Volunteer group backs CBCP stand vs dynasties

The Movement Against Dynasties (MAD) is supporting the country’s Roman Catholic bishops who have strongly denounced the proliferation of political dynasties in their pastoral statement which came out during the first Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) plenary assembly for 2013.

MAD is a nationwide, nonpartisan and voluntary organization of volunteers from socio, civic, and religious organizations, nongovernment organizations, cause-oriented advocates, and university and college students.

MAD’s sole objective is to stop the proliferation of political dynasties, which is forbidden in Section 26 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

MAD lead convener and chair Quentin San Diego said that CBCP’s antidynasty pastoral statement runs parallel to MAD’s vision and mission and MAD is offering its support and cooperation to the CBCP in attaining this objective.

San Diego and his cochair Danilo Olivares have written Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and Pangasinan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president and vice president of the CBCP, respectively, seeking their help.

MAD believes that for the people’s initiative to succeed in gathering the signatures of at least 10 percent of registered voters nationwide represented by at least 3 percent of the registered voters in each and every legislative district, as required by Republic Act No. 6735 (The Initiative and Referendum Act), the Catholic Church’s widespread influence through its parishes in every district throughout the country will spell the success of the people’s initiative to enact the enabling law that Congress has refused to enact since 1987.

Through the partnership of the Catholic Church and organizations like MAD, attaining the required number of signatures from the various parishes will force the Comelec to call for a referendum with the people to directly enact the long awaited enabling law that will prohibit political dynasties and penalize members of dynasties violating the law.