A compromise anti-dynasty bill
On top of its tattered reputation nowadays, the present composition of the Senate is one compelling reason why Congress must finally pass the long-delayed anti-political dynasty law.
Four pairs of siblings sitting as incumbent senators essentially put four families in control of one-third of the 24-member Senate, which, unlike the House, whose members are elected per congressional district, represents a national constituency.
Surely, a nation of more than 116 million Filipinos deserves wider representation in the powerful legislative body than a handful of politically or financially influential families whose parents and/or siblings take turns or serve simultaneously every electoral term.
That travesty of concentrated power at the hands of a few dynastic families became evident as the Senate hit its lowest point earlier this month, thanks to a leadership change led by a brother-and-sister tandem, an alleged “shootout” courtesy of the Senate’s own security, followed by the escape of a senator wanted by the International Criminal Court.
Bastion of political dynasties
Of course, the bigger House has long been the bastion of political dynasties, the very reason why no enabling law has been passed to implement the 1987 Constitution’s mandate to guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service by prohibiting political dynasties.
According to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, eight in 10 members of the House belong to dynasties. A 2015 study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies cited estimates that political dynasties controlled 85 percent of elected provincial governors, 75 percent of vice governors, 74 percent of district representatives, and 66 percent of mayors.
Thus, the approval of the House bill prohibiting political dynasties is nothing short of a miracle, marking the first time since 1987 that the measure came closer to being enacted into law. The Senate has yet to pass its version.
Following months of debates and public consultations, the House approved (on second reading last week and third and final reading on Monday) House Bill No. 8389, which prohibits spouses and relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity from simultaneously running for or holding elective posts at the national, provincial, city, and municipal levels.
A careful balance
Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, chair of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, who sponsored the bill’s approval, said Congress could no longer afford to ignore the constitutional directive after nearly four decades of failure to pass the provision’s enabling law.
“Today, we have the opportunity to make history. Today, we fulfill a long-standing constitutional mandate, 40 years in the making,” Adiong said of the consolidated measure, principally authored by no less than Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos and 173 members as coauthors.
President Marcos has formally urged Congress to fast-track the passage of an anti-dynasty law as among the reforms to address the multibillion-peso flood control corruption he exposed in his State of the Nation Address before Congress in July last year.
But while HB 8389 was overwhelmingly approved, it fell short of expectations for a genuine and effective anti-dynasty law that would prohibit political clans from dominating political positions and perpetuating themselves in power. While some of the bills called for prohibiting relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and to cover more positions, Adiong said the committee settled for second-degree prohibition to strike “a careful balance between reform and democratic principles.”
‘Logistical nightmare’
“Our task is not simply to write the most restrictive definition possible. Our responsibility is to craft a definition that is constitutional, workable, and capable of withstanding scrutiny here in plenary session and in the courts,” Adiong said.
Citing data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Adiong said as many as 5,000 elective positions would be vacated by political dynasties if the House bill is passed into law.
Adiong said banning relatives up to the fourth degree would be a “logistical nightmare” for the Comelec. The Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department of the House estimated that with 43,033 individuals who filed certificates of candidacy in the 2025 elections, the second-degree restriction under the House bill would require the processing of about 946,726 additional documents, while a fourth-degree ban could raise that number to more than 2.84 million documents.
There is indeed much to be desired in having an anti-dynasty law that would end the dominance and role of political dynasties in perpetuating poverty and bad governance in the country. But our political system is simply not ready for that sacrifice.
If at all, the House bill could be considered a viable first step toward that ultimate goal of finally ridding ourselves of these monsters dragging our country’s progress and draining our coffers for their selfish ends.
