A bill seeking to stop political dynasties and contractors from exploiting the party-list system is being pushed in the House of Representatives.
House Bill 7074, authored by Akbayan Representatives Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, Dada Ismula, and Dinagat Islands Representative Kaka Bag-ao, proposes amendments to the Party-List System Act to restore its original intent of representing marginalized and underrepresented sectors in Congress.
Diokno said the measure aims to ensure that the party-list system truly gives voice to sectors that need representation, while Cendaña stressed that those seeking power or profit should not use party-list groups as political vehicles.
Under the proposed measure, party-list organizations that copy names from television or radio programs, government assistance initiatives, public officials, celebrities, or other public figures would be barred from registration.
The bill also seeks to remove the three-seat cap to allow full, democratic, and proportional representation.
The move comes amid findings by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism showing that 66 percent of party-list groups in the 19th Congress have nominees linked to political dynasties.
Recent congressional hearings on alleged flood control anomalies also revealed that several party-list lawmakers directly benefited from government projects as contractors.
