FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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SENATE 
S. No. 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The 1972 Constitution, Article XII-C, Section 10 provides: 
Section 10. No elective public officer may change his political 
party affiliation during his term of office and no candidate for any elective 
public office may change his political party affiliation within six months 
immediately preceding or following an election. 
However, the prohibition on turncoalism was removed in the 1986 Constitution. 
’Today, turncoatism is very rampant and is blurring the Philippine political party system. 
Republic Act No. 7941, also known as the “Party List System Act”, Section 3 
defines what a political party is. It states: 
A political party refers to an organized group of citizens 
advocating an ideology or platform, principles and policies for the general 
conduct of government and which, as the most immediate means of 
securing their adoption, regularly nominates and supports certain of its 
leaders and members as candidates for public office. 
However, in reality, most political parties in the Philippines are not composed of 
citizens advocating an ideology or platform or principles and polices for the general 
conduct bf government.” More often than not, traditional politicians who were not 
nominated by their original party to the position that they desire easily change political 
parties, even if their new party espouses an opposite belief as compared to their original 
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party. 
This weakens our political party-system. People are now confused as to who are 
the genuine majority or the genuine opposition party. This bill seeks to penalize political 
butterflies and restore belief in our political party system. 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
DEFINING AND PUNISHING POLITICAL TURNCOATISM 
Be enacted by the Senate and House of Representative of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Anti-Political 
Turncoatism Act of 2007.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration ofPolicy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State 
to punish turncoatism to ensure a genuine party system. 
SECTION 3. Definition of Turncoatism. - As used in this Act, Political 
turncoatism means: 
A) Change of political party affiliation during an elective public officer’s term of 
office; 
B) Change of political party affiliation by any party member within one year 
immediately preceding or following an election. 
A change in party affiliation shall not constitute political turncoatism if it is: 
a) Arising out of the abolition, merger or coalition of political parties where the 
party member is registered; 
b) Due to expulsion in writing of the party member from his political party; 
SECTION 4. Prohibition on Turncoatism. - No elective public officer may 
change his political party affiliation during his term of office and no candidate for any 
elective public office may change his political party affiliation within one year 
immediately preceding or following an election. Notwithstanding the prohibition, the 
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right of an elective public official to resign from his political party remains provided that 
he will not join any other political party within one year immediately preceding or 
lbllowing an election. 
SECTION 5. Penalties. -A political turncoat shall be: 
a) Deemed to have forfeited his office, if he is an elected official who changes 
political party affiliation during his term of office within the periods prohibited; 
b) Disqualified from running for any elective position in the next two succeeding 
elections immediately following the act of changing political party affiliation; 
c) Prohibited from being appointed or from holding any position in a public or 
government office, including Govemnient Owned and Controlled Corporations, for five 
years after the expiration of his current term; 
d) Prohibited from assuming any executive or administrative position in his new 
political party; 
e) Directed to refund any and all amounts he received from his political party plus 
a fifty percent (50%) surcharge thereon. 
SECTION 6. Petition to Declare a Political Turncoat. - Any citizen of voting 
age, or any candidate, political party, or coalition of political parties, may file with the 
Commission on Elections a petition to declare a political turncoat subject to the penalties 
under this Act. 
SECTION 7. lmplernenting Rules and Regulations. - The Commission on 
Elections shall promulgate the lmplementing Rules of this Act within sixty (60) days 
following its effectivity. 
SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to, 
or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended 
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accordingly. 


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SECTION 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid 
or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall 
' remain valid and subsisting. 
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SECTION 10. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
/Jps083008 
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