Yes, “as may be defined by law (passed by the Philippine Congress and signed into law by the President).” Nobody did, though some legislators, past and present, have filed the anti-political dynasty bill.
Filipinos therefore need the help of the Supreme Court (SC). Badly.
Is it sound for the legislators to be told by the magistrates, “Follow the Constitution’s order for you to enact an anti-political dynasty law,” or is it bad for the legislators to answer back, “Don’t tell us to pass a law for you need to observe the principle of separation of powers,” or any other suggestions? But as I opined in this space last year, “When Article II, Section 26 says that ‘the State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law,’ the Constitution must be upheld and defended.” (https://tutubi.ph/best-read-ridding-of-political-dynasties/)
A lawyers’ group filed a petition for mandamus before the SC to compel members of the Senate and House of Representatives to enact a law prohibiting political dynasties among elective officials. Two months thereafter, the group got help from the University of the Philippines (UP), whose College of Law hosted a 3-½ hour reiteration of the group’s petition and related academic discussion, including insights from non-lawyer academicians and wonderful data sets from Dr. Ronald U. Mendoza of the Ateneo School of Government.
Obese na obese na—pagkataba-taba na—ng political dynasties!
Apathy? There was a part in the academic symposium when one of the petitioners, Atty. Rico V. Domingo, added his insights in the Q&A that their petition as well as the supplemental petition already touched that wrong culture (for humanities and social sciences, though, culture is considered diverse, complex, learned, and, therefore, cannot be labeled wrong entirely).
The moderator and UP Law, as a whole, did a great job in allotting and allowing overtime for legal luminaries-discussants to deliver their expert pieces, a highlight of which was “Kung sino pa yung bulag, siya pa yung nakakita,” the moderating Atty. Moises S. Tolentino. Jr., of UP Law Class of 1976 said, referring to Atty. Wilfredo Trinidad, who is Domingo’s fellow petitioner (other co-petitioners are lawyers Wilfredo Trinidad, Jorge Cabildo, and Ceasar Oracion).
The audience appreciated what their eyes saw insofar as the prayed remedy which is mandamus is concerned. We should all listen to the petition as well as other endeavors to help make the anti-dynasty provision of the 1987 charter possible. Hats off also to courageous journalists Jarius Bondoc and Philip Lustre Jr. for having no words left unspoken in the critical issue affecting so much of our economics and politics.
Let us second it: We feel nauseous in political dynasties’ existence and persistence. How ludicrous!
DC Alviar
Professor DC Alviar serves as a member of the steering committee of the Philippine International Studies Organization (PHISO). He was part of National University’s community extension project that imparted the five disciplines of a learning organization (Senge, 1990) to communities in a local government unit. He writes and edits local reports for Mega Scene. He graduated with a master’s degree in development communication from the University of the Philippines Open University in Los Baños. He recently defended a dissertation proposal for his doctorate degree in communication at the same graduate school under a Philippine government scholarship grant. He was editor-in-chief of his high school paper Ang Ugat and the Adamson News.
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- DC Alviar#molongui-disabled-link
- DC Alviar#molongui-disabled-link
- DC Alviar#molongui-disabled-link
