CEBU CITY – 1Tahanan Partylist Representative Cong. Nathan Oducado today led the first leg of a two-day consultation series in Cebu, bringing together election watchdogs, civil society leaders, youth advocates, and local stakeholders to discuss pushes to enact a law enabling the constitutional ban on political dynasties.
“We want our Bill to be grounded on the people’s lived experiences, and we want to listen closely to the concrete recommendations raised by our constituents so that we can translate these into a responsive Anti-Political Dynasty Law,” the congressman said.
Cong. Oducado had previously urged fellow lawmakers to pass a law prohibiting political dynasties to help restore trust in the government and its processes amid recent corruption scandals faced by the country.
“We need stronger safeguards and clearer penalties to protect the integrity of our elections,” Cong. Oducado emphasized. “Banning political dynasties may lead to some politicians losing power, but it’s a small price to pay for the trust we must once again earn.”
Oducado cited reports by civil rights organization Kontra Daya and government think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), showing the continued dominance of entrenched political families in many provinces.
“Reports show that dynastic representation in the House of Representatives has risen to 67 percent in 2025 from 48 percent in 2004; and mayoral posts held by dynasties increased to 53 percent from 40 percent. In the last elections alone, at least 78 out of the 156 party-list organizations certified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) belong to political families,” Oducado noted.
Oducado argued that the absence of an enabling anti-dynasty law has weakened meaningful political competition and marginalized grassroots representation.
“Ours is the only Constitution that explicitly bans the dominance of political clans in our government, yet the past 40 years have seen an even greater presence by political dynasties in all branches of government,” Oducado stressed.
Tomorrow, the consultation series will continue in Cagayan de Oro, where Oducado shall seek guidance and inputs from voters and civil society organizations in Northern Mindanao.
“These dialogues in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro are not mere listening tours but working sessions that will directly inform the filing of priority reform bills, because safeguarding the people’s vote is a responsibility that demands both vigilance and decisive legislative action,” the congressman concluded.
