The Philippine business community rejected House Bill No. 6771 stating that its current form still permits political dynasties to flourish in this country.
In a joint statement issued Thursday, 30 business groups warned that should Congress continue to fail in passing a genuine Anti-Dynasty Law, they will call on the public to exercise their constitutional right to enact legislation through a People’s Initiative.
“H.B. No. 6771 is pro-dynasty measure. HB 6771 permits succession, switching, substitution, and rotation among relatives, enabling family members to occupy elective positions across levels of government and across election cycles, effectively preserving monopoly over political power,” the country’s largest business groups said.
Businessmen did not hide their disgust over the proliferation of political dynasties in the country noting that political dynasties are not merely a question of family participation in politics — “They are an institutional problem. Their influence extends far beyond government: many dynasties also dominate local economies through franchises, personal business and the favored granting of permits, tightening their grip on both political and economic life. Public office is not a family inheritance—it is a public trust bestowed by the people and exercised for the common good.”
Following consultation and focused discussions among businesses, civil society and other justice reform stakeholders, the groups believe that a truly effective Anti-Political Dynasty Law must include clear and enforceable provisions that prohibit relatives within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity from running or simultaneously or consecutively holding elective office, in order to uphold the “one local, one national” representation principle, to limit family dominance.
The law must also explicitly prohibit substitution, rotation, and position-switching among prohibited relatives to circumvent term limits.
Also, they emphasized the need to establish a mandatory cooling-off period equal to one full electoral cycle for both term-limited officials and their relatives, preventing them from immediately seeking the same position in successive elections.
This cooling-off period stops perpetual family succession while still permitting qualified individuals to run for other offices, adhering to the “one local, one national” representation principle.
“Ultimately, the battle against political dynasties is a battle against corruption itself. For our nation to finally break free from the bondage of corruption, political dynasties should no longer thrive. Merit, not lineage, must determine who serves the Filipino people,” the statement concluded.
The joint statement was signed by the country’s largest business organizations, such as the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Management Association of the Philippines, Makati Business Club (MBC), Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX), Justice Reform Initiative (JRI), Advocates for National Interest (ANI), Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan (ANIM), Association of Certified Public Accountants in Public Practice (ACPAPP), Bukluran ng Mangagawang Pilipino (BMP),
Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), De La Salle Brothers, Inc. (DLSBI), De La Salle Philippines (DLSP), FEU Public Policy Center, Iloilo Economic Development Foundation (ILEDF), Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA),
Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), Institute of Philippine Real Estate Appraisers (IPREA), Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran, Inc., Kontra Dinastiya, Military Uniformed Personnel (MUP 4 United PH), Movement for Restoration of Peace & Order (MRPO), Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM), Philippine Institute of Arbitrators (PIArb), Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), Sanlakas, Seniors on the Move, Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines (SharePHIL), UP Engineering Research & Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI), and Women for Action Towards Reform (AWARE).
