TARLAKENYO — The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has thrown its full moral weight behind a people’s initiative seeking to pass a genuine anti-political dynasty law, calling the long-delayed constitutional mandate a “moral and ethical concern” that can no longer be ignored.
In a pastoral statement released Friday, September 25, 2026, and signed by CBCP President Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa, the bishops declared that public office “must never become a family inheritance,” and endorsed the Dapat Isa Lang People’s Initiative as a peaceful and democratic means to fulfill a 39-year-old constitutional promise.
The 1987 Constitution, under Article II, Section 26, states that the State “shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.” However, nearly four decades later, no enabling law has been passed by Congress.
“After almost forty years, the constitutional command against political dynasties should no longer remain merely an aspiration. The time has come to give it genuine meaning in law and in political life,” the bishops wrote in their statement titled “A Time to Open the Doors of Public Service.”
The CBCP clarified that its support is not directed against any particular political family, party, or candidate. Instead, it identified the core issue as “a system that allows political power to concentrate and be repeatedly passed among members of the same families,” which narrows opportunities for other qualified citizens and weakens accountability.
“No family, however capable or respected, has a permanent claim to public office,” the statement read. “Political leadership should remain open to all Filipinos who possess the competence, integrity, and desire to serve.”
The bishops framed the issue as a matter of justice and the common good, warning that when public authority is treated as a private privilege, institutions become vulnerable to patronage and favoritism. They urged the faithful to support the initiative, which they described as an exercise of the people’s sovereignty.
The CBCP directed dioceses, parishes, Catholic schools, and lay organizations to facilitate respectful dialogue and provide truthful information about the initiative. They called on the lay faithful to participate responsibly, urging them to “resist misinformation, coercion, vote-buying, intimidation, and political pressure.”
Quoting Pope Francis, the bishops reminded the public that politics, when pursued for the common good, is “a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity.” They emphasized that political reform is about renewing the understanding of leadership itself: “authority as service, office as trust, and politics as a vocation for the common good.”
The statement concluded with a call for unity and hope, invoking the intercession of Mary, Help of Christians, and Filipino saints Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod.
“Our country needs strong families. But we also need strong democratic institutions,” the bishops wrote. “The strength of our families should enrich the nation, not restrict others’ political participation. Leadership must never become the inheritance of a few when it belongs to the whole people.”
Meanwhile, in the Diocese of Tarlac, the signature campaign for the Dapat Isa Lang initiative is already being initiated with the help of the youth in parishes and lay organizations, who are beginning to mobilize their communities. The diocese has joined other local churches nationwide in heeding the CBCP’s call for active participation in the democratic process.
The Dapat Isa Lang People’s Initiative is a citizen-led campaign aimed at gathering the required number of signatures to propose a law that would define and prohibit political dynasties, as mandated by the Constitution.
