Forty years is too long
Forty years is too long
When Filipinos must work tirelessly to earn people’s trust, political power should never feel like an inherited gene passed down from every generation. The 1987 Constitution prohibits political dynasties, but Congress has failed to enforce it for nearly four decades. Article II, Section 26 states that the government must guarantee equal access to public service and prohibit these dynasties as defined by law.
Yet, Congress still failed to enact a law to enforce this provision. In September 2026, the Supreme Court finally declared that this prolonged inaction violated Congress’ constitutional duty and ordered lawmakers to act with urgency.
The ruling should have been a wake-up call. Instead, the country must still act, whether the law that eventually passes will genuinely limit political dynasties or simply give them another way to remain in power. This law is necessary, but if it remains weak, it defeats its purpose.
The House of Representatives passed the House Bill (HB) No. 8389 on its third and final reading on June 3 this year. However, it only limits the ban to relatives within the second civil degree, such as parents, children, siblings, and spouses, running for or holding office simultaneously within the same jurisdiction. That is why critics argue that this restriction is too weak to break a family’s political influence.
Its geographic limitation also creates another loophole. Under this bill, a family can still expand its political influence by simply crossing city borders. For instance, the Estrada-Ejercito family has held political positions in neighboring cities. Joseph Estrada served as Mayor of Manila while members of his immediate family held mayoral and congressional positions in San Juan City.
Similarly, the Villar-Aguillar family has maintained their strong political influence in Las Piñas City. Their political business interests also reach nearby areas such as Muntinlupa and the municipalities of Cavite. What has the law actually changed if political power can still be acquired among relatives across different places?
A genuine anti-dynasty law must address the concentration of power itself, not merely prevent relatives from holding office within the same locality. Otherwise, these families can simply spread their influence across city and provincial boundaries while ordinary Filipinos continue to face unequal competition.
Pointing to relatives of politicians as automatically unqualified is not the main issue. Each of us has the right to run and seek public office as long as we meet the legal requirements. The real problem is whether political families enjoy the advantage they’re having that ordinary candidates can hardly match. When an influential surname comes, new candidates may struggle to keep up on equal ground.
The irony behind HB 8389 is also hard to ignore. One of its principal authors is House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, who acknowledged himself as a part of a political dynasty. Sandro also shared that making the bill stricter could cost it support in the House, where many lawmakers come from these dynasties as well. If lawmakers know they are part of the very system that supposedly seeks to limit political dynasties, should their interests determine how far the ban goes?
Some may argue, as House suffrage committee chair Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong and House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe have suggested, a limited ban is a “realistic” first step and that one law is better than none. But the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections warns that a weak law could make genuine reform even harder once Congress claims the problem is addressed already. Yes, the country cannot afford another decades-long delay, but passing something just for the sake of finally having one is not enough. If this bill leaves loopholes that still allow families to keep their grip on power, then Congress may end up protecting the very system it promised to change.
The Constitution does not promise that everyone will win an election. It promises equal access to opportunities for public service. Voters must remain free to choose their leaders, but their choices should come from genuine competition and not from a system where established families have an overwhelming advantage. Our democracy loses its meaning when opportunities to lead are repeatedly concentrated among the clans.
This is why transparency matters just as much as the law itself. Not just the politicians, but also every Filipino deserves to know which provisions lawmakers support and why. The public should be able to compare the House and Senate versions and question changes that weaken the proposed restrictions.
Our country has waited almost four decades for Congress to fulfill this constitutional duty. That is too long to wait for a promise that was meant to protect democracy. Filipinos do not need a half-assed anti-political dynasty law. They need a law that breaks the concentration of political power and gives qualified citizens a fairer chance to serve.
Nearly four decades is too much. The Constitution has spoken, the Supreme Court has ruled, so Congress must now pass a law that serves its purpose.