Despite belonging to a political dynasty, Speaker Bojie Dy and House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos are pushing for the urgent passage of a bill that would ban relatives of incumbents or candidates for a national position from simultaneously running or holding public office. 

The bill aims to put an end to the longstanding practice in government in which several members of a family hold the same position, as if it were a family business. 

The filing of House Bill 6771 on Wednesday followed President Marcos Jr.’s marching orders to Congress to prioritize the passage of bills aimed at dismantling dynasties amid a wave of corruption scandals plaguing his administration.

Under the bill, spouses, siblings, and relatives within the fourth civil degree of affinity or consanguinity of an incumbent official or candidate for a national post shall be disqualified from simultaneously holding an elective public position. 

Put simply, the relatives mentioned above cannot run for president, vice president, or senator if they have a relative who is currently holding or running for the same post.

This also applies to members of the House, gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial, mayoral and vice mayoral, as well as grassroots or barangay members.

If passed into law, this would be enforced in the 2028 national elections and subsequent polls thereafter.

Both Dy and Rep. Marcos are members of dynastic families. 

Dy succeeded his son, Inno, as a House member (Isabela 6th district representative) in the present 20th Congress. His nephews, Ian and Mike Dy, also hold congressional posts alongside him, representing Isabela's 3rd and 5th Districts.

Inno is the current mayor of Echague, Isabela, while their close relatives also hold public posts.

Rep. Marcos also belongs to a dynasty, being the eldest son of President Marcos and nephew of Senator Imee Marcos. 

His cousin, Matthew Manotoc—son of Senator Marcos—is the incumbent vice governor of Ilocos Norte, which he represents in Congress. 

House Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima said the bill lobbied for by the two House leaders doesn’t fully eradicate a political dynasty; rather, it only restricts it.

She argued that the bill still enables a political dynasty by allowing a single family to run for multiple public offices simultaneously.

“There are several versions of this bill filed in the House, and this will still undergo deliberations. We will push for a genuine anti-political dynasty measure that will truly democratize access to public office, which will also help put an end to systemic corruption, prevailing impunity, and the injustice that comes with the dominance of very few families in government,” she asserted. 

Advocates have long pushed to end the dynasty in the Philippines, contending that it weakens electoral competition and enables corruption to flourish. 

A political dynasty is the concentration of political power in a few families, with multiple members of the same family holding elected positions across generations or simultaneously in various government posts. In the Philippine politics, dynasties are deeply rooted. 

Watchdogs have observed that political dynasties weaken the checks and balances in government.

Congress itself, responsible for crafting and passing such a law, is dominated by dynastic families despite the Constitution mandating equal access to public service and prohibiting political dynasties.

Several bills had been filed in previous Congresses, but mostly languished at the committee level.