SPEAKER BELMONTE FAVOURS ANTI-POLITICAL DYNASTY BILLS Monday, Nov 25 2013 Written by Desk Editor House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said on Friday, November 22 that he is in favour of a bill that will ban political dynasties in the country. The speaker has two relatives currently in public office He said that, Id like to make a stand as me because Im after all the leader of everybody here and I want to be as hands off as possible and not try to push anybody. Im in favour of it...Im in favour of it if only because the Constitution says it. Article II Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution provides that the State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law. The House leaders only daughter, Joy, is the incumbent vice mayor of Quezon City while his nephew, Kit, is one of the district representatives. I want to put it on record that if theres, lets say, a situation where its either she or me, I will yield...Let the youth take over, Belmonte said referring to his daughter. At the senate, Senator JV Ejercito also authored a senate version of the anti-dynasty bill. He acknowledged that “it may not be an easy legislative task”. The House bill, which prohibits two or more individuals who are related within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity from holding or running for a national or local post in successive, simultaneous or overlapping terms, was approved in the House committee level earlier this week. Belmonte admitted that the proposal, which was first filed in the 12th Congress, will experience rough sailing as it moves into plenary debates. I believe it will experience rough sailing but you know, Rome wasnt built in a day. We have already put up a big stone. It already passed in the committee level and I think that is something to be happy about but its still a long way, he told reporters. Power, both economic and political should not be held by just a few. We need to give a chance to others who are equally capable but do not have the opportunity, said Ejercito, a son of Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez. Senator Ejercito has also other relatives in power The senator was quoted saying that the phenomenon of political dynasties dates back even earlier than the Spanish regime when the ruling class not only controls the economy but also the government. He said the concentration of political power among few families benefits a narrow set of economic and political interest. Once passed into law, the Anti-political Dynasty Act is applicable to the next elections and to subsequent polls. Incumbent officials with political dynasty relationships with one another in the same city or province will be allowed to run in subsequent polls until they reach their term limit. Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said earlier the Philippines is the world capital of political dynasties which, she explained, is a result of the 13 years of deliberate inaction by legislators on political dynasties. Ejercito acknowledged this fact, saying that the anti-dynasty bill has never passed the committee level except recently in the House of Representatives. This is the right time to introduce reforms in the political system, he pointed out. In his bill, Ejercito cited a report by the United Nations Development Programme showing that 72 out of 77 provinces or 94 percent have political families (There were 80 provinces as of the last elections). The study also found that there at least two political clans in most provinces. The Bangsamoro Basic Law is also expected to contain provisions banning political dynasties in the proposed Bangsamoro new political entity. This was mentioned in the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB).
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 06:21:08 +0000
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