After attending the second public hearing of the Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation chaired by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel Jr. last May 22, 2014, the Movement Against Dynasties (MAD) is confident the 16th Congress will finally pass an Anti-Dynasty Law before the 2016 National Election.
Young volunteers from PPCRV and Fatima Parish in Camaman-an shout ISA LANG KADA ANGKAN the battle cry of the Movement Against Dynasties (MAD)
MAD, through its Chairman Quintin Paredes San Diego, submitted its final position paper to the Senate a day before the May 22 hearing.
GMA Testigo CDO interviews MAD Chair Quentin San Diego during the movement launch at Nazareno church
San Diego said in the paper that enough has been said and debated on regarding the “. . . missing and intentionally ignored” enabling law to complete the implementation of Section 26 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution that will “. . . put an end to the violation by the Congressmen and Senators of the Constitution that prohibits the establishment of political dynasties.”
San Diego said that discussions on the prohibition of political dynasties by the Constitution for the last 27 years is enough and the people are already sick and tired of the “zarsuela”, and it is now the Senators and Congressmen who are mandated by law to craft an enabling law as required by the constitution to finally passed the required legislation.
During the May 22nd hearing, Sen. Pimentel himself repeatedly referred to political dynasties as “evil”.
MAD co-chairman and spokesperson Danilo P. Olivares, who along with San Diego attended the May 22nd hearing, outlined MAD’s position on the definition of what should be banned as a political dynasty. Olivares said that there was no need for a discussion on the definition of what constitutes a political dynasty because the Senate should just refer to the Family Code.
MAD Co-Chair Danny P. Olivares being interviewed by local media during the MAD launch at Nazareno Church
Olivares specifically and categorically stated that MAD will agree to the banning of members of a family up to the second degree by consanguinity or affinity to run for public office. He further stated that there should not be a distinction between national and local elective positions, that the ban should cover positions from the president down to the kagawad in the barangay level. He stressed that the training ground for the younger members of a dynastic family ruled by a senator or congressman are the positions of Barangay Chairmen and kagawads and therefore these positions should be covered by the definition of a political dynasty.
Olivares also said that they are against immediate succession by members of a family not occupying an elective position simultaneously, such as a wife or son succeeding the husband/father as congressman, governor or mayor , as is the case in Makati. This “rigodon” is another way of perpetuating a political dynasty.
Olivares also said MAD another practice of families fielding members in different provinces or regions is also dynastic and should be banned. He gave as an example the Arroyo family where Gloria Arroyo was president and her two sons were congressmen in Pampanga and in the Bicol region.
MAD Leaders (L-R) Jun Almeda, Danny Olivares and Ting San Diego interviwed by local media at the Nazareno church
As an example of the flagrant violation by politicians of the Dynasty prohibition of the highest law of the land, the 1987 Constitution, Olivares said that even in the absence of a clear cut definition of what a political dynasty should be, how close could they be to be a family dynasty when a brother and a sister sit as senators and the brother’s wife is mayor, when the father is mayor and a son and his half brother sit as senators, when a father is vice-president, a daughter is senator, another daughter is congresswoman, and a son is mayor?
There is no respect for the Constitution, Olivares said.
Olivares challenged the 16th Congress to leave a legacy to their children and grandchildren and to the whole Filipino nation by no longer being a part of this EVIL “rigodon” and “zarsuela” by finally passing an enabling law after 27 long years that will prohibit the establishment of political dynasties all over the country- the source of corruption, massive cheating, violence, poverty, poor education, and strangle-hold control over business, the police and even the military where dynasties rule.