Alonto Adiong: SC rebuke a ‘wake‑up call’ to pass anti‑dynasty bill

MANILA, Philippines – It is a “wake-up call” for lawmakers to finally pass a bill curbing political dynasties after the Supreme Court (SC) scolded Congress for failing to approve such a measure nearly four decades after the 1987 Constitution’s mandate, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Adiong said Congress must now “finish the work” by passing a bill outlawing political dynasties, which have long dominated elected posts across every rung of government.

“Inaction is no longer defensible,” Adiong said.

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On Wednesday, the top court sided with petitioners, compelling Congress to pass a law against dynasties, ruling that the upper and lower chambers committed “grave abuse of power” by failing to approve such a bill. 

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READ: Supreme Court compels Congress to enact anti-dynasty law

“The Supreme Court has spoken on the duty. Congress must now speak through legislation,” Adiong, who heads the House Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, said. “Public office is a public trust, not a hereditary entitlement.”

“We intend to finish the work,” he said.

The House passed in June its version of the proposal curbing dynasties, which bars spouses and relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity and affinity from holding elected office at the same government level. Its Senate counterpart is pending on second reading.

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READ: House approves anti-dynasty bill on third and final reading

An anti-dynasty law has long been pushed in Congress, but the effort has repeatedly faltered for a lack of support from a legislature dominated by political families. 

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Should the Senate advance its version of the bill, Adiong said the House is prepared to meet the Senate to reconcile potential differences at the bicameral conference committee, the last step in the legislative mill where disagreements are threshed out before being sent to Malacañang for executive action.

“We will work to reconcile the disagreeing provisions of the House and Senate versions so that the country finally has a clear definition, specific prohibitions, and an enforceable law,” he said.

READ: Bill vs dynasties: Can Senate sharpen dull House version?

In June, Adiong said the House was prepared to fight for its version of the bill, as he warned against any “drastic amendment” that could negate the effort to ban political dynasties.

“If we are to go to the extreme, then this might be open to judicial review,” Adiong said then. “Some probably may go to the court to challenge the constitutionality of this measure.”

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Public office in the Philippines has often been treated like an heirloom, being passed down from one family generation to another. /atm