Manila: House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima, along with fellow Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP) lawmakers, have submitted a proposal urging the passage of a measure aimed at strengthening and professionalizing political parties to better serve as instruments of national development and good governance.
According to Philippines News Agency, the LP bloc at the House of Representatives introduced House Bill No. 7914, known as the Political Party System Reform Act, which is intended to transform political parties from patronage-based and personality-oriented organizations into stable, programmatic, and accountable institutions. The bill highlights the historical weakness and lack of institutionalization in Philippine political parties, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive legal framework to govern, regulate, and support the party system.
House Bill No. 7914 proposes comprehensive reforms to address systemic deficiencies in the political party system. It outlines clear standards for the registration and accreditation of national political parties, mandates internal democracy and ethical governance, encourages the establishment of political think-tanks, and institutionalizes transparent, merit-based processes for candidate nomination and selection.
A significant component of the proposed measure is the creation of a State Subsidy Fund to support the operating budgets of qualified and accredited national political parties. This fund would require comprehensive reporting, auditing, and performance monitoring to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds. The bill also introduces stringent measures to penalize political turncoatism and address the practice of 'political butterflies' who switch party affiliations with little regard for ideology or party programs.
Political turncoatism, as defined by the measure, refers to the change of political party affiliation by any candidate, whether elected or not, within one year prior to the next election and within one year after the immediately preceding election. The LP solons emphasized that political opportunism and turncoatism should not be encouraged or tolerated, as they undermine essential values of honor, integrity, and accountability in public service.
The bill aims to strengthen political parties as pillars of democracy, advance constitutional principles of transparency, accountability, and meaningful political participation, and reinforce public trust in the political and electoral process. Co-authors of the bill include Reps. Adrian Michael Amatong (3rd District, Zamboanga del Norte), Arlene 'Kaka' Bag-ao (Lone District, Dinagat Islands), Jaime Fresnedi (Lone District, Muntinlupa City), Cielo Krisel Lagman (1st District, Albay), and Alfonso Umali Jr. (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro).
