A CONSULTATIVE committee member said the President would try to convince Congress to accept the anti-political dynasty provision created by the Con-com in its proposed draft Constitution.
Lawyer Reuben R. Canoy, founder of Radio Mindanao Network, said he believed the draft Constitution would be the centerpiece of the President’s State of the Nation Address on July 23.
“I have a very strong suspicion, a very strong feeling that this would be the centerpiece of his address. Because it’s the biggest change he is going to take, changing the system,” Canoy told the BusinessMirror. “When he does this, the entire nation will be listening.”
Canoy added that with this, a lot of people will be convinced to support the Constitution. Congress and the Senate will be “pressured by public opinion to at least affirm what the Constitution is all about.”
He also “has great hopes” the anti-political dynasty provision they adopted would the Congress.
“I think, in the end, the congressmen and the senators would understand it because public opinion is too strong to reverse,” he said.
Last week the President said in his speech he is in favor of the proposal of “principled men” to prohibit political dynasties, but he doubted if this would pass.
“A few of the principled men, I would say, want this kind of thing about dynasty abolished. I am for it. The problem is, would that pass?” Duterte said before a mayors’ meeting last week.
The Con-com tasked to review the 1987 Constitution provisions adopted the anti-political dynasty provision recently in their proposed Constitution under a federal-presidential form of government, prohibiting relatives of an incumbent official of up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity to simultaneously run, hold an elective position or succeed the official.
Under the prohibition on multiple positions, no two members of any dynasty as defined under the provisions may hold any two regional or local positions at the same time.
The ban on succession means an incumbent official’s spouse, children and children-in-law, brother and sisters and brothers- and sisters-in-law, parents and parents-in-law, and grandparents-in-law may no longer run to fill the post to be vacated by their relatives.
In his speech to explain his vote during the en banc session, Canoy said it is “ironic” the man who created the committee would be the first victim of the provision.
Sara Duterte is currently the Davao City mayor, which is the hometown of Duterte.
Canoy also said back then he had doubts this would be approved by Congress because some of them are members of political dynasties themselves.
A study by University of the Philippines Prof. Rolando G. Simbulan showed there are dynasties in 73 out of 81 provinces.
Another study submitted to the committee revealed there are at least 295 political families who control power in various regions. Metro Manila had the most number at 31, while regions with the most number of dynasties apart from the National Capital Region are Central Luzon with 21, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) with 20, Bicol region with 15, Western Visayas with 12, Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) with 11 and Central Visayas with 10.