Affirmative - Second Speaker (Frances Teves) The topic of this debate has gripped the country since time

immemorial. The country is divided on Whether or not political dynasty can be considered as a problem. Is it really a problem? Our first speaker explained to you that Section 26 of Article 2 of the 1987 Constitution is not an enforceable right And that in fact it is only a state policy. We believe that the congress may not and cannot be compelled by the judiciary to create a law which would define and prohibit political dynasties because creating a law is a purely discretionary act of Congress. I am here today to explain to you that it is impracticable for such law to be passed and assuming, in arguendo, that such a law has been passed, it in itself unduly limits the constitutionally protecting political rights of Filipino citizens to vote and to be voted for. But it actually would not have any effect on what would happen to Philippine politics in general. The constitution has already set forth certain qualifications and disqualifications for people who aspire to join government or be elected into public office to serve the Filipino people. In the case of those wishing to be elected, such qualifications are enshrined in the constitution, specifically, Section 2 of Article 7, Sections 3 and 6 of Article 6, and Section 3 of Article 10. Aside from these Articles in our Constitution, we already have set rules such as the Omnibus Election Code, the Comelec resolutions, and the Local Government Code, among others. Let us assume that the law was passed, what would then stop a person from endorsing a friend, or someone not related to him but within the scope of his influence to an office where, supposedly, his family members were banned? What we have to understand is that the reason why political dynasties need not be defined nor prohibited is because there is nothing inherently wrong with them.

The constitution itself would tell you that the power to elect these people, is in our hands. To quote from section 1 of Article 2 of the constitution, sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them. You know, this so-called political dynasties will not be there if the people had not elected them there in the first place. The reality of it is that creating such a law will not stop the propagation of political dynasties in the country. It will just be a catalyst to spur the creative minds of these power hungry politicians. We should instead focus on abolishing the illegal act altogether. The illegal act here is the abuse of the electoral process. And yes, the method of execution is the political dynasty. But I will remind you that not all political dynasties are bad. To quote Mr. William Esposo in his column in the Philippine Star, political dynasties do not equate to a legal problem. In principle, there is nothing wrong with political dynasties. And that is why in the US, we celebrate political dynasties like the Kennedys of Massachusetts. So long as the Filipinos can vote freely, nobody can question the emergence of political dynasties. That is a reality. So in sum, there are just three main points we would like to stress here. First, it is not necessary to pass that law because equal access to elective opportunities can be better provided through electoral reforms. Second, the judiciary can never compel the Congress to exercise discretion in passing a law. Third, even if the law were there, it would not really make any difference. The only way to change the sad reality is not by creating a new law that will actually be cumbersome in its execution but in having an intelligent electorate and electoral process that is not abused.

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