A church-backed campaign against political dynasties warned that proposals limiting restrictions to relatives within the second degree could leave broader family networks untouched as Congress moves to comply with a Supreme Court order to enact an anti-dynasty law.
Dapat Isa Lang welcomed the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling directing Congress to fulfill its constitutional duty to prohibit political dynasties but said the measures now before lawmakers do not go far enough to address the concentration of political power among families.
The Supreme Court declared that Congress has a mandatory constitutional duty under Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution to enact an anti-political dynasty law. It said Congress’ failure to do so for 39 years constituted grave abuse of discretion. The Court left lawmakers to define political dynasties and determine the scope of the prohibition.
Former Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio, a convenor of Dapat Isa Lang, called the ruling “a huge endorsement from a unanimous Supreme Court” and said it was unprecedented because the Court said it could compel Congress to pass the law “but not dictate what the law should contain.”
“Nevertheless, the Court did not hesitate to provide guidelines to Congress on what an Anti-Political Dynasty Law should contain,” said Carpio.
The House of Representatives has passed its version on third reading, while the Senate measure has been under consideration on second reading. The Senate bill seeks to prohibit political dynasty relationships within the second degree of consanguinity and affinity.
Dapat Isa Lang described the House and Senate proposals as “token prohibitions” because they limit restrictions to relatives within the second degree, covering relationships such as parents, children, and siblings while leaving broader family networks outside the proposed prohibition.
“For 39 years, Congress ignored the mandate to enact an Anti-Political Dynasty Law and determine the scope of its prohibition. We thank the Supreme Court for making it clear that Congress has sat on this obligation since 1987, and that its continued failure to act constitutes a grave abuse of discretion,” said lawyer Carlo Africa, spokesperson for Dapat Isa Lang.
The movement cited the concurrence of Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, who said a meaningful anti-dynasty law should address “simultaneous family occupation of public office, immediate familial succession, and broader configurations of political dynasties.”
Africa said the ruling made clear that Congress “can no longer leave the constitutional mandate against political dynasties unfulfilled,” while leaving lawmakers to determine “the scope and substance of the law.”
“This means compliance cannot be measured simply by the enactment of a law bearing the title ‘Anti-Political Dynasty Act.’ The question, therefore, is not simply whether Congress will enact a law, but whether the law it enacts will effectively prohibit the political dynasties that the framers of the Constitution intended to prohibit,” said Africa.
Dapat Isa Lang launched a People’s Initiative in May proposing a broader prohibition covering political dynasties at the national and local levels.
Its proposal would extend the prohibition to relatives within the fourth degree, including first cousins and their spouses, and prohibit succession of terms within the prohibited degree.
The group said it would continue gathering signatures and plans to launch an online signature platform at the end of September.
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, president of Caritas Philippines and co-convenor of Dapat Isa Lang, said responsibility for ending dynastic politics “does not rest with Congress alone.”
“It also rests with us, the Filipino people, who possess both the right and the responsibility to demand a political system in which public office is a public trust—not a family inheritance passed from one generation to the next,” said Bishop Alminaza.
“We therefore call on all Filipinos to stand together and support the People’s Initiative for a genuine and effective Anti-Political Dynasty Law. Let us reclaim our democracy and help ensure that public service remains open to all—not reserved for a privileged few,” Bishop Alminaza urged.
