Manila: Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong on Wednesday said a second-degree civil relationship prohibition is emerging as the majority position after the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms consolidates 24 anti-political dynasty measures into one substitute bill.

According to Philippines News Agency, the working draft is House Bill (HB) No. 6671 filed by Speaker Faustino 'Bojie' Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander 'Sandro' Marcos Jr., which has already garnered 144 co-authors since it was filed last December. The panel chairperson expressed hope that the committee would finalize its report next week following public consultations in Cavite City, Cebu City, and Cagayan de Oro City.

Adiong emphasized the importance of consolidating various inputs into a principled, balanced, and enforceable version of the bill. The goal is to draft an Anti-Political Dynasty law that can garner broad support in Congress while withstanding legal scrutiny. The debate primarily revolves around the degree of relationship to be covered, rather than the constitutional prohibition itself.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Lordan Suan, who initially proposed extending the ban up to the fourth degree of relationship, acknowledged the challenges of implementing such a strict prohibition. Suan expressed openness to reducing it to the second degree, emphasizing the need for collective agreement over personal preference in law-making.

1TAHANAN Rep. Nathaniel Oducado, another author of the anti-political dynasty bill, expressed support for HB 6671. He noted that the bill strikes a balance between constitutional intent and political realities, aligning with both the constitutional framework and the practical necessities on the ground.

HB 6671 defines a political dynasty as the concentration or dominance of elective political power by related individuals. The bill encompasses all elective positions from the national level down to the barangay level, including President, Vice President, Senator, Member of the House of Representatives, governors, mayors, and barangay officials. It prohibits spouses and covered relatives from simultaneously holding elective positions within the same political jurisdiction, thereby preventing the consolidation of political power by family members at various levels of government.