Philippine House committee approves 2nd degree ban on political dynasties

A HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES committee on Tuesday approved a bill barring second-degree relatives from holding public office at the same time, marking a step forward in efforts to curb political dynasties under President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s governance reform agenda.

The House Suffrage and Electoral Reforms Committee passed an unnumbered substitute measure that would bar spouses and relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity and affinity from occupying national elective posts simultaneously.

The measure also restricts families from holding multiple provincial positions and limits the number of congressional seats that can be occupied by relatives within a single legislative district.

“This is still a step forward,” Lanao del Sur Rep. Ziaur-Rahman Alonto Adiong, committee chairman, told a news briefing after the committee approval. The version they passed is supposed to be more enforceable than broader proposals covering up to fourth-degree relatives.

Mr. Marcos has made limiting political dynasties a priority after public criticism over alleged misuse of billions of pesos in congressional district funds.

Supporters view the bill as a cornerstone of broader governance reform efforts following a graft scandal tied to flood control projects.

The substitute measure is designed to take effect immediately in the next election cycle. Candidates seeking public office must file affidavits declaring they do not have any second-degree relatives holding elective posts.

Despite the approval, some lawmakers and critics argue the measure is too weak to dismantle entrenched dynasties.

“What they passed is a travesty of the Constitution,” House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Caloocan Rep. Edgar R. Erice told reporters. The 1987 Constitution prohibits political dynasties but requires an enabling law to take effect.

The committee’s version was selected because lawmakers think it could secure majority support in the chamber. “This is the version we think we could pass in the House, and we think we could get the most support,” Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith T. Flores told the same briefing with Mr. Adiong.

Business groups and civil society groups have called for a stricter law covering relatives up to the fourth degree and preventing officials from rotating positions to circumvent term limits.

The coalition, which includes the Makati Business Club, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Management Association of the Philippines, also proposed a “cooling-off” period to stop officials from immediately returning to the same position after a term.

Mr. Adiong said advocates could pursue a referendum if they want broader reforms. “They are free to do whatever they want,” he said.

The bill’s passage reflects a balancing act: addressing public demand for reform while ensuring sufficient support among lawmakers, many of whom belong to political families themselves.

Eight in 10 congressmen are part of dynasties, according to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.

The Senate has advanced its own proposal. The chamber’s Electoral Reforms Committee submitted a report to the plenary last month seeking to bar relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity from holding public office simultaneously or in overlapping terms.

Under Senate Bill No. 1901, relatives or spouses would be barred from holding simultaneous or overlapping terms in national and local offices, as well as from occupying positions across party-list groups and elective posts.

It also prohibits immediate succession, preventing a spouse or relative from taking over a position right after an incumbent family member’s term.

The bill authorizes the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to cancel the certificate of candidacy of people found to be part of a political dynasty or those who willfully conceal such relationships. All aspirants must submit sworn declarations stating they do not fall within the prohibited degree of relation.

Concealment of information, falsification of documents, malicious filings, coercion or engineered resignations to enable relatives to run would be treated as election offenses under the Omnibus Election Code. In cases where multiple relatives file for the same position and none withdraw voluntarily, Comelec may resort to drawing lots.

As the measure moves to the House plenary, attention will focus on whether lawmakers adopt stricter provisions or allow the limited second-degree restriction to become law, leaving broader dynasty reforms for future sessions. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio