THE CATHOLIC Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) has pressed for the passage of an anti-political dynasty bill, urging government officials to honor public office as a public trust, and not treat it as private property to be inherited by their heirs.
Alongside the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Catholic Education, Caritas Philippines, and Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, the country’s largest network of Catholic educational institutions stressed that political dynasties distort the true meaning of public service, turning a mission of responsibility into “hereditary privilege.”
“When power rotates across spouses, children, cousins, and in-laws, new leaders and innovative solutions are systematically blocked,” CEAP said in the statement. “Patronage networks become invisible walls, turning what should be a field of free competition into a closed corridor guarded by name recall and inherited machinery.”
The quadripartite statement cited a 2025 report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, which noted that 212 of 254 congressional districts in the country are held by political dynasties.
“These patterns are not abstract. They correlate with entrenched poverty, fragile governance, and the erosion of equality. It is no longer just a constitutional delay but a slow unmaking of the common good,” it added.
The organizations suggested reforms outlined in several anti-political dynasty bills filed in Congress, such as restrictions on relatives up to the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity from holding office at the same time or consecutively; limiting a maximum of two relatives per family to hold an elective position; eliminating substitutions, rotation, or position-swapping; and forcing term-limited officials to “pause” before seeking the same office.
“We call on civil society to remain vigilant, educational institutions to cultivate ethically and critically minded citizens, Congress to act with integrity and courage, and the Executive Branch to champion reform not as a political maneuver but as a moral imperative,” the statement said.
The association also called on the youth to reject “the cynicism that surrounds” them, and to engage in civic and political life with courage and conscience by demanding accountability from government leaders. Alexandra Gabrielle C. Mansineros
