Anti-political turncoatism bill filed in House

Members of the Liberal Party at the House of Representatives led by ML Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima filed Tuesday a bill seeking to ban political turncoatism.

House Bill 7914 or the Political Party System Reform Act defines political turncoatism as the change of political party affiliation by any candidate, whether or not elected, within one year prior to the next election and within one year after the immediately preceding election.

The other authors of the bill are Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Adrian Michael Amatong, Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice, Muntinlupa Rep. Jaime Fresnedi, and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Alfonso Umali Jr. 

“Political opportunism and turncoatism should never be encouraged, much less tolerated, as they undermine the values of honor, integrity, and accountability essential to public service,” the bill read.

“By strengthening political parties as pillars of democracy, this measure advances constitutional principles of transparency, accountability, and meaningful political participation, and reinforces public trust in the political and electoral process,” it added.

In addition, House Bill 7914 provides for comprehensive reforms to the political party system by:

• establishing clear standards for the registration and accreditation of national political parties 
• mandating internal democracy and ethical governance, encouragement of establishing political think-tanks, and
• institutionalizing transparent and merit-based processes for the nomination and selection of candidates.

Further, the anti-turncoatism measure also creates a state subsidy fund for the operating budgets of qualified and accredited national political parties, alongside comprehensive reporting, auditing, and performance monitoring will be required to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

The penalties for political turncoatism as provided for under the measure include:

• forfeiture of their election win if they change their political party affiliation within one year prior to the next election or within one year after the immediately preceding election;
• prohibition on them being appointed or from holding any position in any public or government office for three years after the expiration of the current term or office;
• prohibition on them from assuming any executive or administrative position in the new political party; and
• mandatory refund of any and all amounts from the political party which were received by, or utilized for the beneficial use of the political turncoat, plus a 50% surcharge.

“Political parties are the cornerstone of a functioning and robust democracy, yet in the Philippines, they have long remained among its weakest and least institutionalized actors. Despite numerous attempts throughout the country’s history to reform the orientation and behavior of political parties, these initiatives have failed to produce transformative and sustained changes,” the bill read.  

“A principal reason for this failure is the absence of a comprehensive and institutionalized legal framework to govern, regulate, and support the Philippine political party system. Without such framework, political parties remain structurally weak, excessively dependent on private financing, and vulnerable to undue influence and corruption,” it added.—AOL,GMA Integrated News