LP solons seek political party reforms

House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, together with fellow Liberal Party lawmakers, filed a measure seeking to strengthen and professionalize political parties to make them effective instruments of national development and governance.

De Lima and Liberal Party lawmakers Reps. Adrian Michael Amatong of Zamboanga del Norte, Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao of Dinagat Islands, Jaime Fresnedi of Muntinlupa City, Cielo Krisel Lagman of Albay, and Alfonso Umali Jr. of Oriental Mindoro filed House Bill 7914, or the Political Party System Reform Act.

The bill seeks to transform political parties into stable, program-based, and accountable institutions rather than organizations driven by patronage and personality politics.

The authors said political parties are central to a functioning democracy but remain among the weakest and least institutionalized actors in the Philippines.

The bill states that despite repeated reform efforts, initiatives have failed to produce sustained changes in party behavior and orientation.

It cites the absence of a comprehensive legal framework governing political parties as a key reason, leaving them structurally weak, heavily reliant on private financing, and vulnerable to undue influence and corruption.

House Bill No. 7914 proposes reforms that include clear standards for the registration and accreditation of national political parties, requirements for internal democracy and ethical governance, encouragement of party-based think tanks, and transparent, merit-based processes for candidate nomination and selection.

Alvin Murcia

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

It introduces penalties for political turncoatism, defined as changing party affiliation within one year before or after an election.

The authors said political opportunism undermines integrity and accountability in public service.

De Lima previously filed a similar measure during the 18th Congress while serving as senator.