The House's proposed Anti-Political Dynasty Law could end up displacing over 5,000 officials linked to so-called dynastic families, Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said in a statement Wednesday afternoon, March 11.

“The numbers speak for themselves—and they say the Anti-Political Dynasty Bill will change the landscape of Philippine politics and governance," said Adiong, chairman of the Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms.

The Mindanao lawmaker is referring House Bill (HB) No. 8389, “An Act Prohibiting Political Dynasties in National and Local Elective Offices,” which is the 20th Congress' attempt at producing--once and for all--an enabling law for the anti-political dynasty provision in the 39-year-old Constitution.

To ensure that the suffrage committee’s version was grounded in solid evidence, it collaborated closely with the Socioeconomic Research Bureau (SERB) under the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) of the House of Representatives to study the potential impact of the long-sought measure.

SERB analyzed official election data directly from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which covered provincial, district, and municipal positions.

The preliminary findings of SERB show that 9,852 out of 17,983 local-level positions--some 54.8 percent--are occupied by potential dynasts belonging to approximately 4,239 potential dynastic families.

“The data clearly shows that the committee version—with the second-degree consanguinity/affinity limitation—will have a significant impact on political dynasties. Projections indicate that over 5,000 elective positions could be vacated by individuals from political dynasties once the measure takes effect,” Adiong said.

“The CPBRD is expected to release their full paper in the coming days, but the preliminary findings submitted to us already confirm the substantial reach and feasibility of this approach. We have emphasized this in our media briefings and public hearings: the second-degree limit is both implementable and meaningful," he said.

This assessment is consistent with data shared recently by the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP).

The LMP surveyed municipal mayors from 1,493 municipalities and found that approximately 917 mayors (61 percent) currently serve in jurisdictions where they have immediate or extended family members with a history of elective office.

The group further disclosed that based on survey results, 39 percent came from non-dynastic backgrounds.

“Given the data we have, we can see that it is inaccurate to say that the committee version will not have an impact. The numbers say otherwise. The evidence proves that the second-degree provision strikes the right balance: it is stringent enough to open real opportunities for new leaders while remaining implementable," Adiong said.