Business, civil groups call for ‘genuine’ anti-dynasty law

The country’s most influential business and civil society organizations on Thursday called for the passage of a genuine anti-political dynasty law as they proposed provisions to effectively quell the further proliferation of political dynasties.

In a joint statement, 31 business, civil society, and justice reform advocacy groups said a “truly effective” anti-political dynasty measure should include the following:

• Prohibit relatives within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity from running or simultaneously or consecutively holding elective office, in order to uphold the "one local, one national" representation principle, to limit family dominance. Provided, however, that if no relative is serving or seeking office at the national level, up to two relatives may hold or seek local elective positions, provided further that their respective jurisdictions shall not overlap. 

• Explicitly prohibit substitution, rotation, and position-switching among prohibited relatives to circumvent term limits.

• Establish a mandatory cooling-off period equal to one full electoral cycle for both term-limited officials and their relatives, preventing them from immediately seeking the same position in successive elections. This cooling-off period stops perpetual family succession while still permitting qualified individuals to run for other offices, adhering to the “one local, one national” representation principle.

“The absence of an effective Anti-Dynasty Law has allowed political power to be concentrated in a handful of influential families, fostering corruption, perpetuating inequality and poverty, and marginalizing ordinary citizens,” the groups said.

“Yet, more than three decades since the 1987 Constitution was adopted, Congress has yet to enact a genuine Anti-Political Dynasty Law,” they said.

Signatories to the joint statement are the following groups:

• Justice Reform Initiative (JRI)
• Advocates for National Interest (ANI)
• Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan (ANIM)
• Association of Certified Public Accountants in Public Practice (ACPAPP)
• Bukluran ng Mangagawang Pilipino (BMP)
• Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP)
• De La Salle Brothers, Inc. (DLSBI)
• De La Salle Philippines (DLSP)
• Energy Lawyers Association of the Philippines (ELAP)
• FEU Public Policy Center
• Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX)
• Iloilo Economic Development Foundation (ILEDF)
• Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA)
• Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD)
• Institute of Philippine Real Estate Appraisers (IPREA)
• Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran, Inc. 
• Kontra Dinastiya
• Makati Business Club (MBC)
• Management Association of the Philippines (MAP)
• Military Uniformed Personnel (MUP 4 United PH)
• Movement for Restoration of Peace & Order (MRPO)
• Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV)
• Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM)
• Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)
• Philippine Institute of Arbitrators (PIArb)
• Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA)
• Sanlakas
• Seniors on the Move
• Shareholders' Association of the Philippines (SharePHIL)
• UP Engineering Research & Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI)
• Women for Action Towards Reform (AWARE)

The groups cited House Bill No. 6771, filed by Speaker Faustino Dy and Ilocos Norte Representative Sandro Marcos, however, said that in its current form, “falls far short of the Constitution’s clear intent.”

“HB 6771 permits succession, switching, substitution, and rotation among relatives, enabling family members to occupy elective positions across levels of government and across election cycles, effectively preserving monopoly over political power. In reality, HB 6771 is a pro-dynasty measure,” the groups said.

The groups stressed that political dynasties “are not merely a question of family participation in politics; they are an institutional problem,” noting that “their influence extends far beyond government.”

This, as the groups pointed out that many political dynasties also dominate local economies through franchises, personal business and the favored granting of permits, tightening their grip on both political and economic life. 

“Public office is not a family inheritance—it is a public trust bestowed by the people and exercised for the common good,” they said.

With this, the groups called on the public to exercise their constitutional right to enact legislation through a People’s Initiative “should Congress continue to fail in passing a genuine Anti-Dynasty Law.”

“Thanks to the Philippine Identification System (R.A. No. 11055), this process can now be conducted digitally, using unique QR codes, biometrics, and specimen signatures to authenticate voter identity securely,” they said.

“Ultimately, the battle against political dynasties is a battle against corruption itself. For our nation to finally break free from the bondage of corruption, political dynasties should no longer thrive. Merit, not lineage, must determine who serves the Filipino people,” the groups said. —Ted Cordero/RF, GMA Integrated News