Antidynasty Bill in Philippines May Circumvent SC Ban on Relatives in Office

MANILA, Philippines — The Makabayan bloc has warned that the version of the proposed antidynasty bill pending in Congress does not abide by the Supreme Court directive to prohibit relatives from holding public office simultaneously. While it welcomed the Supreme Court ruling that compelled the legislature to pass an enabling law that would finally put an end to political dynasties, the bloc pointed out that the current bill merely regulates such appointments, rather than directly adhering to the spirit of the Supreme Court's prohibition. “The Supreme Court has already declared that political dynasties are unconstitutional. Therefore, the bill pending in Congress should have been an enabling law that would prohibit relatives from holding public office simultaneously,” the bloc said. The bloc’s statement came after the Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling, declared political dynasties unconstitutional and ordered Congress to pass an enabling law that would finally put an end to them. However, the Makabayan bloc said that the bill pending in Congress does not abide by the Supreme Court directive to prohibit relatives from holding public office simultaneously. The bill, they said, merely regulates such appointments, rather than directly adhering to the spirit of the Supreme Court’s prohibition. “The bill seeks to prohibit spouses, children, parents, and siblings of those in public office from simultaneously holding positions within the same government agency or in closely related roles in different agencies. However, this regulation dilutes the Supreme Court’s strong wording of ‘prohibition’ into a mere ‘regulation,’ which could perpetuate the breeding ground for the concentration of political power and resources within specific families or factions,” the bloc said. Source: Inquirer NewsInfo