House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima, along with fellow Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP) lawmakers, on Tuesday urged for the passage of a measure seeking to strengthen and professionalize political parties to serve as genuine instruments of national development and good governance.
In filing House Bill No. 7914 or the Political Party System Reform Act, the LP bloc at the House of Representatives aims to transform political parties into stable, programmatic, and accountable institutions, rather than patronage-based and personality-oriented organizations used for political convenience.
“Political parties are the cornerstone of a functioning and robust democracy, yet in the Philippines, they have long remained among its weakest and least institutionalized actors. Despite numerous attempts throughout the country’s history to reform the orientation and behavior of political parties, these initiatives have failed to produce transformative and sustained changes,” the bill’s explanatory note read.
“A principal reason for this failure is the absence of a comprehensive and institutionalized legal framework to govern, regulate, and support the Philippine political party system. Without such a framework, political parties remain structurally weak, excessively dependent on private financing, and vulnerable to undue influence and corruption,” it added.
HB 7914 seeks to address these systemic deficiencies by introducing comprehensive reforms to the political party system; establishing clear standards for the registration and accreditation of national political parties; mandating internal democracy and ethical governance; encouraging the establishment of political think-tanks; and institutionalizing transparent and merit-based processes for the nomination and selection of candidates.
The proposed measure also mandates the creation of a State Subsidy Fund to augment the operating budgets of qualified and accredited national political parties, wherein comprehensive reporting, auditing, and performance monitoring will be required to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.
It likewise introduces firm measures to penalize acts of political turncoatism and address the prevalence of so-called “political butterflies” who switch party affiliations with little to no regard for ideology or party programs.
Under this measure, political turncoatism refers to the change of political party affiliation by any candidate, whether or not elected, within one year prior to the next election and within one year after the immediately preceding election.
“Political opportunism and turncoatism should never be encouraged, much less tolerated, as they undermine the values of honor, integrity, and accountability essential to public service,” the LP solons said.
“By strengthening political parties as pillars of democracy, this measure advances constitutional principles of transparency, accountability, and meaningful political participation, and reinforces public trust in the political and electoral process,” they added.
The other LP lawmakers who co-authored the bill were Reps. Adrian Michael Amatong (3rd District, Zamboanga del Norte), Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao (Lone District, Dinagat Islands), Jaime Fresnedi (Lone District, Muntinlupa City), Cielo Krisel Lagman (1st District, Albay), and Alfonso Umali Jr. (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro). (PNA)