Belmonte: Anti-political dynasty bill dead in 16th Congress

Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. said on Sunday that the anti-political dynasty bill will not be passed by the end of the term of President Benigno Aquino III next year.

In a radio interview, Belmonte said that he does not want the 16th Congress to pass a “toothless” anti-dynasty bill where they will get flak eventually.

“The Constitution provides for anti-political dynasty without defining it. To gain ‘pogi points,’ we would like to come out with an anti-dynasty law… But it will just be a show piece, and I don’t want us to pass a show piece (legislation). Once you pass a show piece, we will get continuing rebuke for not having done what the Constitution wants,” Belmonte said over dzBB radio.

He said that at first, they were optimistic that they will be able to craft an anti-political dynasty law.

“We all thought that we could do it but we also didn’t like to take a risk voting in and being laughed at later on for an anti-dynasty bill that does not say anything,” the House leader said.

Belmonte said that the next Congress might have a better chance of ensuring the passage of the measure.

Despite being endorsed as a priority measure by Aquino in his last State of the Nation Address last July, the anti-dynasty bill was not included in the list of priority bills identified by the House of Representatives and the Senate.

There are a number of anti-political dynasty bills are still languishing in Congress; some are waiting for second reading approval in the House of Representatives while another one is yet to hurdle the Senate committee on electoral reforms. JE