Don't look now, but the son of a former congressman has filed a House bill seeking to outlaw political dynasties in the Philippines.

Filing House Bill (HB) No.381 in the current 20th Congress was Bukidnon 2nd district Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores, a lawyer and member of the Young Guns bloc in the House of Representatives.

''Political dynasties have long entrenched themselves within the Philippine political landscape. These dynasties refer to families whose members wield significant political and economic influenee, often occupying elective positions ither simultancously or successively,'' read the explanatory note of Flores' bill.

''Over time, they tend to monopolize public offices, foster cronyism, undermine democratic institutions. Their continued dominance in politics perpetuates poverty, suppresses citizen participation, reinforces systemic corruption, and degrades public service standards,'' it added.

Flores, 53, is the son of former House member and Malaybalay, Bukidnon mayor Florencio Flores Jr.

In an interview with House reporters Friday, July 4, Flores was candid about him benefiting from the name recall of his politician-father.

''Well, to be honest I benefited from that. My dad was a former congressman also and I ran after his third term but then there are already advantages that are set in my favor kasi sa name recall (because of name recall),'' he said.

''It gives people who hold the position a certain advantage over others who don't hold the position and it gives the relatives of the elected official holding that position some form of advantage also over others who are not related to this person. But it's a bill against my own interest I guess,'' he said.

But Flores argued that an anti-political dynasty bill is still worth considering. For one thing, the prohibition is provided for under the 1987 Constitution.

''I don't know no, others will hate me for this but it's either the current the wife, the son, the father who will replace [the politician in power]. Yun lang na higpitan natin (Let’s clamp down on that),'' he said.

HB No.381 seeks to prohibit political dynasties. The bill defines such as the concentration, consolidation and/or perpetuation of political powers by persons related to one another within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity;

It says that a political dynasty relationship shall exist when the spouse or any relative within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity of an incumbent elective official, runs for public office to succed or replace the incumbent, or run for or holds any elective local office simultaneously with the incumbent within the same province, legislative district and/or city/municipality, and within he same barangay and barangays within the same legislative district.

The relationship also exists if the incumbent is a national elective oficial, and the spouse or relatives within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity run for any position in the national level or in the local level as mayor, governor or district representative in any part of the country.

It shall also be deemed to exist where two or more persons who are spouses, or are related to one another within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity run simultaneously for elective public office at the national level, or at the local level within the same province, legislative district and/or municipality/city, and within the same barangay and/or barangays within the same legislative district, even if neither is so related to an incumbent elective official.