Senator Paolo “Bam” Aquino IV has filed a bill seeking to reform the country’s party-list system, in a bid to ensure that representatives genuinely serve the marginalized and underrepresented sectors and help curb corruption. 

In filing Senate Bill No. 1559, or the “Party-List Reform Act,” Aquino said it is imperative for lawmakers to guarantee that the party-list system truly serves the many and empowers ordinary Filipinos to have a real say in their Congress.

Reforming the party-list system will also reduce, if not completely remove, opportunities for misuse and corruption within the system.

“It is a step toward a more inclusive, accountable, and meaningful democracy and the kind of government the Filipino people deserve,” Aquino said.

He pointed out that a 2025 study by election watchdog Kontra Daya found that as many as 86 of the 156 accredited party-list groups in the 2025 elections were linked to political dynasties or large corporations.

Of the 63 party-list groups proclaimed on May 19 as part of the 20th Congress, 40 were among those flagged in the said report.

Various organizations, including the John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues (ICSI), have called for the restoration of dignity to the party-list system by bringing it back to its original purpose and intent.

“These findings underscore an urgent and undeniable truth: the party-list system is being exploited by the powerful at the expense of those it was designed to uplift,” Aquino said.

Under the bill, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be mandated to conduct public evidentiary hearings to verify the authenticity of the organizations, making sure they represent the sectors they claim to serve. 

The poll body would also be mandated to ensure that party-list nominees truly come from those sectors.

SB No. 1559 also proposes to extend key deadlines, including the registration period for party-list groups from 90 to 120 days before elections and the release of the certified list of eligible organizations from 60 to 90 days prior.

The proposed law also tightens rules on nominees as well, requiring party-list groups to submit at least six nominees, whose list must be approved by the organization’s highest decision-making body.

Nominees who are related within the third degree to any incumbent elected official, as well as individuals who are or have been government contractors, including officers of companies involved in public infrastructure or other state-funded projects are disqualified under the bill.