Arthur Fuentes

The Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City on July 25, 2022, prior to the first State of the Nation Address of Bongbong Marcos Jr. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

House of Representatives

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) -- A measure seeking to ban political dynasties in the Philippines has been filed anew at the House of Representatives in the 20th Congress.ACT Teachers Party List Representative Antonio Tinio and Kabataan Party List Representative Renee Co filed on Monday House Bill 209 or the proposed Anti-Political Dynasty Act.The measure defines &quot;political dynasty&quot; as a &quot;family or clan that concentrates, consolidates, or perpetuates their political power by holding public office simultaneously or successively.&quot;Under the bill, &quot;no person shall hold or run for any elective national or local office simultaneously with another within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity, whether legitimate or illegitimate, full or half blood.&quot;It also prohibits those within this degree of relationship to an incumbent elected official from immediately succeeding to the position.Once enacted, the COMELEC can deny due course to the certificate of candidacy of aspirants, who are prohibited to run under the measure. The votes cast for the disqualified candidate &quot;shall not be counted and deemed not counted nor shall such candidate be proclaimed nor be qualified to assume office.&quot;In their explanatory note, Tinio and Co cited a report by the United Nations Development Programme, which states that of the 77 provinces included in the study, 72 provinces or 94 percent have political families.&quot;The socio-economic and political inequalities prevalent in Philippine society limit public office to members of ruling families. In many instances, voters, for convenience and out of cultural mindset, look up to these economically and politically dominant families as dispensers of favors, material and otherwise, and tend to elect relatives of these politically dominant families,&quot; they said.&quot;… this Bill is hereby proposed to give real teeth to the Constitutional mandate and strengthen the call for new politics to lay the basis of greater empowerment for the greater number of Filipinos,&quot; Tinio and Co added.However, for TINGOG Party List Representative Jude Acidre, the problem lies not with political dynasties.&quot;Ang problema talaga natin is political participation. Paano natin gagawin na mas maraming Pilipino pa ang pwedeng makisali sa pulitika ng ating bansa?&quot; he said.&quot;Maraming factors ang kailangan nating ikonsidera. For example education, political education ng mga tao, ang willingness ng mga tao makilahok sa mga gawain. Kasi ang pulitika dapat hindi lang panahon naman ng eleksyon,&quot; Acidre explained.&quot;I understand where they’re coming from and I understand perfectly the merits of the proposals to ban political dynasties. But I think rather than exclude people, mas mahalagang pagtuunan natin ng pansin ano &#x27;yung mga pamamaraan para maipasok natin at magkaroon ng pagkakataong makalahok ang mga qualified na mga Pilipino na may kagustuhan, may pagnanais, may kapasidad na maging lingkod bayan ng ating bansa.&quot;Similar House Bills were filed in the 19th Congress, but they remained pending at the House Committee until the Congress adjourned sine die last month.

A measure seeking to ban political dynasties in the Philippines has been filed anew at the House of Representatives in the 20th Congress.

A measure seeking to ban political dynasties in the Philippines has been filed anew at the House of Representatives in the 20th Congress.

House Bill seeking to ban political dynasties filed anew in the 20th Congress

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House Bill seeking to ban political dynasties filed anew in the 20th Congress

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 02, 2025 02:32 PM PHT

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Updated July 02, 2025 06:13 PM PHT

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political dynasties

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