CAGAYAN DE ORO — The House of Representatives announced the conclusion of its public consultations on the proposed anti-dynasty bill in Cagayan de Oro City on Friday.
Cagayan de Oro was the committee’s final stop following a visit to Cebu on Thursday and Cavite last week.
In a recorded message, Speaker Faustino Dy III said the House is committed to passing a fair, just, and implementable anti-political dynasty law in the 20th Congress.
“We are equally firm in our belief that any law we pass must be the product of wide, inclusive, and sincere consultation — a law that is crafted carefully, studied extensively, and rooted in the real concerns of Filipinos,” Dy said.
Rep. Zia Adiong of Lanao del Sur, chairman of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, said the process of crafting an anti-dynasty law is rooted in the people’s sovereignty and participation.
“Sovereignty lies in the people. It is the people’s participation which breathes life into legislation,” Adiong said. “This is your opportunity to speak, and it is our duty to listen.”
Most of those who attended the consultations at the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines approved the measure.
Adiong said the next step is to invite more stakeholders, finalize the committee report, and elevate it into a substitute bill before the House begins its Lenten break on March 18.
“That’s what makes the House unique because we can have a lot of things simultaneously. Kaya naman ’yan (We can do it),” Adiong said.
There are 24 pending bills on banning political dynasties, including House Bill 6771, authored by Dy and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos.
