Drilon seeks passage of anti-political dynasty bill

Senate President Franklin M. Drilon today sought the passage of the Anti-Political Dynasty Act to provide for an enabling law that will implement the provision of the Constitution prohibiting political dynasty.

Senate Bill No. 230, filed last week, seeks to level the playing field in the political arena pursuant to cornerstone of our country's governmental ideology-democracy, Drilon said in his explanatory note.

"No less than the Constitution mandates the State to 'guarantee equal access to public service and prohibit political dynasty,'" Drilon stressed.

He noted that past efforts to pass the bill became unsuccessful.

Drilon expressed optimism that an anti-political dynasty bill "is highly possible" after the successful enactment into law of the Sangguniang Kabatan Reform Act in the last Congress, which contains a well-praised landmark anti-political dynasty provision.

Apart from democratizing the election process, the bill will also address the ill effects of political dynasty, particularly in the countryside, he underscored.

"Research found dynastic concentration to have a significantly negative effect on the upliftment of local living standards, noting that lack of real political competition leads to flawed policies," Drilon said citing a study led by former Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.

In SBN 230, no spouse, or person related within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, whether legitimate or illegitimate, full or half blood, to an incumbent elective official seeking re-election shall be allowed to hold or run for any elective office in the same province in the same election.

"The bill also bans any person within the prohibited civil degree of relationship to the incumbent to succeed to the position of the latter," Drilon added.

The bill deems political dynasty to exist when a person who is the spouse of an incumbent elective official or a relative within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity of an incumbent elective official holds or runs for an elective office simultaneously with the incumbent elective official within the same city and/or province or occupies the same office immediately after the term of office of the incumbent elective official.

Drilon explained that in case the constituency of the incumbent elective official is national in character, the above relatives shall be disqualified from running only within the same province where the former is a registered voter.

In case where none of the candidates is related to an incumbent elective official within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, but are related to one another within the said prohibited degree, they, including their spouses, shall be disqualified from holding or running for any local elective office within the same province in the same election.