ILOILO — Cause-oriented group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-Panay) and the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL)-Panay on Friday warned the public against what they called “deceptive” anti-dynasty bills in Congress, saying traditional politicians are pushing watered-down measures to shield political clans from accountability amid mounting public anger over corruption scandals.
In a joint statement, the groups said recent moves to revive the long-delayed anti-dynasty debate appear aimed not at dismantling entrenched political families but at “maintain[ing] the status quo” by offering reforms that look responsive on the surface while preserving dynastic control of power.
“Beware of schemes intended to halt the momentum created by months of protests,” Bayan-Panay and NUPL-Panay said, warning that politicians are offering “superficial change that would not address the root causes of the problem but would, instead, legitimize their unscrupulous practices.”
The groups said the renewed talk of reform comes as political elites reel from public outrage over the flood control controversy, allegations of systemic corruption, and what they described as “bureaucrat capitalism.”
“Confronted with the people’s wrath… the country’s most powerful families and cliques are on survival mode,” their joint statement read, adding that politicians are now scrambling to distance themselves from contractors and projects that allegedly fueled their campaigns and wealth.
Bayan-Panay and NUPL-Panay also accused the Marcos administration of using selective accountability to manage the crisis.
“The Marcos Jr. administration seems bent on shielding the President and his family from the outrage by selectively investigating and prosecuting their political opponents (only), while ditching allies with alleged links to contractors,” they said.
Push for Makabayan bill
The groups reiterated support for House Bill (HB) No. 209, filed by the Makabayan bloc, which they described as a “genuine” anti-dynasty measure that directly enforces the 1987 Constitution’s ban on political dynasties.
HB 209 defines a political dynasty as a family or clan that “concentrates, consolidates, or perpetuates political power” by holding elective office simultaneously or successively, and prohibits relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity from running for or holding any elective national or local post at the same time or succeeding one another.
“Simple, yet comprehensive,” the groups said, stressing that the bill would immediately curb practices that allow families to “scatter themselves” across different levels of government and different localities to entrench their power.
‘Diluted’ alternatives
In contrast, Bayan-Panay and NUPL-Panay criticized other proposals being branded as anti-dynasty laws, saying these are designed to be ineffective.
They cited Senate Bill No. 35 by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, which limits the ban to second-degree relatives only and applies it only within the same locality, as a measure that “would hardly be enough to deter political clans from controlling multiple positions simultaneously.”
They were even more critical of House Bill No. 6771, filed by presidential son Cong. Sandro Marcos and House Speaker Faustino Dy, calling it “diluted” despite claims that it covers relatives up to the fourth degree.
“If enacted into law, House Bill 6771… would not prevent what political families are doing right now — simultaneously or successively holding various posts at different levels and in different districts or local government units,” the groups said.
According to Bayan-Panay and NUPL-Panay, the qualifications and exceptions in these bills are not accidental.
“These are not mere loopholes — they are provisions deliberately designed to undermine the very essence of the anti-dynasty mandate in the 1987 Constitution,” they said.
Call to sustain protests
The groups urged the public to scrutinize all pending anti-dynasty proposals and reject what they called “scraps thrown to us by those in power.”
“To argue that passing these deceptive bills is a good first step would be to blindly allow the political elite… to falsely use the ‘anti-dynasty’ label so that they could break the wave of protests and immunize themselves from accountability,” their joint statement said.
Bayan-Panay and NUPL-Panay called on Filipinos to sustain protest actions and support only “true and meaningful reforms.”
“By sustaining the protest movement, we have a real opportunity to change the political landscape,” they said. “We should not surrender that hope by accepting anything less than what we deserve.”
They ended their statement with a call: “Enact a genuine Anti-Dynasty Law.”/PN
