Marcos pushes Congress to fast-track anti-dynasty and transparency reforms

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday urged Congress to prioritize four major political reform measures, signaling a renewed push to curb entrenched practices in campaign finance, party representation and political dynasties.

- — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

During a meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), Mr. Marcos called for swift action on the proposed Anti-Dynasty Law, Independent People’s Commission Act, Party-list System Reform Act and Citizens Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act.

“In a LEDAC meeting this morning, the President instructed both houses to take a closer look at the four bills and prioritize their passage as soon as possible,” Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro told reporters.

She clarified that Mr. Marcos did not certify the bills as urgent, meaning they must still follow the standard three-day interval between congressional readings.

The council also discussed the timeline for the 2026 national budget. Mr. Marcos aims to sign the General Appropriations Act by Dec. 29, with the bicameral conference committee set tomeet Dec. 11-13 and lawmakers targeting approval of the final report by Dec. 16.