Following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s prioritization of an anti-dynasty bill, Mikee Defensor, a 29-year-old lawyer from a political family, co-leads the Anti-Dynasty Network's campaign launch to push for a robust law ending inherited power, amid a flood control corruption scandal. The House committee is deliberating multiple bill versions.
Building on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s December 9 announcement naming the anti-dynasty bill a priority for the 20th Congress, the Anti-Dynasty Network—a coalition of reform-minded dynasts, academics, and public servants—launched its campaign this week. Co-convenor Mikee Defensor, daughter of former House representative Mike Defensor and grandniece of the late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, urges youth to break the cycle of political inheritance. 'As long as no one opts out, the passing on of positions will continue,' she said in a Rappler Talk episode on December 12, 2025.
Raised amid politicians in Quezon City and Iloilo, Defensor studied political science at Ateneo de Manila University, where she challenged the notion that 'politics is in your blood.' She declined to run for office, saying, 'I don’t think I deserve to be in a position just because I share the same last name as my father.' In 2020, she went viral defending ABS-CBN against her father's franchise denial vote.
The network's draft bans immediate succession up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity—including grandparents, parents, spouses, in-laws, children, siblings, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and first cousins—for positions like president, senator, and local officials, while prohibiting simultaneous candidacies in overlapping constituencies. Members include Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, Francis Aquino Dee (grandson of Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino Jr. and former president Corazon 'Cory' Aquino), Patrick Ramos Jalasco (grandson of former president Fidel V. Ramos), and Aika Robredo (daughter of Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo and the late interior secretary Jesse Robredo).
A day after the launch, Marcos urged Congress to pass the law. Ilocos Norte Representative Sandro Marcos and House Speaker Bojie Dy filed a bill, but the network deems it 'watered down' for ignoring simultaneous office-holding, overlapping constituencies, and succession limits. The House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, chaired by Lanao del Sur Representative Zia Adiong, is reviewing 14 bill versions—most up to second-degree consanguinity, with broader proposals from Senator Bam Aquino (third degree), Senator Risa Hontiveros, and Representative Sarah Elago (fourth degree). None yet cover appointive positions. Advocates seek public input for the strongest version.
