SENATE Bill 1901, the output of the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation consolidating the anti-political dynasty bills in the chamber, falls short of the people’s demand for a strong law banning dynasties
Section 3(i) of the bill states that “Relative refers to a person within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity, whether legitimate or illegitimate, full or half-blood.” Meanwhile, Section 4 of the bill states that political dynasty relationships exist only when:
a) Spouses, or two or more relatives hold simultaneous or overlapping terms in national elective offices;
b) Spouses, or two or more relatives hold simultaneous terms in local elective offices within the same legislative district, province, city, or municipality; Provided, that it shall include a situation where spouses or two or more relatives occupy local elective offices in separate municipalities, highly urbanized cities, or component cities within the same province, or legislative districts within the same local government unit;
c) Spouses or two or more relatives hold simultaneous terms within and across party-lists;
d) Spouses or two or more relatives hold simultaneous or overlapping terms under the party-list system, and any national or local elective office;
e) A spouse or relative of an incumbent elective official immediately succeeds the latter’s office.”
With such articulation, the bill allows relatives up to the second degree to occupy one (1) national position and one (1) local position in a province or separately located highly urbanized city. Moreover, the bill poses no constraints for relatives beyond the second degree.
For example, had the bill been effective in prior elections, Sara Duterte could still serve as vice president while her brother Baste Duterte (2nd degree) is Davao City mayor. Also, her nephew Rigo Duterte (3rd degree) could be elected as Davao City vice mayor and her first cousin Harold Duterte (4th degree) as PPP party-list representative.
Likewise, while Imee Marcos is senator, the bill could have allowed her son Matthew Manotoc (1st degree) to be the vice governor in llocos Norte. In addition, her first cousin Cecilia Marcos (4th degree) could still be Ilocos Norte governor, and her nephew Sandro Marcos (3rd degree) and first cousin Angelo Barba (4th degree) could be district representatives in the same province.
For Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Panay, Congress and the Marcos Jr. administration cannot be relied on their own to ban political dynasties. We call on the people of Panay to exert collective effort and demand that a genuine anti-political dynasty be passed, with House Bills 209 and 4784 of the Makabayan coalition as model bills. Those bills unequivocally block political dynasties, up to the fourth degree, from simultaneously occupying more than one national, local or party-list position.
We stand firm that unless dynasties are uprooted, they shall remain to be a primary political vehicle of bureaucrat capitalists to strengthen their grip on the rotten institutions that have been betraying the nationalist and democratic desires of the Filipino people. – BAGONG ALYANSANG MAKABAYAN – PANAY <bayanpanay2014@gmail.com>
