MANILA – The House of Representatives of the Philippines approved on second reading a measure seeking to prohibit political dynasties and promote equal access to public office in line with the 1987 Constitution.

House Bill No. 8389, or the proposed Anti-Political Dynasty Act, was approved through viva voce voting. The measure prohibits relatives within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity from running for or holding office in the same locality.

House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos are the principal authors of the bill, which has 173 co-authors.

The measure was endorsed as a priority legislation under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council and backed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

The proposed law was approved following the recommendation of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms chaired by Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, which consolidated 17 related proposals into a substitute bill.

According to the committee, the provision covering relatives within the second degree was adopted following consultations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, where stakeholders raised concerns regarding implementation.

Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution directs the State to prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law, although no enabling measure has been enacted since the Constitution’s ratification.

During sponsorship of the bill, Adiong said the proposal underwent extensive consultations and legal review to address constitutional and practical concerns surrounding the regulation of political dynasties.

He said the second-degree limitation was adopted to ensure the measure remains reasonable and enforceable, adding that broader prohibitions could create administrative difficulties for the Commission on Elections.

Adiong also clarified that the bill does not permanently disqualify individuals from seeking elective office, but instead regulates the simultaneous or successive concentration of political power among close relatives within the same locality.

Under the proposal, a political dynasty is defined as the concentration, consolidation, or dominance of elective political power by spouses or relatives within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity.

The bill bars spouses and close relatives from simultaneously holding or running for elective posts in the same national, provincial, city, municipal, or barangay government, as well as from seeking seats in the House of Representatives within the same legislative district.

The measure will take effect in the next elections once enacted into law.

Candidates will also be required to submit sworn declarations to the Comelec stating that their candidacies will not result in a prohibited dynastic relationship.

In cases where relatives file candidacies that may create a prohibited political dynasty, the measure provides mechanisms for resolution, including voluntary withdrawal or drawing of lots if the parties fail to agree.

The bill likewise directs the Comelec to issue implementing rules and regulations within 90 days from the law’s effectivity.

If enacted, the proposal would become the first comprehensive law defining and prohibiting political dynasties since the adoption of the 1987 Constitution.