MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has raised several concerns over the 21 bills filed in Congress seeking to ban political dynasties, citing potential conflicts in penalties, loopholes, and implementation challenges.

In a report, Comelec Chair George Garcia said during a House legislative franchise committee hearing that differences in the proposed measures—such as whether violations would result in disqualification or cancellation of candidacy—could create legal uncertainties.

“With all the 21 bills, there are different remedies offered. Some use disqualification, some opted for cancellation. But disqualification and cancellation have different implications… We will have a problem with that,” Garcia said.

He noted that current election laws, including Sections 74 and 78 of the Omnibus Election Code, do not require candidates to declare relatives in elective posts, unlike in the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform Act of 2015, which explicitly prohibited certain candidates.

“This creates a potential loophole where a candidate can claim good faith, saying they were unaware a relative ran for public office,” Garcia said.

Garcia also cited Supreme Court precedents, including Penera vs. Comelec and Mangudadatu vs. Comelec, as factors complicating enforcement. Questions remain over whether disqualification would apply pre- or post-election, and whether dynastic candidates could be substituted by relatives after disqualification—potentially perpetuating dynasties.

He stressed that any anti-dynasty law must be “brief, broad, and definite” to avoid challenges before the Supreme Court.

The House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms recently began hearings on the bills, which have gained support from both Majority and Minority lawmakers. House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, along with Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, filed House Bill No. 6771 in December 2025.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has likewise urged Congress to prioritize the measure, along with other key political reforms, to widen access to public office and strengthen democratic institutions.