Anti-political dynasty bill refiled

After being shelved time and again, an anti-political dynasty bill has been reintroduced in the 20th Congress.

- 

One of the first bills filed by the Makabayan bloc in the 20th Congress is House Bill 209, which aims to ban political dynasties.

Filed by Rep. Antonio Tinio (ACT Teachers Party-list) and Rep. Renee Co (Kabataan Party-list) on June 30, House Bill 209 seeks to define a dynasty as a family or clan that keeps political power in their hands by holding office either all at once or one after another.

Definition. It specifically describes a political dynasty as a “family or clan that concentrates, consolidates, perpetuates their political power by holding public office simultaneously or successively.”

WHAT CONSTITUTES A ‘DYNASTY’?

Proposed anti-political dynasty measures anchor themselves on the Constitution, which states under Section 26 that political dynasties should be prohibited as defined by law.

In the 19th Congress, only two anti-dynasty bills were filed in each chamber, and both stalled at the committee level. These were: