De Lima, LP solons push political party reform bill in House

House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal (LP) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, along with fellow Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP) lawmakers, has filed a measure seeking to strengthen and professionalize political parties to make them genuine instruments of national development and good governance.

De Lima filed House Bill No. 7914, or the “Political Party System Reform Act,” together with LP bloc members Reps. Adrian Michael Amatong (3rd District, Zamboanga del Norte), Arlene “Kaka” J. Bag-ao (Lone District, Dinagat Islands), Jaime Fresnedi (Lone District, Muntinlupa City), Cielo Krisel Lagman (1st District, Albay), and Alfonso V. Umali Jr. (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro).

The lawmakers said the measure aims to transform political parties into stable, programmatic and accountable institutions, rather than patronage-based and personality-oriented organizations used for political convenience.

“Political parties are the cornerstone of a functioning and robust democracy, yet in the Philippines, they have long remained among its weakest and least institutionalized actors,” the bill read.

It noted that despite numerous attempts throughout the country’s history to reform the orientation and behavior of political parties, such initiatives have failed to produce transformative and sustained changes.

“A principal reason for this failure is the absence of a comprehensive and institutionalized legal framework to govern, regulate and support the Philippine political party system. Without such framework, political parties remain structurally weak, excessively dependent on private financing, and vulnerable to undue influence and corruption,” it added.

HB 7914 seeks to address these systemic deficiencies by introducing comprehensive reforms to the political party system. The measure establishes clear standards for the registration and accreditation of national political parties, mandates internal democracy and ethical governance, encourages the establishment of political think tanks, and institutionalizes transparent and merit-based processes for the nomination and selection of candidates.

The bill also mandates the creation of a State Subsidy Fund to augment the operating budgets of qualified and accredited national political parties, subject to comprehensive reporting, auditing and performance monitoring to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

It further introduces firm measures to penalize acts of political turncoatism and address the prevalence of so-called “political butterflies” who switch party affiliations with little regard for ideology or party programs.

Under the proposed measure, political turncoatism refers to the change of political party affiliation by any candidate, whether elected or not, within one year prior to the next election and within one year after the immediately preceding election.

“Political opportunism and turncoatism should never be encouraged, much less tolerated, as they undermine the values of honor, integrity, and accountability essential to public service,” the LP solons said.

“By strengthening political parties as pillars of democracy, this measure advances constitutional principles of transparency, accountability and meaningful political participation, and reinforces public trust in the political and electoral process,” they added.

As a former senator, De Lima filed a similar measure to strengthen the political party system during the 18th Congress.