WITH alarming data revealing that the majority of party-list groups in the last election had ties to powerful families or corporations, former Senator Paolo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino IV is pushing for a systemic overhaul of the House of Representatives through Senate Bill No. 1559, the “Party-List Reform Act.”
Aquino argues that the current system is effectively broken, drawing a sharp parallel between failed flood control infrastructure and a legislative branch “flooded” by political dynasties.
“It took advantage of all the blind spots and loopholes,” Aquino said, referring to how the intent of the party-list system has been hijacked.
Data from the election watchdog Kontra Daya supports this assessment, revealing that 86 out of 156 party-list groups in the last elections possessed links to political dynasties or corporate interests.
According to Aquino, the public is exhausted by “band-aid solutions.”
He pointed out that just as Filipinos demand structural integrity in physical infrastructure to prevent flooding, they are now demanding structural integrity in their government.
“They want to see a systemic change. They want to see changes that will last. Mataas ang galit, mataas ang outrage (The anger is high, the outrage is high)… but [we need] to really push for systemic changes,” Aquino said.
Safeguarding representation
The “Party-List Reform Act” proposes concrete safeguards to build a more resilient democracy.
Under the bill, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) would be mandated to conduct public evidentiary hearings to verify the authenticity of organizations, ensuring they genuinely represent the marginalized sectors they claim to serve.
Crucially, the bill seeks to disqualify nominees related within the third degree of kinship to any sitting elected official—a direct strike against political dynasties using the party-list system as a backdoor to power.
Individuals who are, or have been, government contractors or officers of companies involved in public projects would be barred from running. This provision aims to prevent the conflicts of interest that often plague large-scale infrastructure and flood control efforts.
Timeline adjustments
SB No. 1559 also proposes extending key election deadlines to allow for stricter vetting:
Registration: The period for party-list groups would move from 90 to 120 days before elections.
Certification: The release of the certified list of eligible organizations would move from 60 to 90 days prior to the polls.
Aquino urged the public and fellow legislators to remain vigilant, framing the act not merely as a bureaucratic adjustment, but as a fight for the “genuine voice” of Filipinos.
“Yung at that point na nangailangan yung bayan, hindi ka naduwag. Tumayo ka, tumindig. Binigay mo yung lahat ng makakaya mo,” Aquino said, calling for “genuine and real solutions for our people.”
