MANILA — Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor said on Wednesday he is in favor of a measure prohibiting political dynasties, but there should first be a "clear definition" of it, a task that framers of the 1987 Constitution left to Congress.  

Without an enabling law for it, the ban on political dynasties has been ignored for decades.

"We should define what a dynasty should be under a law that will be passed by Congress. And I'm very open to discussing that, especially if the Supreme Court itself will issue a mandamus," Defensor said in an online interview.. 

"There have been many pending bills about the anti-dynasty law in Congress and it's about time we deliberate on that seriously so we can define what a dynasty is," Defensor, whose brother is governor of Iloilo province, said.

Defensor underscored the need to have a definition in the law, since there are different kinds of political dynasties.  

"We don't just say na dahil kapatid ka ng senador o pamangkin ka ng governor o magkapatid kayong nasa politika, it's automatically a dynasty. We should have a reasonable definition so as not also to infringe the rights of individuals to enter public service," he said. 

(We don't just say that because you have a sibling who is a senator, or are the niece or nephew of a governor, or you are siblings, it's automatically a dynasty.)

There is only one bill filed at the 19th Congress on political dynasties. That bill, filed by Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel, seeks to define a "political dynasty relationship" as one where a spouse or relative within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity of an elected official holds or runs for elective office alongside their elected relative in the same city or province.

This relationship can also happen if a relative “occupies the same office immediately after the term of office of the incumbent elective official.”

A political dynasty relationship can also exist if two relatives — spouses or relatives within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity — run simultaneously in the same city or province.

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The Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015 states candidates "must not be related within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to any incumbent elected national official or to any incumbent elected regional, provincial, city, municipal or barangay official, in the locality where he or she seeks to be elected."

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao also banned politicians “within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity” from joining the first Bangsamoro Parliament.

'REMOVE TERM LIMITS'

Defensor said Wednesday that "[w]e should be clear on how to define that and connect the effect of political dynasties on progress for each and every sector."

He added legislation should also consider whether dynasties have been good or bad in a specific area. 

"[R]ight now, we do not have a clear definition or parameter how a political dynasty should be laid down in a law, whether it's a thin dynasty or a fat dynasty."

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The lawmaker said there is a need to look into proposing amendments with term limits, citing this as a reason why there are fat dynasties — where members of the same family hold many elective positions.

He said he supports to some extent "thin" dynasties or politicians passing their positions to their relatives after their term.

"If you compare our political system with mature democracies where it is one member of the family like Joe Biden, for example, since wala siyang term limit, siya lang ang tuloy-tuloy na nakaupo sa kanyang distrito, sa kanyang Senate seat, and that politician becomes a statesman with a mature political sense. Kasi hindi nagtatapos ang kanyang term," he explained. 

(Take Joe Biden, for example, since he has no term limit, he had been representative of his district for so long, and then his senate seat. And that politician becomes a statesman with a mature political sense. Because his term doesn't end)

The US has term limits only for the position of president. Former US President Biden served as a county councilor before being elected to the US Senate, where he served seven terms.  

"We have to strike a perfect balance between term limits and political dynasties. I hope you understand saan ako nanggagaling (where I am coming from)," he said, adding he believes term limits have led to the expansion of political dynasties in the Philippines. 

The lawmaker, who also comes from a family of politicians, said it's hard to generalize dynasties as "bad" since some are not corrupt or may have helped developed their province or municipality.

Candidates from political dynasties have argued that voters always have a choice not to elect bets from political families. Incumbents, however, often have the advantage of influence, machinery, and money, making it difficult for new candidates to compete with them. 

Several lawmakers back calls for law against political dynasties

Various groups and individuals filed on Monday a petition urging the Supreme Court to compel the House of Representatives and the Senate to enact a law banning political dynasties.  

However, Defensor does not see the high tribunal granting this petition, saying it is "a purely a political question whether the members of Congress are willing to pass a bill and it's not for the Supreme Court to compel." 

#Elexplain: Bakit hindi nakabubuti para sa bayan ang political dynasties?

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