Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon dared President Rodrigo Duterte to urge the Congress to pass the anti-dynasty law to dismantle the oligarchy in the Philippines.
“With the popularity rating of the President, he has the capacity to push that in Congress,” Drilon said in a virtual Kapihan sa Manila Bay.
Drilon said Duterte should go beyond the fact that his children who are holding government positions would be affected by the anti-dynasty law if he really wants to knock down oligarchy in the Philippines.
Duterte’s children who are in the government are House Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, and Vice Mayor Baste Duterte.
“When you want to remove oligarchy as a power structure, then you should rise above all of these,” he said.
Duterte boasted Tuesday that dismantled the country’s oligarchy without declaring martial law.
“Kung mamatay ako, mahulog eroplano, p***ngina, I am very happy. Alam mo [kung] bakit? Without declaring martial law, I dismantled the oligarchy that controlled the economy of the Philippines,” he said.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque insisted that the President was not referring to the ABS-CBN company whose franchise application was denied by the House of Representatives.
Roque said Duterte was referring to tycoon Lucio Tan, the Ayalas, and Manuel V. Pangilinan.
Also read: Drilon demands transparency from DOH, reminds data manipulation is fatal
Drilon pointed out that being rich is not equivalent to being an oligarch.
“Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people which use their power to seek personal gain or benefit their business interests,” Drilon said.
“To emphasize, you cannot equate rich and oligarch, meaning it does not mean that if you are rich, you are on oligarch. An oligarch is the one that influences the decision of the government or the one using their [riches] in order that the policy that they want will be pursued,” he added.
“The lack of an anti-dynasty system or provision in our system would allow oligarchy to continue,” he said.
At least two anti-dynasty bills have been filed in the Senate under the 18th Congress.