Signature drive on for genuine anti-dynasty law

MANILA, Philippines — The Dapat Isa Lang Movement has launched a signature campaign that aims to gather at least seven million signatures – or 10 percent of the country’s registered voters – to be able to pass a “genuine” anti-political dynasty law through people’s initiative.

At a press conference in Quezon City yesterday, retired Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio, one of the convenors of Dapat Isa Lang, said the pending bills in the House of Representatives and the Senate will not end political dynasties in the country.

According to Carpio, the only way to break the cycle of corruption is to prevent political dynasties from controlling the budget.

“That means they should not control the House and the Senate, and that is the rationale why we are attacking this problem of underdevelopment, poverty, corruption through the anti-political dynasty law,” he said.

Speaker Faustino Dy III and Majority Leader Rep. Sandro Marcos are the main proponents of the proposed anti-political dynasty bill in the lower chamber.

Meanwhile, a compromise version has been agreed upon by the Senate electoral reforms committee chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros.

“Every year, the political dynasties in effect determine the budget… They include in the budget all kinds of ayudas, all kinds of flood control projects,“ Carpio said. “So what happens is, you can see it already, the evidence is there in the flood control projects.”

He noted that over a trillion pesos have been lost through flood control projects.

“By getting money from the budget through flood control projects, through ayudas and every year, it grows and grows, and they become more entrenched in the House and the Senate,” he said.

Carpio said the country has fallen behind its neighbors because of corruption.

“We practically devote the same amount for infrastructure. But our neighbors, they really spend their money correctly. Maybe the leakage is five to 10 percent. Our leakage, based on the testimonies of the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), is about 70 percent, only 30 percent will go to flood control projects because there are ghost projects,” he said.

The convenors of the Dapat Isa Lang Movement maintained that the people’s initiative is enshrined in the 1987 Constitution where power of the people can directly propose and enact laws without Congress or the President.

“Congress has failed to act for nearly four decades despite the Constitution’s mandate. Dynasties now control 87 percent of provinces, 83 percent of legislative districts and 75 percent of cities. The people’s initiative bypasses Congress entirely,” the convenors said.

According to the members of the Dapat Isa Lang Movement, they intend to gather signatures representing three percent of each legislative district.

The petition and signatures will be submitted to the Commission on Elections for verification.

The proponents said that a national referendum will be held where a majority of votes cast is needed to enact the law.

They target to gather the seven million signatures by October 2026, while a referendum would be held in early 2027 to ensure the law is in place before 2028 national elections.

The proponents pushed to limit political families to one seat at national level and one seat at the local level for every family or relatives within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity and affinity, including common-law partners.

Under the proposal, the simultaneous holding of national or local office, and successively holding the same office without a one full-term cooling-off period in between, is prohibited.

It also provides regulations on conflicting candidacies, disqualification, quo warranto and penalties for any violation.

Aside from Carpio, the people’s initiative is led by running priest Fr. Robert Reyes and People’s Initiative Coalition Against Dynasties members Alexander Lacson, Louie Tito Guia, Alexander Cabrera, Miguel Karlo Abadines, Carlo Gino Africa and Eirene Jhone Aguila.