New version of anti-political dynasty bill mirrors sham Marcos reform agenda, progressives say
“Hypocrites!” a group of progressive lawmakers said of the Philippine House of Representatives (HOR) leadership, withdrawing their support from a measure seeking to end political dynasties in the country.
The Makabayan Coalition backed away from what they say is a severely watered-down anti-political dynasty bill being pushed by the HOR leadership that includes presidential son and senior deputy speaker Rep. Sandro Marcos.
A substitute proposal to about 22 such bills filed in the Philippines’ 20th Congress, the coalition of activist political parties from the youth, women and education sectors said the leadership’s new version is mockery of the Philippine Constitution.
“We restate our basic and non-negotiable position: we cannot support a bill that merely regulates political dynasties instead of prohibiting them — which is what the Constitution explicitly commands,” the progressives said on Tuesday.
Makabayan Coalition was joined by Caloocan City 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice, also HOR Senior Deputy Minority Leader, in withdrawing support from the so-called unified version.
Makabayan explained that the Philippine Charter was clear on prohibition, not regulation, as the new version states.
“Any enabling law that falls short of outright prohibition is not reform — it is a mockery of the Constitution, and we refuse to be party to it,” ACT, Kabataan and Gabriela representatives said.
The group said the yet unnumbered version making the rounds among lawmakers mirrors the “sham reform agenda” of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who they maintain is not interested in abolishing political dynasties.
“He himself belongs to a political dynasty and he seeks to perpetuate it,” the legislators said.
Marcos is son to the late president Ferdinand Sr. and former senator Imelda, is father to Rep. Sandro, brother to senator Imee, uncle to Ilocos Norte governor Matthew Manotoc, cousin to representative Angelo Barba, and cousin-in-law to Ilocos Norte vice governor Cecilia Araneta.
He is also cousin to the Romualdez political dynasty in Leyte Province.
Rep. Sandro was in fact among the first to file an anti-political dynasty bill in the current congress, a measure immediately red-flagged by pundits to be inconsistent with the Constitutional provision.
87% dynasts
The HOR is 80% made up of dynasts, symbolizing the country’s deep-seated and long-standing problem. The Philippine Senate is also full of siblings who are in power at the same time.
A Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism report said that over 50% of all elected local government officials in the Philippines are from political families, with the figure rising to 71 out of 82 (87%) for provincial governors as of May 2025.
Makabayan said that the younger Marcos’ as well as HOR Speaker Bodjie Dy’s unified version is not a solution as it would allow relatives at the second degree of consanguinity and affinity to run for elective office, instead of Makabayan’s original fourth degree prohibition.
“The substitute bill bears the fingerprints of the dynasties themselves—full of loopholes and deliberately designed to preserve the status quo and not the people,” Makabayan said.
“We refuse to be fooled. For nearly four decades, Congress has violated the Constitution through inaction. Now it is worse—they want to violate it through a law that pretends to comply,” the group added.
Makabayan called on colleagues, the civil society and the Filipino people to reject the proffered version and instead support House Bills 209 and 4784 that are “genuine, uncompromising anti-dynasty measures.”
“The people deserve real democracy, not a regulated oligarchy with a reform label slapped on it,” Makabayan said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)