SC won’t stop political dynasties

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday thumbed down a taxpayer’s bid to compel the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to implement a constitutional provision that prohibits political dynasties.

The SC public information office announced that the high court dismissed during full-court session the motion for reconsideration filed by petitioner Louis Biraogo for lack of merit.

Another group led by former vice president Teofisto Guingona Jr. filed a similar petition in October last year. This was not consolidated with that of Biraogo and is pending.

The SC affirmed its earlier ruling dismissing Biraogo’s petition for mandamus that would compel the Comelec to implement Article II Section 26 of the Constitution for lack of merit.

In his petition filed last October, Biraogo said the ban on political dynasties is clearly provided in the charter: “The state shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”

“Whether or not political dynasties are evil per se is no longer debatable from a constitutional perspective. Section 26, Article II of the 1987 Constitution prohibits political dynasties, period... Political dynasties are prohibited by the fundamental law of the land,” he argued.

Petitioner explained that the ban was put up by the framers of the Constitution as a “guarantee of equal access to opportunities for public power is to be fulfilled. The guarantee cannot exist without the prohibition.”

There is, however, no enabling law passed by Congress yet to implement this prohibition.