From Martial Law Heirs to Reformist Saints: The Marcos-Dy Anti-Dynasty Bill is Peak Philippine Comedy Gold

Come for the Reformist Halo, Stay for the Grandfather Clause That Keeps the Throne Warm Until 2034

By Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — December 12, 2025

WHAT’S up, mga ka-kweba, fellow taxpayers, wage slaves, and everyone who’s been milked dry by these families for four straight decades? Congress just dropped a new telenovela: the two young crown princes of the country’s most powerful dynasties — Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III of Isabela and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos of Ilocos Norte — personally filed House Bill 6771, an “Anti-Political Dynasty Bill.”

You read that right.
The Marcoses and the Dys — who together rule national and local governments like a private corporation — are now the ones who will supposedly save us from political dynasties.

I don’t know whether to laugh or throw up.

***“We banned dynasties the way mosquitoes ban blood banks.”***

Why Now, Your Excellencies?

The timing is childishly obvious: while mainstream media and social media have been ablaze for weeks with exposés on billions in “flood-control money” vanishing into Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects and local dynasties, Malacañang suddenly slaps an “urgent” certification and — poof! — an anti-dynasty bill appears like a cheap magic trick.

Classic misdirection, comrades.
While the public rages over corruption, they pivot us to an abstract debate about “local dynasties,” while the families who filed the damn thing remain completely untouchable. Damage control 101. Urgent, you say? Only urgent for their image rehab.

And of course, 2028 is coming.
If they can ram through a loophole-riddled “anti-dynasty law,” they’ll have a shiny new legal weapon to wield against rivals — hello, Dutertes — while their own clans simply rearrange the chairs and keep the throne.

Forensic Autopsy of Motives: What Do They Really Want?

Let’s slice this open like a corpse on the slab:

Legitimacy Laundering (Likelihood: 95%)
Junior needs the family name bleached again after years of “golden age” fairy tales interrupted by private-jet videos and flood-money scandals. They need that reformist perfume. Sandro, the fresh face, needs credentials beyond being the president’s son.
Pre-emptive Strike vs. Rivals (Likelihood: 90%)
If their version passes — banning only simultaneous office-holding — they can disqualify enemies who run together (hello again, Duterte siblings) while the Marcoses just rotate seats like it’s musical chairs.
Bait-and-Switch Classic (Likelihood: 99%)
File it for the headlines. Then in committee — controlled by the same dynasties — poke it full of holes until it’s Swiss cheese. End result: an “anti-dynasty law” on the books, zero change on the ground. Then they’ll say, “We passed it; now it’s your fault for voting badly.” Standing ovation for hypocrisy.
International Theater (Likelihood: 80%)
For the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and rating agencies wondering why the Philippines still looks like a feudal theme park. A law on paper = higher democracy score = easier to borrow billions. Simple.
Coalition Management (Likelihood: 70%)
Message to congressmen: “If you don’t want your own families affected, fall in line.” Or a bribe to keep potential defectors from jumping ship to the opposition.

Legal Jiu-Jitsu: How They Turned the Constitution into a Joke

Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution:

“The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”

That line has been a dead letter for 38 years.
Why? Because Congress is packed with dynasts. The Supreme Court said in Pamatong v. COMELEC (G.R. No. 161872, 13 April 2004): it’s not self-executing. Needs an enabling law. And who writes the law against themselves? The vultures, of course.

Enter HB 6771:

Bans only SIMULTANEOUS holding at the same level/district.
4th civil degree (broad enough to look serious, but…)
Sworn statement to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) — basically the honor system.
Takes effect “next election” (grandfather clause with extra cheese).

Translation:

Succession is still allowed.
Seat-swapping is still allowed.
Proxies (cousins, drivers, loyal lapdogs) are still allowed.
Cross-level domination (national for Sandro, province for cousin, barangay for auntie) is still allowed.

In short:

The law is custom-tailored so the authors don’t get scratched.

Scenario Warfare: What Will Actually Happen?

Best-case (Probability: 0.5%)

A clean version slips through. Dynasties collapse overnight. We wake up in a new Philippines. (Sweet dreams, keep sleeping.)

Most Likely (Probability: 85%)

We get the “Swiss Cheese Law” — holes in every paragraph. The administration brags, “We passed the anti-dynasty law!” while exactly nothing changes. Same clans, new seating chart.