Explanatory Note: Anti Political Dynasty Bill by Miriam Defensor

EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Constitution, Article 2, Section 26 provides: .
The State shall guarantee equal access to public service and prohibit
political dynasty as may be defined by law. To give force and effect to this provision, the playing field of the political arena should be leveled and opened to persons who are equally qualified to aspire on even terms with those from ruling politically dominant families.

Philippine society, many sociologists note, revolves around the system of extended families. However, this extended family system, an beneficial concept when applied to the social aspects of human behavior, finds its pernicious effects in the political arena where public office becomes the exclusive domain of influential families and clans that are well entrenched in Philippine politics. The monopoly of political power and public resources by such families affects the citizenry at the local and national levels. The socio-economic and political inequities prevalent in Philippine society limit public office to members of ruling families. In many instances, voters, for convenience and out of cultural mindset look up to these ruling families as dispensers of favors, and thus elect relatives of these politically dominant families.l