Metro Manila, Philippines – The Senate committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation is aiming to come up with a version of the anti-political dynasty bill that the chamber can pass before the session break in March.
“Intensyon namin maipasa ito this session so bago matapos ang buwan ng Marso,” committee chairperson Senator Risa Hontiveros said in a public consultation in Bacolod on Friday, Feb. 13.
[Translation: Our intention is to pass this within the session before the end of March.]
The committee has been holding consultative meetings on various versions of a proposed measure that seeks to finally enforce the political dynasty ban under the 1987 Constitution. The first two consultations were held in Pasig City and Batangas.
During the Bacolod consultation, a student expressed doubts that any anti-political dynasty measure could hurdle a Senate where four pairs of siblings currently serve.
These are Senators Alan and Pia Cayetano, JV Ejercito and Jinggoy Estrada, Erwin and Raffy Tulfo, and Camille and Mark Villar.
The student, Angelo Joshua Doriendo, also noted that several other lawmakers have family members holding government posts.
“The positions of these political families are so entrenched that I don’t mean to be a pessimist but I have little to no confidence that any form of an anti-political dynasty bill will be a law in this 20th Congress,” he said.
Hontiveros pointed out that two senators who belong to political clans — JV Ejercito and Erwin Tulfo — have filed their own anti-dynasty bills.
She added that more than 20 counterpart measures have been filed in the House of Representatives and that the executive branch now considers it a priority policy.
“Seryoso ba? Hindi seryoso? Tingnan natin. Patotohanin natin silang lahat [Are they serious? Or not? Let’s see. Let’s make them prove it to all of us],” she said.
Meanwhile, Himamaylan, Negros Occidental Vice Mayor Justin Gatuslao — one of the panelists — publicly declared his support for the measure despite acknowledging that he belongs to the influential Gatuslao clan in the province.
“I belong to a political clan. One often described as among the longest standing and most enduring in our province. And yet I am here with you today to say plainly and clearly without hesitation that I support the passage of an anti-political dynasty bill,” Gatuslao said.
He said he supports provisions that would prohibit relatives from immediately succeeding one another in the same elected position.
One provision still under debate is the degree of consanguinity and affinity that should be covered by the prohibition. Hontiveros’ bill proposes a ban up to the fourth degree of consanguinity — which extends to first cousins, great-great-grandparents, great-aunts and uncles, and grandnieces and grandnephews — as well as their in-law counterparts.
Still, Hontiveros expressed openness to considering other versions that would be acceptable to a majority of senators.
The House of Representatives also held its first public consultation on the proposed measure in vote-rich Cavite on Thursday. Hontiveros said she has been in communication with her counterpart, House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms chairperson Zia Alonto Adiong, regarding efforts to advance and pass the bill.
