Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1771484594325Screen Shot 2026-02-19 at 3.02.01 PM_cropped_processed_by_imagy.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Senate concluded its consultative meetings on anti-political dynasty bills after holding its fifth and last in Mindanao on Thursday, specifically, in Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental. Sen. Hontiveros/Facebook/screengrab</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — The Senate concluded its consultative meetings on anti-political dynasty bills after holding its fifth and last in Mindanao on Thursday, specifically, in Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental.</p><p>Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros, chair of the Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation, and Senator Francis &quot;Kiko&quot; Pangilinan, chair of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, led the public consultation.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/16/scope-of-proposed-anti-dynasty-bill-discussed-in-bulacan-1324">Scope of proposed anti-political dynasty bill discussed in Bulacan consultative meeting</a></div><p>Hontiveros said their committee will craft a committee report, taking into consideration the seven anti-political dynasty bills filed in the Senate and points discussed in the public consultations.</p><p>“The main point of an anti-dynasty law is not just to exclude, partially exclude political dynasties from the political space pero paluwagin ito, palakihin, palawakin for all other Filipinos including the majority who are not dynasts,” Hontiveros said.</p><p>According to one of the panelists in Cagayan de Oro City, Ernesto Neri, Associate Dean of Xavier University Law School, political monopoly also impacts access to justice.</p><p>“If dynasties are present in localities, they often have the influence in recommending who are the prosecutors, who will be the judges, who will be the PAO, or other justice actors, even the police, right?” Neri said.</p><p>“The Constitution itself has recognized its inherent evil effects, prohibit political dynasties. And in my own personal opinion and understanding, the real cause or real root problem of the Philippines is not poverty, poverty is really just the effect, and the root cause really is the inequity, which means from the beginning of the formation of our Republic, power has always been concentrated in the hands of a few family,” he added.</p><p>Khristine Kay Lazarito-Calingin, executive director of BALAOD Mindanaw, said the issue of political dynasties is a social justice issue.</p><p>“This creates an uneven playing field where election becomes less about merit, platforms and public service and more about family dominance and political survival,” Lazarito-Calingin said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/13/bacolod-backs-anti-political-dynasty-law-as-senate-panel-conducts-consultation-1323">Senate gets support for anti-political dynasty bills in consultative meeting in Bacolod</a></div><p>She added that governance, which is open to wider participation, gives an opportunity to break long standing cycles of exclusion.</p><p>Muhajar Samad, Program Officer of the Human Rights Youth Action Network (HRYAN) BARMM, meanwhile said the possible passage of an anti-political dynasty law that bans up to the fourth civil degree of consanguinity and affinity, will challenge the Bangsamoro Parliament to implement a similar setup.</p><p>The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has an anti-political dynasty law, which limits up to the second degree of consanguinity and affinity, which means parents, children, siblings, grandparents and grandchildren of an incumbent official are prohibited from running for public office.</p><p>A fourth civil degree ban covers up to first cousins, great-great grandparents, and great-great grandchildren.</p><p>Pangilinan, during the open forum, appealed to Filipinos to show support for an anti-political dynasty law.  </p><p>“The fact that we are facing and continue to face, and it remains unresolved, the largest corruption scandal in the history of the Republic, this too, is a wake up call for the bureaucracy as well as the governed, that’s you, the governors and the governed, na hindi na dapat puwede yung dating gawi. Na hindi na maaari ang business as usual,” Pangilinan said.</p><p>“Na yung sinasabi nga ni Einstein na insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, yun ang mangyayari sa atin kapag hindi natin dinala itong anti-dynasty advocacy sa isang batas,” he added.</p><p>Pangilinan said an anti-political dynasty law is one electoral reform, but there has to be other electoral reform measures to address the quality of politics in the country.</p><p>According to Hontiveros,  “The hope is kung makayanan nga natin i-ban o i-regulate ang mga political dynasties, magiging yang isa sa mga political reforms that hopefully will allow more real political parties to emerge and a political system to develop and mature.”</p><p>Hontiveros has previously said she hopes to pass the Senate’s version of an anti-political dynast bill before they adjourn in March.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/9/vico-sotto-supports-anti-dynasty-law-hindi-po-ito-laban-sa-isang-pamilya-1204">Vico Sotto supports anti-dynasty law: &#x27;Ayaw natin &#x27;yung concentration ng kapangyarihan sa iilan lamang&#x27;</a></div><p>“Nasa 40 years na po halos mula nang utusan ng Konstitusyon ang Kongreso na magpasa ng batas kontra dinastiya,” Hontiveros stated. </p><p>“Uulitin ko po — ang laban kontra-dinastiya ay hindi tungkol sa sinumang pamilya, ni sino mang dinastiya. At hindi po ito kontra sa demokrasya. In fact, para ito ma-enhance pa natin ang ating demokrasya.”</p><p>“Malinaw ang research. Kapag may dinastiya, malamang sa malamang, laganap ang corruption. Madali magtago ng kasakiman at katiwalian kung ang nagche-check at dapat nagbabalanse, eh pamilya din. Pag may dinastiya, malimit, mas malalim ang kahirapan. Hindi umaagos sa sambayanan ang yaman,” she continued.  </p><p>By passing an anti-political dynasty bill, Hontiveros noted that the country will move one step towards solving corruption, poverty and inequality</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m1YWTajfJ-8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>“Malinaw ang research. Kapag may dinastiya, malamang sa malamang, laganap ang corruption. Madali magtago ng kasakiman at katiwalian kung ang nagche-check at dapat nagbabalanse, eh pamilya din. Pag may dinastiya, malimit, mas malalim ang kahirapan,” Hontiveros said.</p>

“Malinaw ang research. Kapag may dinastiya, malamang sa malamang, laganap ang corruption. Madali magtago ng kasakiman at katiwalian kung ang nagche-check at dapat nagbabalanse, eh pamilya din. Pag may dinastiya, malimit, mas malalim ang kahirapan,” Hontiveros said.

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Senate concludes consultative meetings on anti-political dynasty bills

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 19, 2026 03:16 PM PHT

Read More:

Cagayan de Oro City

Senate

Anti-political dynasty bills

Risa Hontiveros

Kiko Pangilinan

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