5 days ago
9
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Delon Porcalla - The Philippine Star
February 26, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Proposals to ban political dynasties in local government units are gaining ground, according to House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms chair Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong.
In a press statement, Adiong said House Bill 6671 authored by Speaker Faustino Dy III and Majority Leader Sandro Marcos has 144 co-authors so far, as they produce a working draft.
“Our responsibility is to consolidate these varied inputs into a version that is principled, balanced and enforceable. Our goal is to craft an agreeable, constitutionally sound anti-political dynasty law that can gather broad support in Congress and endure legal challenges,” Adiong said.
Under HB 6671, a political dynasty refers to the concentration or dominance of elective political power by persons related to one another.
The bill covers all elective positions from the national level down to the barangay level, including president, vice president, senator, member of the House of Representatives, governors, mayors and barangay officials.
It prohibits spouses and covered relatives from simultaneously holding elective positions within the same political jurisdiction, preventing family members from consolidating political power at the same national, provincial, city, municipal, legislative district or barangay level.
The political dynasty ban will also most likely be limited to second-degree relationships, either by blood or affinity, since this has been the emerging consensus at the House, according to the statement.
In a related development, HB 5981 authored by Reps. Migz and Luigi Villafuerte of Camarines Sur’s fifth and second district, respectively, proposes an amendatory law to Republic Act 12009 or the “New Government Procurement Act.”
The measure seeks to prohibit all relatives of public officials within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity from entering into any government contract.
‘More practical’
Meanwhile, an official of the Commission on Elections said a political dynasty law limited to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity would be “more practical and easier” for the Comelec to enforce if enacted.
Speaking during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, Comelec Commissioner Ernest Maceda said a second-degree limitation would be simpler to verify using standard civil documents and community evidence, compared with broader restrictions that cover more distant relatives.
Extending the prohibition to the fourth degree, he said, would require additional proof since documents do not normally identify extended relatives such as cousins, making enforcement more difficult.
Maceda said relationships by affinity, or through marriage, could also be covered if specified by law. Spouses are considered first degree by affinity, while siblings-in-law may fall under the second degree.
EDSA dream
Civil society groups believe that eradicating political dynasties and corruption in government will complete the dream forged during the first people power revolution.
In a chance interview with The STAR, Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno said Akbayan will fight to pass its version of the anti-dynasty bill, which bans relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity from running simultaneously. — Christine Boton, EJ Macababbad
