MANILA — Senator Risa Hontiveros and Akbayan Party have filed measures seeking sweeping amendments to the Party-List System Act to curb what they described as persistent abuses by political dynasties and contractors.

Hontiveros filed Senate Bill No. 1656, which proposes to bar political dynasties from participating in the party-list system and to prohibit party-list nominees and representatives who have interests in government contracts.

A counterpart measure, House Bill No. 7074, was filed by Akbayan Party-list Representatives Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, and Dadah Ismula, along with Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao.

“Kung gusto nilang rumaket, huwag nilang gamitin ang partylist system. This bill aims to reclaim the voice of ordinary Filipinos who’ve been shut out of power because of abusive personalities who are using the partylist system as a backdoor to power. Tama na ang pangha-hijack nila. If they’re not genuinely fighting for the Filipino people, they don’t belong in this system,” Hontiveros said.

Diokno said the proposed legislation seeks to restore the original intent of the party-list system and ensure that marginalized sectors are properly represented in Congress.

“Our bill seeks to restore the true intent of the law and keep the party-list system out of the hands of those who seek to exploit it. It also guarantees that marginalized sectors have a real voice in Congress, enabling them to fight for their rights and welfare,” Diokno said.

The proposed measures also seek to prohibit the registration of party-list organizations patterned after television or radio programs, government assistance programs, or the names of public officials, celebrities, and other public figures, to keep the system focused on sectoral representation.

In addition, both bills push for the removal of the three-seat cap for party-list groups to allow full, democratic, and proportional representation.

Diokno said the three-seat limit undermines proportional representation and distorts electoral outcomes.

“The limit contradicts the Constitution’s intent to achieve proportionality,” he said.

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism earlier reported that 66 percent of party-list groups in the 19th Congress had at least one nominee from an established political dynasty.

Recent congressional inquiries into alleged anomalies in flood control projects have also shown that several party-list representatives benefit directly from government projects by acting as contractors.

“Someone who votes on infrastructure budgets while their company bids on those same projects is a scammer. This blatant conflict of interest has no place in a democracy. After decades of abuse and loopholes, the sweeping reforms proposed in these bills hope to hand the reins back to everyday Filipinos,” Hontiveros said.