San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza is calling on Negrenses and all Filipinos to help make people power work by supporting the “Dapat Isa Lang (D1L)” movement, which seeks to pass a genuine anti-political dynasty law through a People’s Initiative.
The signature campaign, which will incorporate online signing starting in September, was launched on Thursday afternoon, August 13, at the Jubilee Hall of the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Redemptorist Church) in Bacolod City.
“This is our rare chance to really regain power for the common good… May Negros help lead the way,” Alminaza said. “And may we have the courage not merely to complain about the political culture we inherited, but together build the democracy we want to leave to our children.”
Karlo Abidanes, executive director of Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, joined Alminaza at a press conference on Thursday morning. He explained that the proposed measure would limit political families to one elected official in a national post and one in a local position.
The proposed law includes a prohibition covering relatives of an elected official up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and affinity from running for office; a ban on succession, replacement, or position-switching among relatives; and a required one-term cooling-off period after reaching term limits, Abidanes added.
Abidanes noted that the People’s Initiative process requires gathering signatures from at least 10 percent of registered voters nationwide—equivalent to about 7 million to 7.5 million voters—with at least 3 percent coming from every legislative district.
Once signatures are collected, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will verify their authenticity. The poll body would then hold a nationwide referendum for voters to approve or reject the anti-political dynasty measure.
“It will not pass through Congress or the President, once it wins in the referendum, it will automatically become law,” Abidanes said.
“We have waited 40 years for an anti-political dynasty law that Congress has not delivered. This is an opportunity for us, the Filipino people, to pass a genuine anti-political dynasty law,” he added, noting that the goal is for the measure to take effect by the 2028 elections.
Organizers are developing digital tools that allow citizens to sign online rather than manually, making the process faster and more cost-effective. “We are working with Comelec to put in the requirements and safeguards to maximize participation,” Abidanes said.
He highlighted that 90 percent of Filipinos live in areas controlled by political dynasties, pointing out that 83 percent of House members, 75 percent of senators, 87 percent of governors, and 75 percent of city mayors come from political clans.
Alminaza emphasized the urgency of the movement. “We gather because we believe that our democracy can be better—and that the Filipino people deserve better,” he said.
The 1987 Constitution states that the State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as defined by law. However, nearly 40 years later, that constitutional aspiration remains largely unfulfilled, the bishop noted.
D1L is an all-volunteer, non-partisan citizens’ initiative seeking to enact a national anti-political dynasty law through the constitutional mechanism of a People’s Initiative, he added.
“This is not a campaign against one family or one political party; it is about creating political space so that public service does not become concentrated among a few families, but remains a responsibility and opportunity genuinely open to every Filipino,” Alminaza said.
“This initiative is not about rejecting persons. It is about reforming a system,” he added.
“We invite everyone, including our friends currently holding public office, to look beyond immediate political interests and consider how we can widen opportunities for other Filipinos to serve and lead. And if some political leaders themselves freely choose to support genuine anti-dynasty reform, I believe that would be a powerful expression of statesmanship—placing the long-term health of our democracy above personal or family political advantage,” Alminaza said.
He warned that when public office is concentrated among members of the same family across generations, elections may continue, but genuine political participation and the emergence of new leaders become increasingly restricted.
“An anti-political dynasty law should therefore not be understood as a punishment of political families; it should be understood as opening the doors of democracy wider,” he said.
To reduce barriers of distance, time, and organization, D1L is developing a mobile and multilingual platform to complement paper and assisted signature collection.
However, accessibility will not compromise integrity, the bishop stressed. “The D1L platform does not replace Comelec. Its internal review remains preliminary; Comelec retains its statutory authority regarding sufficiency and official signature verification.”
Alminaza expressed hope that Negros will build a broad movement uniting churches, faith communities, civil society, youth, academia, farmers, workers, fisherfolk, business owners, professionals, public servants, and ordinary citizens.*
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