‘Bloody’ bicam seen over antidynasty bill
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said he expects heated and “bloody” debates when members of the bicameral committee finally meet to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the long-awaited antidynasty law, due to major differences between the two bills.
“I know it will be bloody when it comes to the bicam because the Senate version is very different from the House version,” Gatchalian said in a dzBB radio interview on Sunday. Congress is currently in recess until July 26.
Noting that the law banning political dynasties is among the priority measures being endorsed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council upon the directive of President Marcos, Gatchalian said they will “push for the measure until it passes.”
“That’s one of the priority measures. I know it’s also being pushed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros so we will make that a priority,” he said.
Key differences
On June 3, the House of Representatives unanimously approved House Bill No. 8389 or the antipolitical dynasty bill, by a vote of 267-20, with seven abstentions.
It was authored by Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and the President’s son, House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, both members of prominent political clans in northern Luzon.
The Senate version is still pending on second reading. The bill’s author is Sen. Robinhood Padilla and its cosponsors are Senators Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Hontiveros, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, Loren Legarda and Erwin Tulfo.
While both versions ban relatives within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity from running for office, the House-approved bill has drawn flak, with critics calling it “fake,” “watered-down” and “pro-dynasty.”
While HB 8389 bars those covered by the ban from only holding office simultaneously, the Senate bill also bans immediate family succession.
The House bill also allows members of a political family to hold national posts alongside several provincial, city, or municipal positions, provided these are in different districts or provinces.
In the Senate version, a political clan cannot hold simultaneous or overlapping terms in national elective offices, as well as simultaneous terms in local elective offices within the same legislative district, province city or municipality.
Another key difference is that while the House bill is silent on party list seats, its Senate counterpart bans simultaneous terms within and across party list groups, and simultaneous or overlapping terms under the party list system and any national and local elective office.
White Ribbon March
Hontiveros earlier said the Senate version could place about 30 percent of elected positions nationwide under restrictions.
It also covers illegitimate children or children born outside of a marriage under the second degree of consanguinity.
At the White Ribbon March held on Sunday at the People Power Monument, religious and civil society groups pushed for a genuine antidynasty bill, electoral reforms and an end to corruption.
“We already know that democracy and political power are concentrated in the hands of only a few families,” Liza Maza, president of the Makabayan coalition, said in a phone interview. “Our task, then, is to continue educating the public. That is the direction we need to take.”
Milo Basuel, Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan spokesperson, noted that Vice President “Sara Duterte is preparing to run for President in 2028, while many of us are still being left behind—our communities continue to flood, people remain without homes, without food, without decent wages, and some are dying in schools and on the streets simply for fighting for our future.”
Mong Palatino, secretary-general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, told the Inquirer that the House version “does not reflect the demand for the complete abolition of the political dynasty system.”
“They simply want to douse cold water on the widespread outrage and rejection of the bankrupt political system. The bill’s passage will not stop the anti-corruption movement from pursuing the call for the overhaul of the corrupt political system,” he said.
People’s initiative
At the sidelines of the march, members of the “Dapat Isa Lang” Movement (D1L) gathered signatures to push for the passage of a genuine anti-political dynasty law through a people’s initiative.
Under its proposal, political families up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and affinity will be limited to just one national position and one local elective post.
D1L is also pushing for a ban on succession, substitution and position-switching, while requiring a one-term cooling-off period before another family member can run for the same office.
The Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates said “political dynasties further weaken democratic participation by concentrating power in the hands of a few and limiting meaningful representation and accountability.”
“Democracy cannot flourish where public office becomes a family inheritance instead of a public trust,” the group said in its statement.
The White Ribbon March was a continuation of the Trillion Peso March protests held last year and rallies marking the 40th anniversary of the first Edsa People Power Revolution on Feb. 25.
It was spearheaded by the Inter-Religious Leaders Council for National Transformation, in partnership with religious and civil society groups. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
