BBM wants anti-dynasty, People's Commission bills prioritized

As part of efforts to promote transparency and accountability, President Marcos and congressional leaders yesterday agreed to prioritize the passage of four measures, including bills pro- hibiting dynasties and creating the Independent People's Commission (IPC).

- By HELEN FLORES

"In a LEDAC (Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council) meeting this morning, the President also instructed both Houses to take a closer look at the four bills and prioritize the passage as soon as possible," Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed following the meeting at Malacañang.

Marcos also pushed for the immediate passage of the proposed Party-list System Reform Act and the Citizens Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability or CA-DENA Act.

Present at the LEDAC meeting were Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Speaker Faustino Dy III, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos and other congressional leaders.

House Bills 209 and 4784, filed by the Makabayan bloc, seek to finally implement the 1987 constitutional mandate prohibiting political dynasties.

Senate Bill 1548, filed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, seeks to ban from elective positions members of political dynasties, which she blamed for corruption and systemic poverty in the country.

Hontiveros defined political dynasties as those related to each other within the fourth degree of consanguinity and who run simultaneously for national or local elective positions, including party-list seats.