SENATOR Risa Hontiveros and the Akbayan Party have filed a bill seeking sweeping amendments to the Party-List System Act to prevent abuses by political dynasties and government contractors.
Hontiveros’ Senate Bill No. 1656 seeks to bar political dynasties from participating in the party-list system and to prohibit party-list nominees and representatives who have interests in government contracts.
A counterpart bill (House Bill No. 7074) was also filed by Akbayan Party-list Reps. Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña and Dadah Ismula, together with Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao.
“Kung gusto nilang rumaket, huwag nilang gamitin ang partylist system. This bill aims to reclaim the voice of ordinary Filipinos who’ve been shut out of power because of abusive personalities who are using the partylist system as a backdoor to power. Tama na ang pangha-hijack nila. If they’re not genuinely fighting for the Filipino people, they don’t belong in this system,” Hontiveros said.
“Our bill seeks to restore the true intent of the law and keep the party-list system out of the hands of those who seek to exploit it. It also guarantees that marginalized sectors have a real voice in Congress, enabling them to fight for their rights and welfare,” Diokno said.
The bills don’t stop at banning dynasties and contractors.
The bill also prohibits the registration of party-list organizations that are patterned after television or radio programs, government assistance programs, or the names of public officials, celebrities, and other public figures, ensuring that the system remains focused on genuine sectoral representation.
Both proposed measures also push for the removal of the three-seat limit to enable full, democratic, and proportional representation.
Diokno stressed that the imposition of a three-seat cap undermines proportional representation, distorts outcomes, and prevents parties from scaling their representation according to public support.
“The limit contradicts the Constitution’s intent to achieve proportionality,” he said.
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism recently reported that 66 percent of party-lists in the 19th Congress had at least one nominee from an established political dynasty.
Recent congressional inquiries into anomalies in flood control projects have also revealed that a substantial number of party-list representatives benefit directly from government projects by acting as contractors.
“Someone who votes on infrastructure budgets while their company bids on those same projects is a scammer. This blatant conflict of interest has no place in a democracy. After decades of abuse and loopholes, the sweeping reforms proposed in these bills hope to hand the reins back to everyday Filipinos,” Sen. Hontiveros added.
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