Nice try, but Filipinos deserve a responsive and more meaningful anti-dynasty measure.
While House Bill No. 06771 is presented as a reform measure, our initial review shows that it includes scenarios that cannot actually occur and leaves untouched the real mechanisms through which political clans entrench themselves in power. For instance, Section 5(2) of the said bill prohibits relatives from holding or running for the same position in the same legislative district, yet this is already impossible under the Constitution because each district can only have one representative at any given time.
Equally concerning is what the bill omits. It imposes no limit on how many relatives may simultaneously hold public office, does not address overlapping constituencies, and does not tackle dynastic succession, which is the most common method political dynasties use to pass power from one member to another. These gaps are substantial and render the measure too narrow and too weak to fulfill the Constitution’s explicit mandate.
Unless these flaws are addressed, the measure risks reinforcing the very dynasties it claims to regulate. A law this limited can easily become a performative measure that appears to introduce reform even if it falls short of what the Constitution instructs: prevent the concentration of political power in the hands of a few and the protection of equal access to opportunities for public service.
We call on other members of Congress to stand with the Filipino people and take these gaps seriously. A genuine and comprehensive anti-dynasty law is long overdue. It is time to enact legislation that curbs the concentration of political power, strengthens democratic participation, and lives up to the Constitution’s promise of equal opportunity for all.