THE House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms approved on Tuesday an anti-political dynasty bill, but opposition lawmakers withdrew their support from the measure, saying it was watered down from the original draft authored by Speaker Faustino Dy III and House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos.
The unnumbered bill approved by the panel relaxed the ban from fourth degree of consanguinity specified in House Bill 6771, to only the second degree.
The three-member Makabayan bloc composed of composed of ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Women’s Rep. Sarah Elago, and Kabataan Rep. Renee Co, withdrew support from what they described as a watered down version of a weak bill.
Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice also withdrew his support for the bill, calling it “a travesty and disrespect of the Constitution.”
But Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Andiong defended the bill.
“This is the result of the series of public consultations that we conducted”, he said. “The speaker’s version, which is House Bill 6771, has obtained the biggest number of co-authorships [...]. That is why the committee decided that the version that was filed by the House speaker and the majority leader will be used as the working draft and finally, it also became our substitute bill that we have adopted.”
House Bill 6671 was principally authored by Dy and Marcos.
“For nearly four decades, the Constitution has directed Congress to prohibit political dynasties. Today, we move closer to fulfilling that mandate,” Dy said in a statement on Tuesday after the substitute bill was approved.
Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution says, “The state shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”
The committee-approved version prohibits “political dynasties within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity,” the statement said.
“At the national level, spouses and second-degree relatives are barred from simultaneously holding any national elective position, including president, vice president and senator,” the statement read. The prohibition under the committee-approved bill applies within the same provincial government, the same city or municipality, and the same barangay, the statement said.
Adiong bristled at the criticism of the bill.
“I don’t understand the basis where this description of ‘weak’ comes from because in the first place, we don’t have [an] anti-political dynasty [law],” Adiong said in Filipino and English.
“What we can assure you is that this version, we tried to decongest local political units from [...] control of one particular family,” he said.
If the bill becomes law, the ban would take effect starting in the succeeding elections.
The bill, the statement from Dy’s office said, “requires candidates to execute and file a sworn statement and undertaking with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) upon filing their certificate of candidacy, declaring that their candidacy will not create a prohibited political dynasty relationship.”
“Candidates must also report within five days if circumstances arise that could result in such a relationship. If spouses or relatives file candidacies that would create a prohibited relationship, the Comelec must notify the affected parties within five days,” the statement said.
The candidates would “have 48 hours to decide among themselves who will assume office if more than one wins. If no agreement is reached, the Comelec will conduct a drawing of lots. Elected officials may also voluntarily withdraw their candidacy,” the statement said.
The substitute bill still has to undergo consideration at the House plenary level. An anti-politica dynasty act is one of the administration’s priority measures.
