Koko Pimentel defers antidynasty bill for next Congress

There is no future for the antidynasty bill in the Senate during this Congress, according to Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, even if the inclusion of an antidynasty provision in the Sangguniang Kabataan reform law may have boosted hopes for such a measure.

“I’ve abandoned the antipolitical dynasty bill for this Congress,” said Pimentel, chair of the committee on electoral reforms which conducted hearings on the bill.

Mr. Aquino had pitched for the measure during his last State of the Nation Address, but lawmakers have been divided on the matter.

Pimentel, the son of a former senator, said he would just file an antidynasty bill on July 1 in the next Congress, which would convene under a new President to be elected in the May polls.

Pimentel’s bill would allow only one member of a family to hold political office at one time.

“There is no more time for it now. If ever it would be filed in the plenary, it would just be symbolic… for discussions,” he said in a phone interview.

He said the Senate already has a full schedule before it adjourns next month for the campaign period with the Bangsamoro bill still up for deliberations.

Senate President Franklin Drilon had earlier said the signing of the Sangguniang Kabataan reform law showed that an antipolitical dynasty bill could be achieved in the near future.

“We just saw that an antipolitical dynasty provision is possible, so it may not be too farfetched for us now to work on an antipolitical dynasty bill as envisioned by our Constitution,” Drilon claimed in a statement.

He called on other supporters of the measure to be emboldened in crafting a strong law that would deepen democratic practices and end dynastic and feudal tendencies in governance.

He also vowed to be one of the biggest backers of such a bill.

“Any measure in the Senate on the matter will enjoy the support of the Senate leadership,” he said.

Pimentel admitted the antidynasty bill was delayed in his committee. He said the delay was due to the difficulty of defining which arrangements constituted dynasties.

He earlier said he wanted to make sure all definitions were covered. There were many combinations and permutations of dynasties in the country, he said.

But said the hearings on the issue would not go to waste. According to him, he would use all the lessons and inputs from the hearings, including the position papers of various parties, to craft a comprehensive antidynasty bill that would be filed with next Congress.