The proposed Anti-Political Dynasty Act will stop political families from simultaneously controlling local government units (LGUs) and their resources by barring close relatives from serving together in the same locality.

House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms Chairman Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong hammered home this point during plenary session Wednesday, May 13, or on the second day on the plenary debates on the landmark measure.

“Hindi na po pwede sabay na manungkulan si misis at si mister. Si miis at ‘yung kanyang anak, si nanay at si tatay. ‘Yun po ang sigurado na wala pong possible manipulation ng internal resources ng ating mga LGU (local government unit),” Alonto Adiong said during the deliberations on House Bill (HB) No. 8389.

(Husband and wife can no longer serve simultaneously. The same goes for a mother and father, or a parent and child. This ensures that there is no possible manipulation of the internal resources of our LGUs)

Adiong made this assurance in response to interpellations by Navotas City lone district Rep. Toby Tiango, who raised concerns over whether the bill could definitively limit the number of family members who may eventually win in elections.

The bill bars relatives within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity from simultaneously running for or holding office in the same locality. It is currently pending second reading approval in the House of Representatives.

House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos are the principal authors of the measure, which has 173 other co-authors. It has been listed as a priority measure by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) and President Marcos.

While the phrase "landmark measure" is often mindlessly bandied about in Congress, House Bill (HB) No. 8389 is one that deserves the description, since it will give teeth once and for all to the anti-political dynasty provision in the 1987 Constitution.

Tiangco claimed during the debates that the measure could not definitively guarantee how many members of a political family may ultimately win elective posts after elections.

In response, Adiong acknowledged that election outcomes would always depend on the will of the voters.

“Sa bawat eleksyon ay wala namang kasiguraduhan kung ilan po talaga ‘yung nananalo (In every election, there is never certainty about how many truly win)," the sponsor noted.

Still, he stressed that the measure guarantees that close relatives could no longer simultaneously occupy positions that may allow political families to consolidate influence and access to LGU resources.

“Ang kasiguraduhan po dito sa [panukalang] batas ay wala nang posibilidad ng manipulation ng internal resources ng LGU (What this proposed law guarantees is that there will no longer be any possibility of manipulating the internal resources of the LGU)," Adiong said.

The Mindanao lawmaker added that the bill was carefully crafted to balance political reform with democratic rights.

“Dahil nga po ang gusto nating i-emphasize ay magkaroon ng timbang ‘yung right to vote and the right to be voted upon (Because what we want to emphasize is giving equal weight to the right to vote and the right to be voted upon)," Adiong said.

“Dahil wala pong anti-political dynasty na polisiya ang ating national government, ang ating gobyerno, ito po ay malaking step forward (Since our national government has no anti-political dynasty policy, this is a significant step forward)," he added.