MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed Congress to prioritize a slate of anti-corruption measures — including a controversial bill that would ban political dynasties — even as he himself hails from one of the Philippines’ most powerful political families.

Palace spokeswoman Claire Castro said Marcos discussed the measures during a Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting, which advises on which bills Congress should fast-track.

“[The President] also instructed both Houses to take a closer look at the four bills, and prioritize the passage as soon as possible,” Castro said.

The bills under focus include:

• Anti-Dynasty Bill
• Independent People’s Commission Act
• Party-list System Reform Act
• Citizens Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act

“The LEDAC also agreed on the timelines for the passage of the General Appropriations Bill and the submission of the enrolled bill for the President’s signature,” Castro added.

Also present during the LEDAC meeting were Senate President Vicente Sotto III, House Speaker Faustino Dy III, Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, and other congressional leaders.

The 1987 Philippine Constitution bans political dynasties, but an enabling law is required to enforce it — something Congress has repeatedly failed to pass. A 2024 report from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism found that eight out of ten district representatives in the House are from political dynasties. The Senate is similarly dynastic, with four sets of siblings serving: Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano; Raffy and Erwin Tulfo; Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito; and Mark and Camille Villar. Marcos’ sister, Imee, is also a senator.

The Independent People’s Commission Act would establish a stronger body than the current Independent Commission for Infrastructure, tasked with investigating anomalies in government infrastructure projects.

Meanwhile, the Party-list System Reform Act seeks to reduce corruption in the party-list system, and the CADENA Act aims to institutionalize transparency in public finance by using blockchain technology to track government expenditures.

Lawmakers Welcome Proposed Bills, Call for Urgency

Sen. Bam Aquino, author of the CADENA Act, welcomed Marcos’ move.

“Magtatrabaho tayo upang maisabatas ang CADENA Act para matuldukan ang katiwalian sa pamahalaan at matiyak na nagagamit sa tama ang buwis ng taumbayan,” Aquino said.

But not all lawmakers are convinced. Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima questioned why the bills weren’t certified as urgent — a move that would allow Congress to pass them immediately rather than over several readings.

“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,” De Lima added. “Para bang ang order ng taumbayan ay i-certify ang mga ito as urgent, pero ang inihain sa atin ay PR na priority bills naman daw ang mga ito.”

De Lima also urged her colleagues to pass the measures quickly, as a demonstration that these laws are being treated as serious and urgent priorities.

Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc also voiced concern, saying it “has taken a severe political crisis hitting the highest levels of the administration before Marcos gave his ‘prioritization’ for these measures.” They warned that failure to pass the bills promptly could give the perception that the President is a “lame duck.”

📷 Presidential Communications Office