Palace sees OK of anti-dynasty bill

Malacañang is optimistic over the chances of an anti-dynasty bill passing Congress after President Aquino included the measure among his priority bills before stepping down in 2016.

In his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, Aquino detracted from his previous stand on the issue, saying while it would not be fair to curtail the rights of people to run for elective office and serve, he also thought there was something wrong about allowing corrupt families or individuals to stay in office for life and abuse power.

The President said

it was time to pass the proposed anti-dynasty bill to stop those with ill motives and selfish interests from perpetuating themselves in power.

Just last year, Aquino said that while he was in favor of a law that will prevent certain political families from wielding too much power, he expressed concern that such an anti-dynasty law would deprive his fellow politicians of some rights.

While Aquino did not mention a specific political family in his speech, opposition leader Vice President Jejomar Binay and his children were among those who have expressed opposition to the anti-dynasty bill.

Binay has repeatedly indicated that he was against the constitutional provision against political dynasties and any proposed enabling law.

Aside from the Vice President, there are three other Binays now holding elective positions: his children Sen. Nancy, Makati City Mayor Junjun and Makati Rep. Abigail.

The Vice President’s wife, Elenita also ran for mayor of Makati City, which kept the Binays in power in the city since the 1980s.

In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Aquino changed his tune because the passage of laws must keep abreast with developments in the country.

Coloma also explained such principle was embedded in the Constitution and was just waiting for the enabling law to be passed.

In the past months, Coloma said there had been more concrete actions to push for the bill and as a President “who is always listening to his bosses, the people,” he heard that the appeals and desire to have an anti-dynasty bill passed were growing.

“So as President, that is one of the priority legislation that he is suggesting,” Coloma said.

Asked how confident the Palace was with regard to the passage of the bill, Coloma said there was reason to be optimistic because various measures that had been languishing in Congress for decades were passed during the time of Aquino.

Some of these are the Reproductive Health Law, the Sin Tax Reform Law, the Fair Competition Act and Liberalized Cabotage Law.

Coloma said these were concrete manifestations that could give the Palace more confidence and hope that the lawmakers would give the President’s priority measures ample attention.

The House of Representatives failed to pass the anti-political dynasty bill on second reading before adjourning session last June.

Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said the committee on suffrage and electoral reform would still have to iron out the differences between the bill’s authors, as many congressmen wanted proposed restriction on political dynasties relaxed.

Under the present version of the bill, only two members of a political family will be allowed to occupy elective office at the same time.

All other relatives will be banned from running in an election, whether national or local, as long as the two are in office.

However, congressmen who belong to political dynasties want the proposed restriction eased to allow more family members to seek office in other districts, provinces, cities or towns that are far from the incumbents’ influence.

Sen. Nancy Binay said that the anti – political dynasty rules should apply not only to elective positions but also to appointive positions, particularly those in the executive branch.

Binay has taken a similar stand as her father Vice President Binay, against the enactment of an anti-dynasty law.

“I have this position that for as long as it’s a clean and honest election, why prevent people from running?” Binay said.

Binay said that what the people should be more concerned about is the presence of various members of a single family in different appointive positions in government.

“There are sensitive positions that are occupied by a single family. So for me, it is more urgent to address these types of appointments. These do not reflect the will of the people,” she said.

Binay declined to identify the person she was referring to but said that the name was repeatedly mentioned by the President in his SONA last Monday.

She said that a simple research would show that the members of this one particular family hold several important positions in government.

Senate President Franklin Drilon said that he supports the anti-dynasty bill a hundred percent but admitted that this is something not easy to pass.

He said that the chances of the bill being approved in Congress would depend a great deal on what provisions are contained in the proposed law.

Sen. Cynthia Villar said that she believes the House of Representatives would have a more difficult time than the Senate in passing the measure.

“The House of Representatives should pass their version. I believe that is where we will have difficulty because many of them would have a problem with this. I think it will be determined by the House of Representatives, not us,” Villar said. –