a statement on May 25. – Rappler.com