A second-degree civil relationship prohibition is emerging as the majority position as the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms consolidates 24 anti-political dynasty measures into one substitute bill.
This was disclosed by committee chair Lanao del Sur Representative Zia Alonto Adiong, who said the working draft is House Bill (HB) No. 6771 filed by Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III and Majority Leader Sandro Marcos which has garnered 144 co-authors since it was filed last December.
In a press conference, Adiong said the committee is now in the final stages of consolidating the 24 measures into a unified substitute bill that will be the subject of its committee report, which they hope to finalize.
The panel reached this stage after concluding the Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao leg of national public consultations in Cavite, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro.
According to the veteran legislator, the committee’s task is to translate these varied inputs into a single, defensible measure that can withstand rigorous plenary debate and ultimately survive judicial scrutiny.
“Our responsibility now is to consolidate these varied inputs into a version that is principled, balanced and enforceable.”
“Our responsibility now is to consolidate these varied inputs into a version that is principled, balanced and enforceable,” the seasoned lawmaker said.
“Our goal at the Committee level is to craft an agreeable, constitutionally sound Anti-Political Dynasty law that can gather broad support in Congress and endure legal challenges,” he added.
Adiong stressed that the constitutional prohibition itself is not in dispute, as the debate centers on the degree of relationship to be covered.
He noted that of the 24 versions filed, a majority propose a second-degree ban.
Cagayan de Oro Representative Lordan Suan, whose proposed measure extends the ban up to the fourth degree of relationship, acknowledged the difficulty of implementing such a strict prohibition and said he is open to reducing it to the second degree instead.
“When we make laws it’s not about personal preference, it’s about collective agreement.”
“Ayaw rin natin ‘yung perfect bill na-based sa preference natin kaso hindi siya mapapasa. Because when we make laws it’s not about personal preference, it’s about collective agreement,” Suan pointed out.
1TAHANAN Representative Nathaniel Oducado, another author of the anti-political dynasty bill, said HB 6771 filed by Dy and Marcos strikes a balance between constitutional intent and political realities.
“So far, I think our group will agree that the best approach is HB 6771 ni Speaker Bojie and Majority Leader Sandro Marcos because it is congruent with the constitutional intent but at the same time it balances it with what is the political reality and what is necessary sa ground,” Oducado said.
Under HB 6771, a political dynasty refers to the concentration or dominance of elective political power by persons related to one another.
The bill covers 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, preventing family members from consolidating political power at the same national, provincial, city, municipal, legislative district or barangay level.
