Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 2nd district Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's anti-"balimbing" or political turncoat measure has been approved at the committee level in the House of Representatives.
Approved in a matter of minutes on Wednesday morning, Nov. 16 by the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms was Arroyo's House Bill (HB) no.488 or the proposed Act strengthening the Political Party System.
Arroyo, a former president and House Speaker, personally attended the committee hearing during which her bill was tackled.
Cavite 4th district Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., citing Rule 10, Section 48 of House rules, moved to approve the measure sans panel discussion as similar measures have already been passed by the House in previous Congresses.
The panel chairman, Mountain Province lone district Rep. Maximo Dalog Jr., agreed with the Barzaga's manifestation and hastily approved the measure.
“Our history tells us that political parties in the Philippines are normally used only as political vehicles to win an election. Hence, most political aspirants change political parties for convenience, rather than because of conviction...This only shows the lack of ideological commitment to the members of the party because they choose parties based on the rise and fall of the tide of opportunity,” read the bill's explanatory note.
“It is in this light that the Political Party Act should be enacted. It is imperative that the political party system should be strengthened if we want to develop, achieve political development and democratization,” it added.
Section 13 of the bill says, “Political turncoats shall be deemed to have forfeited their elective office if they change their political party affiliation one year before and one year after any national elections.”
The Arroyo bill further provides for the following penalties against turncoats:
A.) Disqualification from running for any elective position in the next succeeding election immediately following the act of changing political party affiliation;
B.) Disqualification from being appointed or from holding any position in any public or government office for three years after the expiration of the current term/ office;
C.) Disqualification from assuming any executive or administrative position in the new political party; and
D.) Refund of any and all amounts received from one’s former political party, plus a 25 percent surcharge thereon.
“We must enact laws to prevent the systems of ward politics and political chameleons that we have today,” the Pampanga lawmaker said in her bill.
Arroyo is president emeritus of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party.