Senate President Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Franklin Drilon on Thursday threw his support behind the proposed Anti-Political Dynasty Act and even expressed his willingness to push for it in the Senate.
“E ako wala akong kamag-anak, ngayon pa lang boboto na ako. Ni kapitan, barangay wala akong kamag-anak,” Drilon told reporters when asked to comment on the passage of the bill at the House of Representatives in a committee level.
(I have no relatives in politics, I’m going to vote for it…)
Asked if he would push for the bill, the Senate leader said, “Certainly yes.”
But Drilon could not say if his colleagues would also support such measure.
“I haven’t tested the waters so to speak. Let’s see how it will look like first. I’d like to see how the House version looks like,” he said.
The Senate is packed with senators who are either sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, wife or husband of politicians. For example, Senate Majority Leader Alan Cayetano and his sister Senator Pia Cayetano are the children of the late Senator Renato Cayetano. Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and his half-brother Senator JV Ejercito are both sons of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.
Senator Nancy Binay is the daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto is the husband of Batangas Governor Vilma Santos, Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. is the wife of Cavite Representative Lani Mercado, Senator Ferdinand “Bong-Bong Marcos Jr. is the son of former First Lady and now Ilocos Norte Representative Imelda Marcos, while Senator Bam Aquino is the nephew of President Benigno Aquino III.
The bill that the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms passed would prohibit incumbent officials’ spouses or relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity—legitimate or illegitimate—from holding or running for any local or national elective office in the same election.
In case no one among the relatives voluntarily withdraws from the race, the Commission on Elections should hold a raffle to determine which of them could run.
The proposed measure also states that no person within the prohibited civil degree of relationship to the incumbent shall immediately succeed to the position of the latter.
The prohibitions, however, do not apply to barangay (village) officials.
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