A visual guide to anti-political dynasty bills

As of Dec. 10, 12 bills prohibiting political dynasties are pending at the House of Representatives. At a glance each bill appears to have the same intent, which is to prohibit family members from holding public office. They do, but the manner and scope by which they do it starkly differ.

Let's start with the basics: according to a study by the Ateneo School of Government, a political dynasty can either be "thin", "fat", or "obese". These terms demonstrate the extent by which a political clan holds power over the public office. A thin dynasty happens when a relative succeeds another in the same position. Fat dynasties, meanwhile, happen when two or more family members hold different positions at the same time.

Finally, obese dynasties happen when a clan becomes deeply embedded in several positions across national and local positions. Think of it as having many family members holding positions while also succeeding one another in various posts.

'Fat' dynasties increased local positions in 2019

Share of positions occupied by 'fat' dynasties in 2004 and 2019

25% of positions

50%

75%

Governor

Vice governor

District representative

Mayor

Provincial board member

Vice mayor

Councilor

25% of positions

50%

75%

Governor

Vice governor

District

representative

Mayor

Provincial

board member

Vice mayor

Councilor

When the study was conducted in 2019, it found that an average of 29% of local positions, from councilor to district representatives, were held by members of fat political dynasties. The numbers were higher, going up beyond 75%, when broken down by positions.

Anti-political dynasty bills, therefore, should aim to prevent these types of dynasties from proliferating as they tend to "trap many of our provinces in poverty and underdevelopment," the study found.

An ideal anti-political dynasty bill aims to ban relatives from:

RUNNING AT THE SAME TIME

SUCCEEDING EACH OTHER

RUNNING IN

NATIONAL, LOCAL POSTS

...like when the Tulfo brothers ran for Senate

...like when Nancy Binay succeeded her sister, Abigail as Makati mayor

...like the Dutertes

and the Marcoses

An ideal anti-political dynasty bill aims to ban relatives from:

RUNNING AT THE SAME TIME...

...like when the Tulfo brothers ran for Senate

SUCCEEDING EACH OTHER...

...like when Nancy Binay succeeded her sister, Abigail in Makati

RUNNING IN LOCAL AND NATIONAL...

...like the Dutertes and the Marcoses

Of the 12 pending bills at the House, none of them exceeded 10 pages. The main provision of most of these bills is also similarly concise: eight bills specifically bar political dynasties within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, while four want a stricter prohibition that bars dynasties up to the fourth degree.

That can sound simple enough: for example, a second degree relationship exists between siblings, which at a glance would indicate that at least one of them is barred from running. The devil, however as they say, is in the details.

A Data Dictionary review of the pending bills showed that of the 12 bills, only five explicitly banned relatives from either succeeding each other in a position, running at the same time across various positions and most importantly, holding multiple positions anywhere in the government at the same time. These bills, three of which were filed by the Makabayan bloc and Akbayan representatives, would enforce these restrictions to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity. That would mean, for instance, that no two Marcoses, Dutertes, Arroyos or Aquinos could run for or hold public office at the same time anywhere in the government.

Who can't run for office under the anti-dynasty proposals?

Relationship by

CONSANGUINITY

Great- great grandparent

First cousin

Grand

nephew

Grand

niece

Great uncle

/ aunt

Great grandchild

Nephew/

Niece

Great grandparent

Uncle/Aunt

4th

Grandparent

Grandchild

Sibling

3rd

Parent

Child

2nd

Under most proposed anti-dynasty laws, relatives up to second level of consanguinity and affinity are barred from running for or holding public office at the same time or immediately succeeding one another.

1st

level

Makabayan bloc’s anti-dynasty law proposals block dynasties from public office up to fourth degree of consanguinity and affinity.

Candidate or elected official

1st

level

2nd

Spouse

Son-

/Daughter

-in-law

AFFINITY

3rd

Parent-in-law

Brother-

/Sister-in-law

Grandchild

-in-law

Grandparent

-in-law

4th

Nephew

/niece

-in-law

Great grandparent

-in-law

Uncle/Aunt

-in-law

First cousin

-in-law

Relationship by

CONSANGUINITY

Great-great grandparent

Great uncle

/aunt

First cousin

Grand

nephew

/niece

4th

Great grandparent

Great grandchild

Uncle

/Aunt

Nephew

/Niece

Grand

parent

Grandchild

Sibling

3rd

Parent

Child

2nd

1st

level

Candidate

or elected official

Barred from running at same time or succeeding a relative.

1st

level

2nd

Spouse

Son-/

Daughter

-in-law

Parent

-in-law

3rd

Grandparent

-in

-law

Brother-

/Sister

-in-law

Grandchild

-in-law

4th

Nephew

/niece

-in-law

Great grandparent

-in-law

Uncle/Aunt

-in-law

First cousin

-in-law

AFFINITY

This is an important distinction from other pending measures, which limit the ban to relatives in the same province, city, municipality or even to a highly-specific legislative district. Under these other bills, relatives may still be able to run or hold positions in other jurisdictions while their kin are still in office elsewhere. Think of how Raymond Mendoza of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) currently sits as partylist representative at the House of Representatives, while his wife, Emmylou Mendoza, serves as North Cotabato governor.

Speaking of partylists, of the 12 anti-political dynasty bills at the House, only half specifically included partylists in their coverage. The other half did not mention partylists, potentially creating a loophole for political families who would want to have multiple members at the House at same time. Former House Speaker, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, is serving at the House together with his son Andrew and wife Yedda, who are Tingog partylist representatives.

What the pending anti-dynasty bills at the House do?

The anti-dynasty bill bans relatives from:

RUNNING IN LOCAL AND NATIONAL

Covered

relationship

RUNNING AT THE SAME TIME

SUCCEEDING EACH OTHER

Bill no.

Authors

Antonio Tinio,

Fourth

YES

HB00209

Renee Co

degree

HB04784

Sarah Elago

Fourth

Chel Diokno,

Kaka Bag-ao,

If incumbent is national official, bars a relative to run for a local post in the province where they are a registered voter.

HB05905

Perci Cendana,

Fourth

Dadah Kiram

Ismulah

HB02131

Leila de Lima

Second

HB00381

Jonathan Keith

Flores

Second

HB05871

Second

Roman Romulo

HB00874

Rachel Del Mar

Second

Mark Anthony

HB01297

Second

Santos

Ramon Rodrigo

HB05334

Second

Gutierrez

HB02037

Edgar Erice

Second

Mauricio

HB06064

Second

Domogan

Faustino Dy,

HB06771

Fourth

Sandro Marcos

The anti-dynasty bill bans relatives from:

Bill no.

Authors

Antonio Tinio,

YES

HB00209

Renee Co

HB04784

Sarah Elago

If incumbent is national official, bars a relative to run for a local post in the province where they are a registered voter.

Chel Diokno,

Kaka Bag-ao,

HB05905

Perci Cendana,

Dadah Kiram

Ismulah

HB02131

Leila de Lima

HB00381

Jonathan Flores

Roman Romulo

HB05871

HB00874

Rachel Del Mar

Mark Anthony

HB01297

Santos

Ramon Rodrigo

HB05334

Gutierrez

HB02037

Edgar Erice

Mauricio

HB06064

Domogan

Faustino Dy,

HB06771

Sandro Marcos

Note: Covered relationship covers degree of consanguinity and affinity. Data as of Dec. 10.

There are also some bills where the ban is limited to timing. Caloocan representative Edgar Erice's House Bill No. 02037 uses the word "simultaneously" to bar relatives from holding positions at the same time. Yet the measure does not explicitly bar succession, meaning by the end of an elected official's term, their parent or children can succeed them in office, similar to what happened when Nancy Binay succeeded her sister, Abigail, as Makati mayor in 2025.

Other bills like that from representatives Rachel Del Mar of the first district of Cebu, meanwhile, does prohibit succeeding a relative in the same position. It also prohibits relatives from holding a local and national posts at the same time, but the ban only applies within the province where one is a registered voter.

Based on Data Dictionary's assessment using the three metrics, one of the worst versions of an anti-political dynasty measure will be House Bill No. 06771 filed by House Speaker Faustino Dy and Deputy Speaker Sandro Marcos, Marcos Jr.'s son. The bill neither prohibits succession from the same bloodline nor bars relatives from holding positions outside the same jurisdiction. House minority lawmakers have criticized the bill as being inadequate in addressing the issue of political dynasties.

The revival of discourse on political dynasties, and potential legislative moves of a fix, came as a reaction to the corruption scandal that has plagued the government's multibillion-peso flood control projects and allegedly benefitted lawmakers, their families and allies in public office.

While an anti-dynasty law is mandated by the Constitution, no legislation has ever gone close to getting passed. According to House records, the farthest an anti-political dynasty bill has gone through the House was securing an approval from the House committee on suffrage. That happened twice in recent years, in 2006 and 2013, when the committee approved substitute bills to various measures after making some tweaks on them. The bills, however, died in the rules committee, which was required to sign off on the measures before reaching the plenary.

Anti-dynasty bills filed at the House of Representatives, by administration

Substitute bills approved at suffrage committee, but also needed approval by rules committee to advance.

Gloria Arroyo

8 anti-dynasty bills filed

(2004-2010)

Benigno Aquino III

(2010-2016)

Rodrigo Duterte

(2016-2022)

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

(2022-2028)

12 bills filed at present Congress

Gloria Arroyo

(2004-2010)

8 anti-dynasty

bills filed

Benigno Aquino III

(2010-2016)

Substitute bills

Rodrigo Duterte

(2016-2022)

12 bills at present Congress

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

(2022-2028)

Note: Data as of Dec. 10.

Currently, the only elective public post where the Constitution's anti-dynasty provision is being enforced is at the local Sangguniang Kabataan level, where relatives of within the second degree of consanguinity and affinity, are banned from running for an SK position or succeeding incumbents. This was laid out under Republic Act No. 10742 or the SK Reform Act of 2015.

The prevalence of political families in the Philippines has been constantly cited as a hindrance to enacting an anti-political dynasty law. A report from the Philippine Center of Investigative Journalism last May showed dynasties have likely became entrenched after the 2025 midterm elections. Prinz Magtulis

Sources

House of Representatives, Ateneo School of Government, Data Dictionary research

This story has been updated overall from its original version published on Dec. 3.