Manila: Speaker Faustino 'Bojie' Dy III emphasized on Thursday that enacting a reasonable and constitutional anti-political dynasty law is a priority for Congress. The House of Representatives had passed its version of the bill over three months before the Supreme Court directed Congress to fulfill this 39-year-old constitutional mandate.
According to Philippines News Agency, the House, under Dy's leadership, approved House Bill No. 8389, known as the proposed Anti-Political Dynasty Act, on its third and final reading on June 3, with a vote tally of 267-20 and seven abstentions. The measure was subsequently transmitted to the Senate on June 8. Speaker Dy and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander 'Sandro' Marcos are principal authors of the bill, with 173 other House members as co-authors.
The House-approved bill aims to prohibit political dynasties by covering spouses and relatives within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity in specific circumstances involving the simultaneous or successive holding of elective office. The Senate is also advancing its version, Senate Bill No. 1901, which is pending a second reading.
The legislative initiatives aim to implement Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution, which mandates equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibits political dynasties "as may be defined by law." The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on August 26, a decision announced on September 16, that Congress has a constitutional duty to enact an anti-political dynasty law. The Court stated that Congress's failure to do so for 39 years amounted to grave abuse of discretion and directed the legislature to enact the law promptly.
Speaker Dy highlighted the historic opportunity for Congress to give fuller legislative effect to this constitutional policy, 39 years after the 1987 Constitution's ratification. He emphasized that the goal is to enact a law promoting equal opportunities in public service, preventing the concentration of political power within a few families, and strengthening the accountability and integrity of democratic institutions.
Dy stressed that the constitutional policy against political dynasties is not merely about imposing restrictions on political families but requires a fair, definite, and principled legal framework. This framework should promote equal access to public service opportunities while preserving the electorate's fundamental role in choosing representatives.
Ultimately, Dy asserted that the law's purpose is to ensure public service remains accessible to more Filipinos, with clear and reasonable limitations, and that the exercise of political power remains rooted in the Constitution, accountability to the nation, and the sovereign will of the people.
