Marcos pushes Congress to fast-track anti-dynasty and transparency reforms

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday urged Congress to prioritize four major political reform measures, signaling a renewed push to curb entrenched practices in campaign finance, party representation and political dynasties.

During a meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), Mr. Marcos called for swift action on the proposed Anti-Dynasty Law, Independent People’s Commission Act, Party-list System Reform Act and Citizens Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act.

“In a LEDAC meeting this morning, the President instructed both houses to take a closer look at the four bills and prioritize their passage as soon as possible,” Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro told reporters.

She clarified that Mr. Marcos did not certify the bills as urgent, meaning they must still follow the standard three-day interval between congressional readings.

The council also discussed the timeline for the 2026 national budget. Mr. Marcos aims to sign the General Appropriations Act by Dec. 29, with the bicameral conference committee set to meet Dec. 11-13 and lawmakers targeting approval of the final report by Dec. 16.

The LEDAC meeting was attended by Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, Speaker Faustino G. Dy III, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri and House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander A. Marcos III, among others — many of whom are members of longstanding political families.

The Anti-Dynasty bills in both chambers seek to bar spouses and relatives within the fourth degree of national or local officials from running in the same legislative district, province or city.

Separately, Mr. Sotto filed the Independent People’s Commission Act in response to the multibillion-peso flood control scandal. Senate Bill No. 1512 proposes an autonomous investigative body with broad powers to address systematic corruption in public works projects, recover stolen funds, and prevent abuses that worsen disaster impacts.

The Party-list System Reform Act aims to stop political dynasties and business interests from monopolizing seats intended for marginalized sectors.

The bill requires the Commission on Elections to hold public hearings to verify that party-list nominees genuinely represent their claimed constituencies. It also bars nominees related to incumbents up to the third degree and those with links to government contractors or firms handling state-funded projects.

The CADENA Act, or Blockchain the Budget Act, requires agencies to upload and maintain budget-related records — including contracts, project costs, bills of materials and procurement documents — on a digital platform accessible to the public. The measure aims to enhance transparency and strengthen accountability in government spending.

Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” A. Aquino IV, principal author of the CADENA Act, welcomed Mr. Marcos’ push to prioritize the bill.

“It is particularly fitting that Malacañang announced the decision on Anti-Corruption Day, as the CADENA Act seeks to eradicate corruption, promote transparency and strengthen accountability in the use of public funds,” he said in a statement.

Mr. Marcos’ appeal reflects his broader effort to reform the political system, tighten oversight of public spending and prevent the capture of state resources by entrenched families and private interests, particularly in the wake of high-profile infrastructure and flood control scandals that have drawn widespread public scrutiny. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana