House eyes 2nd reading passage of ‘loosened’ bill vs pol dynasty
The House of Representatives may pass a “loosened” antipolitical dynasty bill on Wednesday or before Congress goes on break, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said on Tuesday.
In a press briefing, Belmonte said the House would try to pass the bill on second reading tomorrow before it goes on sine die break.
The bill, however, would still be amended in the plenary to allow a dynasty limit of two family members in elective positions, Belmonte said. The bill being discussed in the plenary under second reading allowed only one family member in elective positions.
A bill is subject to a period of amendments before it is approved on second reading.
“The antipolitical dynasty bill is something that at first glance has no chance at all because there are many dynasties here. During the leadership meeting yesterday there was a consensus to make an enumeration of what are exactly considered as covered by the bill. We will try to have it approved tomorrow, quorum permitting,” Belmonte said.
Belmonte earlier said a dynasty limit of one family member had no chances of passing the House.
“You will remember originally, one family, one member, one official, but now we have more or less agreed on two,” he said.
Belmonte said he also wanted the bill to permit political families to run for elective positions in different jurisdictions.
“These are just some of the very common sense problems that we hope to be able to put some kind of guidelines in the law. I’m also very optimistic this will be passed,” he said.
According to the bill, a political dynasty “exists when two or more individuals who are related within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity hold or run for national or local office in successive, simultaneous or overlapping terms.”
The Commission on Elections is tasked to disqualify from running those who violate the proposed measure.
Should none of the members of the same family running in the same election decide to withdraw from the race, the Comelec will hold a raffle to determine which of them will be allowed to run.
The bill also seeks to ensure that elective posts will not be passed on to a member of the same family. It states that no person within the prohibited civil degree of relationship with the incumbent will be allowed to immediately succeed the position.
The original dynasty cap of one family member in an elective position was criticized on the floor for affecting 180 members of the 290-strong chamber who had one family member in politics. Meanwhile, a dynasty cap of at least two family members in politics will affect 60 of 290 members. RC
