An Act Prohibiting the Establishment of Political Dynasty and the

Successorship of Presidential Seat to the same family line.

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the

Philippines in Congress assembled: (what is for initiative)

Section 1: Short Title. This act shall be known as the “Anti-Political

Dynasty Law of 2017.”

Section 2: Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared the policy of

the State to guarantee and provide equal access to opportunities for public

office and public service to any qualified Filipino, pursuant to Section 26,

Article II of the 1987 Constitution. Towards this end, it is hereby declared

the policy of the State to prohibit political dynasties as defined under

Section 5 of this Act.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. – For purposes of this Act, the

following definitions shall be used:

(a) “Political Dynasty” shall refer to the concentration, consolidation

and/or perpetuation of political powers by persons related to one another

within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity.

 (b) “Political Dynasty Relationship” shall exist when the spouse or any

relative within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity of an

incumbent elective official, runs for public office to succeed or replace the

incumbent, or runs for or holds any elective local office simultaneously with

the incumbent within the same province, legislative district and/or

city/municipality, and within the same barangay and barangays within the

same legislative district. The relationship also exists if the incumbent is a

national elective official, and the spouse or relatives within the second

degree of consanguinity or affinity run for any position in the national level

or in the local level as mayor, governor or district representative in any part

of the country. It shall also be deemed to exist where two (2) or more

persons who are spouses, or are related to one another within the second

degree of consanguinity or affinity run simultaneously for elective public

office at the national level, or at the local level within the same province,

legislative district and/or municipality/city.

(c) “Spouse” shall refer to the legal and common-law wife or husband

of an incumbent elective official;

(d) “Second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity” shall refer to the

relatives of a person who may be the latter's brother or sister, whether of

full or half-blood, direct ascendant or direct descendant, whether legitimate,

illegitimate or adopted, including their spouses;

(e) “Term Limits” shall mean the maximum term limits for elected

public officials as provided for in the Constitution.

(f) “Runs for an elective office” shall be deemed to commence upon

the filing of the certificate of candidacy by a candidate with the Commission

on Elections.

(g) “Holding an Elective Office” shall be deemed to commence the

moment the public official takes his oath of office and assumes his position.

(h) “National office” shall refer to the Presidency, the Vice-

Presidency, and the Senate of the Philippines or the House of

Representatives.

(i) “Successorship” shall refer to a family within second civil degree of

consanguinity or affinity holding the presidential seat in different

administrations.

SECTION 4. Persons Covered; Prohibited Candidates. - No spouse,

or person related within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity

whether legitimate or illegitimate, to an incumbent elective official seeking

re-election shall be allowed to hold or run for any elective office in the same

province in the same election. In case the constituency of the incumbent,

elective official is national in character, the above relatives shall be

disqualified from running only within the same province where the former is

a registered voter.

In case where none of the candidates is related to an incumbent

elective official within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, but are

related to one another within the said prohibited degree, they, including

their spouses, shall be disqualified from holding or running for any local

elective office within the same province in the same election.

However in case of a Barangay officials like the Barangay Captain

and its Councillors’, relative in consanguinity or affinity within the same

degree in a national level, or at the local level within the same province,

legislative district and/or municipality/city is allowed, provided that only one

relative in barangay level will run to the position.

The persons covered and prohibited candidates have also been

adopted to some several bills (SB 2649) submitted to the Congress;

however with some minor inclusions.

 The right of at least one relative in second civil degree of

consanguinity or affinity to run in a barangay position, is based on the fact

that there a certain barangays in the country wherein it was being occupied

by several or the same clans. The lack of different families in a certain

barangay should not be a hindrance in electing a leader in that small

community.

In terms of succersorship in presidential seat, a family within second

civil degree of consanguinity or affinity once held the presidential seat in

different administration should not be allowed to run.

The provision in successorship only aims to prevent the father-and-

son relationship of holding the Presidential seat as it would hinder the

democracy of the country of having a different leader.

An example of this is former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and

her father Diosdado Macapagal. Same with former President Benigno

Aquino III and his mother Corazon Aquino. Another is presidential

candidate Manuel Roxas…….

If this successorship in the position will continue up to the near future,

it would only lead that the grandsons and daughters of the past presidents

would only hold the office. If the reason of the past candidates that it is
what the people want, I think that notion is somewhat irrelevant, as how

could the people choose another candidate if every election same family

would aspire to have the office.