Northern Mindanao public urged to back anti-dynasty bill via PI

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Local supporters of the anti-political dynasty law through a People’s Initiative (PI) have called on people in Northern Mindanao to sign the online campaign.

Representatives from the Church, academe, civil society, youth and student organizations, and professionals launched the Dapat Isa Lang (D1L) Movement at Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan) here last week.

D1L has launched a nationwide campaign to pass an anti-political dynasty law through PI, which bypasses Congress, the body that makes and enacts laws, and is mostly dominated by the same families the movement seeks to remove from holding perpetual public office.

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The initiative aims to enact a genuine anti-political dynasty law—a constitutional mandate that lawmakers have largely ignored for nearly 40 years.

“We will be offering a genuine anti-political dynasty law through this people’s initiative because we need to bypass Congress, as this law is not attractive to them,” Nestor Banuag Jr., director of Xavier University’s Social Involvement and Advocacy Program, told the Inquirer.

7.5 million signatures

The proposed D1L measure seeks to limit political families to one national and one local elected post, ban relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity from holding simultaneous offices, prohibit position-switching, and enforce a one-term cooling-off period. It also empowers voters and the Commission on Elections to file disqualification or quo warranto cases against violators.

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To enact the law via a People’s Initiative, the movement needs to gather signatures from at least 10% of total registered voters nationwide, or at least 7.5 million, including 3% from every legislative district.

Organizers set up an online platform (https://d1l.org/) where registered voters can sign the petition until Jan. 31, 2027.

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John Phillip Talaba, a former Xavier University Central Student Government president and a member of the D1L core team here, said the campaign requires participation beyond the movement’s organizers.

He called for volunteers to help meet the target, particularly in communities where the campaign has yet to establish a network.

“The longer we drag this out, the more time opposition forces have to consolidate power against us,” Talaba told the Inquirer. “This effort is heavily driven by the youth, because we truly want to take back control over our lives.”

A moral and ethical concern

The country’s Catholic bishops strongly supported the movement, stressing that the concentration of power is a moral and ethical issue that harms the common good.

“Public office must never become a family inheritance; it is a public trust entrusted by the people to serve all,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) stated. “When public authority is treated as private privilege, the common good suffers.”

Clarence Raul Florendo, Social Action Center lay coordinator of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, said Archbishop Jose Cabantan has enjoined all parishes under the archdiocese to support the initiative.

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“There is always the lure of corruption because they know the next administration will not hold them accountable because of the relations,” Florendo told the Inquirer.

Organizers here are working to secure support from the Iglesia Filipina Independiente and the United Church of Christ in the Philippines for the anti-dynasty law’s passage through PI.

Anatomy of dynasties

The prevalence of political dynasties has been widely blamed for trapping the country in a cycle of poverty and patronage.

Political economist Ronald Mendoza, former dean of the Ateneo School of Government, classified Philippine dynasties as “thin” (sequential succession) and “fat” (simultaneous occupation of multiple posts).

According to his research, 83% of the country’s senators and about 80% of House district representatives belong to political families, while locally, 87% of provincial governors and 75% of city mayors are part of dynasties.

He also noted that 90% of Filipinos live in an area controlled by a political dynasty, with “fat” dynasties severely prevalent in the country’s poorest provinces.

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“Instead of focusing on their duties, what they do is act with impunity: stealing, threatening, buying votes, earning kickbacks from all infrastructure projects, and abusing their positions,” Mendoza said in a video message during the launch. “The area becomes even poorer. But the ones getting rich, guess who? The powerful families.” WITH A REPORT FROM IVANA JANLEE A. OTOC/coa