Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros, together with Akbayan Partylist, has filed measures seeking a major overhaul of the party-list system, aiming to block political dynasties and nominees with business interests tied to government contracts.
Hontiveros filed Senate Bill No. 1656, alongside its House counterpart House Bill No. 7074, to ensure the system genuinely represents marginalized sectors rather than serving entrenched political interests.
“Kung gusto nilang rumaket, huwag nilang gamitin ang partylist system. This bill aims to reclaim the voice of ordinary Filipinos who’ve been shut out of power because of abusive personalities,” Hontiveros said.
“If they’re not genuinely fighting for the Filipino people, they don’t belong in this system,” she added.
The proposed reforms also seek to bar so-called gimmick partylists—those named after television shows, government programs, or celebrities—and to remove the three-seat cap, which critics say undermines proportional representation.
“The limit contradicts the Constitution’s intent to achieve proportionality,” said Akbayan Partylist Representative Chel Diokno.
Data cited by the bill’s authors showed that 66% of party-lists in the 19th Congress had at least one nominee from a political dynasty, while congressional inquiries have flagged cases of partylist lawmakers benefiting from government contracts.
“Someone who votes on infrastructure budgets while their company bids on those same projects is a scammer. This blatant conflict of interest has no place in a democracy,” Hontiveros said.