By Akbayan president Rafaela David
(Editor’s note: This press release has been rewritten in the first-person perspective)
On Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, we at the Akbayan Party declared political dynasties to be nothing short of a national disaster. As massive flooding once again submerged entire communities and stranded thousands of motorists over the weekend, I couldn’t ignore the painful reality: billions of pesos in public spending have supposedly poured into flood-control projects over the years, yet our people remain completely underwater.
These recurring disasters force us to confront a fundamental question: How can Filipinos still be this vulnerable when vast sums of public funds were meant to protect them?
The paralysis along the North Luzon Expressway over the weekend laid bare our nation’s total failure to prepare for predictable risks. Thousands were trapped in their vehicles for hours in areas where flood hazards are well-documented and contingency plans should have already been active. Whether public or privately operated, critical infrastructure must have adequate flood mitigation and emergency-response measures. Filipinos deserve infrastructure that actually works and institutions that are truly prepared.
We saw this exact same pattern unfold in Davao City during the July habagat rains, where thousands of families were displaced by floodwaters — despite the city receiving one of the largest shares of flood-control allocations from 2020 to 2022. Seeing these colossal budgets repeatedly yield the exact same devastation demands that we rigorously scrutinize how flood-control funds are planned, allocated and ultimately spent.
Political dynasties are not merely a flaw in our democracy; they are an active national calamity. Their concentrated political power allows a select few to control public resources without any meaningful accountability. Those who influence where projects go and how tax money is spent cannot be allowed to escape accountability when those very projects fail.
That is why we are calling on the Senate to break this cycle once and for all by passing a genuine, uncompromising anti-political dynasty law. We must stop a few powerful families from capturing public office and resources. Panahon na para tapusin ang bangungot na ito (It’s time to stop this nightmare). We need a law that genuinely limits the concentration of political power and opens Philippine politics to more Filipinos — not one that merely gives dynasties a new legal loophole to stay in power.
