'Anti-dynasty bill OK is the best Christmas gift'

The passage of the Anti-Political Dynasty Bill can be the best gift of lawmakers for Filipinos this Christmas, Rep. Nathan Oducado of the 1 Tahanan party-list said as he urged his colleagues to help pass the measure.

- By DELON PORCALLA

“All legislators must accept that dynastic politics has allowed for the prevalence of corrupt practices in all levels of government,” he said, adding that “there is a need to show the people that public office is not a family business, especially from those currently in power.”

Acknowledging that “not all members of political dynasties are corrupt,” Oducado asserted that passing a law enabling the constitutional prohibition on dynasties will show that “they are not part of the problem” and are actively working against it.

He proposes “placing a realistic limit” on the number of politicians related to one another, “at least up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, for positions within the same local government unit.”

“Given that the enabling law on the political dynasty ban is way overdue, any form of limiting political dynasties, especially in local politics, is already a win,” he said.