What happened to House Bill No. 6551, also referred to as An Act Strengthening the Political System, Appropriating Funds Therefor and for Other Purposes or simply as the Political Party Development Act of 2012?
The bill seeks to provide state subsidy to augment the election funds of genuine political parties and ban party-switching within six months prior to elections.
There is no denying that some politicians eyeing for national elective posts are spending millions of pesos for media advertisements just to gain political mileage. Also, some local politicians belonging to the administration party have defected to the opposition party and vice versa.
If this bill had only been prioritized and enacted into law, we would have leveled the playing field in politics. I recall that the bill had been passed on third and final reading by the House of Representatives and was just waiting for the approval of the Senate version.
—REGINALD B. TAMAYO, Marikina City