Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

209

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by
ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. ANTONIO L. TINIO
and KABATAAN Party-List Rep. RENEE LOUISE M. CO

AN ACT
DEFINING AND PROHIBITING POLITICAL DYNASTIES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Bayan Muna Party-List first filed a House Bill prohibiting political dynasties in
2001. Similar measures filed by the Makabayan Bloc in the succeeding Congresses were
repeatedly ignored by the Chamber. It is high time that we pass a Bill of great
importance, as mandated by our Constitution.

Article II, Section 26 of the Constitution expressly provides: “The State shall
guarantee equal access to public service and prohibit political dynasty, as may be
defined by law.”

Social reform is the evident agenda behind this provision and the objective is
clear. The extended family system, an otherwise beneficial concept when applied to the
social aspects of human behavior, has found its pernicious effects in the political arena
where public office has become the exclusive domain of influential families and clans.
Such families have become so well-entrenched in Philippine politics that they have
monopolized political power and public resources at all levels of government.

Once a politician is elected to public office, he or she immediately builds a strong
political base to ensure not only his or her re-election but also that such electoral support
will extend to one’s spouse or descendants or next of kin. These elected officials secure
and consolidate their economic interest by perpetuating their families or clans in public
office—indeed, establishing a dynasty, much like the hereditary monarchs and imperial
families of old, using public service. This situation is characteristic of the patronage
system of politics that hinders the development of the country.


The domination of political dynasties in Philippine elections became more
evident during the May 2025 elections. They have fielded multiple candidates in
national and local positions in order to further concentrate, consolidate, and perpetuate
their political power. According to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism,
at least 18 obese political dynasties, or those with at least five clan members who are
active in politics, have won in midterm elections.' This is different from the typical “fat”
and “thin” classification of political dynasties. Fat political dynasties refer to those
officials who have relatives that simultaneously hold office while thin dynasties refer
to those officials whose relative(s) used to hold elected office ~ they follow each other
sequentially.?

A report by the United Nations Development Programme written by Prof.
‘Temario Rivera revealed that of the 77 provinces included in the study, 72 provinces or
94 percent have political families. Further, the average number of political families per
province is 2.31, meaning there are at least two political clans in most of the provinces.
According to Temario, since the restoration of elections in 1987, most dominant
political families have succeeded in winning gubernatorial and congressional races.
Even the party-list system—supposedly to give the marginalized and underrepresented
sectors opportunity to participate in the lawmaking process —is now also dominated
by political families and big economic interests.

‘The socio-economic and political inequities prevalent in Philippine society limit
public office to members of ruling families. In many instances, voters, for convenience
and out of cultural mindset, look up to these economically and politically dominant
families as dispensers of favors, material and otherwise, and tend to elect relatives of
these politically dominant families.

‘As a means to give force and effect to the social justice provisions of the
Constitution which provides for the diffusion of economic and political influence. it is
necessary that the political arena be leveled by opening public office to persons who are
equally qualified to aspire on even terms with those from politically dominant families.

In light of the foregoing, this Bill is hereby proposed to give real teeth to the
Constitutional mandate and strengthen the call for new politics to lay the basis of greater
empowerment for the greater number of Filipinos.

+ Fonbuena, C. S. “The “obese” dynasties of the Philippines are crowned again. but reform hopes rise for 2028.”
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, 20 May 2025. Retrieved from hitps://peij.org/2025/0S/20/obese-
<dynasties-of-the-philippines-results-crowned-again-but-reform-hopes-rise-2028-polls/

? Mendoza, Ronald U. and Jaminola, Leonardo and Yap, Jurel, From Fat to Obese: Political Dynasties after the
2019 Midterm Elections (September 1, 2019). ATENEO SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT WORKING PAPER
SERIES, September 2019, 19-013. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3449201 or
hutp://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3449201


For the foregoing reasons, the passage of this bill is sought.

7

ly

ep. ANTONIO L. TINIO Rep. RENER/LOUISE M. CO
ACT Teachers Party-List KABATAAN Party-List


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. £29

ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. ANTONIO L. TINIO
and KABATAAN Party-List Rep. RENEE LOUISE M. CO

AN ACT
DEFINING AND PROHIBITING POLITICAL DYNASTIES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Title. — This Act shall be known as “The Anti-Political Dynasty Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the State to guarantee equal access
to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties.

SEC. 3. Political Dynasty Defined. — For purposes of this Act, a political dynasty is
hereby defined as a family or clan that concentrates, consolidates, or perpetuates their
political power by holding public office simultaneously or successively.

SEC. 4, Prohibition on Political Dynasty. — Political dynasties are hereby prohibited.
To this end:

1) No person shall hold or run for any elective national or local office
simultaneously with another within the fourth degree of consanguinity or
affinity, whether legitimate or illegitimate, full or half blood; and

2) No person within the prohibited civil degree of relationship to an incumbent
elected official shall immediately succeed to the position of the latter.

SEC. 5. Applicability. - This Act shall govern and be applicable to the next elections
and to all subsequent elections thereafter.


SEC. 6. Statement with the Commission on Elections. — Any person running for any
elective public office shall file a sworn statement with the COMELEC that they do not
fall under the prohibition under Section 4 of this Act.

SEC. 7. Effect of Violation of Prohibition. - The COMEL.EC shall, motu proprio or
upon verified petition of any interested party, deny due course to any certificate of
candidacy filed in violation of this Act.

‘The votes cast for the disqualified candidate, if any, shall not be counted and deemed
not counted nor shall such candidate be proclaimed nor be qualified to assume office.

SEC. 8. Period for Filing Petition for Disqualification. — Any citizen of voting age,
candidate, or duly registered political party, organization, or coalition of political parties
may file with the COMELEC, after the last day for filing of certificates of candidacy
and before proclamation, a petition to disqualify a candidate on grounds provided for
under Section 4 hereof.

SEC. 9. Summary Proceedings. ~ The petition shall be heard and decided summarily
by the COMELEC, after due notice and hearing, and its decision shall be executory
after the lapse of five (5) days from receipt thereof by the losing party.

SEC. 10. Effect of Petition if Unresolved Before Completion of Canvass. — \f the
petition, for reasons beyond the control of the COMELEC. cannot be decided before
the completion of the canvass, the votes cast for the respondent shall be included in the
counting and canvassing: Provided, however, that if the basis for such disqualification
is strong, their proclamation shall be suspended notwithstanding the fact that they
received the winning number of votes in the election: Provided further, that in cases
where disqualified candidate has been proclaimed they shall ipso facto forfeit their right
to the office,

SEC. 11. Rules and Regulations. - The COMELEC shall promulgate the rules and
regulations for the implementation of the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. — All laws inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are
hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 13. Separability Clause. — If any of the sections or provisions of this Act is held
invalid, all the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid.

SEC. 14. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date
of its publication in the Official Gazette or any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved.