Hontiveros hopes senators from political clans support anti-dynasty bill

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Thursday said she is hoping that more of her colleagues, including those who belong to political families, would support the passage of the Senate version of the anti-political dynasty bill.

“I am hopeful because for the first time, one-third of the Senate filed anti-political dynasty bills,” she said in a forum in Manila.

She said that among those who filed anti-political dynasty measures are two senators whose families can be considered dynastic.

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“But during the committee hearing, Senators JV (Ejercito) and Erwin (Tulfo) both said ‘I am a member of a political family but I want the political system to be opened to all Filipinos,’” Hontiveros said, quoting the two senators.

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READ: ‘Bloody’ bicam seen over anti-dynasty bill

There are currently four pairs of siblings in the Senate — Sens. Ejercito and Jinggoy Estrada, Erwin and Raffy Tulfo, Mark and Camille Villar, and Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano.

Asked if the Villars also filed a similar bill, Hontiveros said they were not among the authors of such measure.

“But I’m hoping that towards the end of the period of interpellation, because there are still five (senators) listed among those who would interpellate, and of course during the period of amendments and voting, I’m hoping they would also participate in the passage of the law,” she added.

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How about the Cayetanos?

“They were among those who would interpellate, and I’m hoping, who knows, there are more from the Senate who would vote for the passage of the bill,” Hontiveros said.

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She added that she is looking forward to the bicameral conference committee meeting with their counterparts from the House of Representatives.

“I’m also hopeful because our counterpart in the House, I think they have filed 21 or 22 or two dozen bills, and for the first time, a Speaker and their Majority Floor Leader were among those who pushed for the measure,” Hontiveros said, referring to Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and the President’s son, House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos.

Dy and Marcos, both members of prominent political clans in northern Luzon, were the authors of House Bill 8389 or the Anti-Political Dynasty Bill, which the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading on June 3.

“For the first time also, the anti-political dynasty bill was among the priority legislative agenda of Ledac (Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council) chaired by our president,” added Hontiveros. /das

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