Sotto, Pangilinan, Hontiveros Push Major Party-List Reform: No More Political Dynasties Hiding Behind 'Marginalized' Labels

The Senate is going after one of Philippine politics' worst-kept secrets: political families using the party-list system as a backdoor into Congress. Senate President Tito Sotto, Senator Kiko Pangilinan, and Senator Risa Hontiveros are all pushing separate bills to reform the system and return it to its original purpose of representing marginalized sectors.

Pangilinan filed Senate Bill 1907, which would prohibit members of political dynasties from becoming or substituting as party-list representatives or nominees. Meanwhile, Sotto — who was instrumental in passing the original Party-List System Act (RA 7941) in 1995 — lamented that the system has been hijacked by regional parties and political clans who already have representation elsewhere.

'The political parties, are they also considered marginalized? They already have a lot of representation in the Senate, in the House, provincial boards, and city councils,' Sotto said during the Committee on Electoral Reforms hearing. 'We should really confine it back to the original law — you must belong to the marginalized party.'

Senator JV Ejercito didn't mince words either, claiming that over 50% of current party-list groups are actually fronts for contractors doing business with the government. 'This backdoor has already been exploited,' he said. Hontiveros, who chairs the panel, agreed it's time to revisit the mechanics of the entire system.

The push for reform comes as the 2028 elections approach, with scores of questionable party-list groups expected to flood the ballot once again. If these bills pass, it could be the most significant overhaul of the party-list system in three decades.

Source: Daily Tribune / Manila Times