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Helen Flores - The Philippine Star
December 10, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — As part of efforts to promote transparency and accountability, President Marcos and congressional leaders yesterday agreed to prioritize the passage of four measures, including bills prohibiting dynasties and creating the Independent People’s Commission (IPC).
“In a LEDAC (Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council) meeting this morning, the President also instructed both Houses to take a closer look at the four bills and prioritize the passage as soon as possible,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed following the meeting at Malacañang.
Marcos also pushed for the immediate passage of the proposed Party-list System Reform Act and the Citizens Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability or CADENA Act.
Present at the LEDAC meeting were Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Speaker Faustino Dy III, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos and other congressional leaders.
House Bills 209 and 4784, filed by the Makabayan bloc, seek to finally implement the 1987 constitutional mandate prohibiting political dynasties.
Senate Bill 1548, filed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, seeks to ban from elective positions members of political dynasties, which she blamed for corruption and systemic poverty in the country.
Hontiveros defined political dynasties as those related to each other within the fourth degree of consanguinity and who run simultaneously for national or local elective positions, including party-list seats.
Sotto, for his part, said work is underway to clarify what constitutes a political dynasty, a move that could fast-track the long-stalled proposed legislation.
The Senate President also stressed that Marcos need not certify the bills as urgent as its only purpose is to remove the three-day waiting period before a third reading.
Meanwhile, CADENA seeks to institutionalize transparency and accountability on public finance.
Senate Bill 1512, on the other hand, seeks to create the IPC to strengthen measures against anomalies in government infrastructure.
Under the bill, the IPC will have the power of contempt, the power to cancel professional licenses of the Professional Regulatory Commission, the power to grant witness immunity and protection, the power to issue look out orders and recommend hold departure orders to proper authorities, the power to suspend and blacklist contractors and remove them from PhilGeps, the power to recommend policy measures to the President, the power to temporarily issue closure orders, the power to temporarily sequester assets and the power to deputize law enforcement agencies in the conduct of its investigation.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan, a co-author of the IPC bill, said the measure aims to expand the powers of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), the body formed by Marcos to probe substandard and ghost flood control projects.
In a statement yesterday, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the presidential request for congressional action on the four bills goes beyond their immediate passage but for wide consultation with all sectors so the best ideas can be incorporated in these reform legislation.
“Given the importance and urgency of these bills, the invitation to participate in their crafting should be extended to groups of all political persuasions,” Recto said.
Sincerity doubted
Despite Marcos’ directive, opposition lawmakers doubt whether the President is sincere in seeing the proposed bills become actual laws.
“While we welcome the pronouncement from President Marcos Jr. about certain measures that he thinks Congress should prioritize, we remain disappointed that the proposed IPC/ICAIC Bill and Anti-Political Dynasty Bill were NOT certified as urgent,” House deputy minority leader and ML party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said.
For his part, Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña described Marcos as a desperate politician clinging on reform.
“The Palace’s support for these reforms seem more like they’re only trying to save face,” Cendaña said.
House assistant minority leader and Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co questioned why Marcos has to wait for a big exposè and scandal to make the anti-dynasty bill a priority.
“The Makabayan bloc has repeatedly filed these reforms in Congress and now that Malacañang is pinned, they suddenly made promises like this one. The question is: will these promises just be stuck?” Co said. — Jose Rodel Clapano, Neil Jayson Servallos
