MANILA, Philippines – A new Church-backed signature drive aims to end political dynasties in the Philippines, which have controlled local governments and worsened poverty for over a century.

Activist priest Father Robert Reyes, one of the convenors of the signature campaign, speaks to Crux Now about the Church’s role in fighting political dynasties, even as powerful clans have bought the silence of many clergymen.

The 71-year-old Reyes joined the launch of the campaign, called Dapat Isa Lang (One Is Enough), at the Diocese of Cubao in northern Metro Manila on Friday.

The movement aims to enact a law against political dynasties through a constitutional mechanism known as a people’s initiative. The process requires advocates to gather the signatures of 10 percent of the 68.43 million registered voters nationwide — or approximately 6.84 million Filipinos — to force a national referendum.

If passed, the law would ensure that only one national and one local official from the same clan can occupy public office simultaneously, fulfilling the campaign’s tagline: “one is enough.”

Viewing the initiative as a fight for social justice, Church leaders are preparing to mobilize their extensive networks, including thousands of parishes and Catholic schools, to secure the necessary signatures ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.

In this interview, Reyes explains why the Church, which contributed to the problem of political dynasties at the local level, can be part of the solution.

Crux Now: Father, what is Dapat Isa Lang all about?   

Reyes: This issue has been around for a long time because if we look at our politics, it has always been family-driven and family-centered. Some provinces have been held by a single family for decades.

If your family is big enough, it is enough to install your grandfather, grandmother, aunt, uncle, father, mother, older brother, older sister, youngest sibling, nephew, and all the way to your grandchild. If your family is big, you hold the whole province. That is the reason why many provinces are poor, and why the whole country is poor. It is not the government holding the nation’s coffers or the power; it is the families.

Dapat Isa Lang is a signature campaign to pass an anti-dynasty law. Why is the Church involved? 

First of all, because in our view, this is not just a political issue. It is a moral issue. Last year, the flood control scandal broke out. That’s where the involvement of dynasties in fake projects came out — projects with funds released to the tune of billions and trillions of pesos, but with no delivered or accomplished projects. The projects weren’t real; they were only on paper, but the budget was released and a report was even returned, stating they had been accomplished.

This has become a system of allocating and releasing money that then disappears into the pockets of whom? Dynasties and their partners in government offices, other agencies, and private construction companies.

You call it a moral issue, but at the local level, many dioceses and parishes are co-opted by dynasties because the church donors are the dynasties. You are here to fight political dynasties, but the church is also part of the problem in some way.

The Church is not only an important part of the problem. It is also an important part of the solution.

Because of the scandal that broke last year, the people are angry. The poor saw why they are really struggling — the funds for their welfare are being stolen. Even if a governor, mayor, or congressman donates a lot, the Church will be a bit more careful now because the people are watching those who take the money. Before, they didn’t see the connection, but now they do — projects approved and funded, yet nothing happened.

How exactly does it happen on the local level? Based on your experience, how is the Church co-opted or influenced by political dynasties? 

Very easy. For example, a parish priest has a fiesta with many expenses. You have a list of donors, and number one on the list are the mayors, barangay captains, and councilors. In my own parish, my committee asked if it was okay to ask them for donations. I said okay, because it isn’t an election and we request donations from everyone. The question is: where will you use it? The problem is when the fundraising is vague, the accounting isn’t clear, and the benefactor doesn’t ask questions. If there is no transparency or accounting, can there be corruption in the Church? Yes.

So I am very careful. You can ask the government for a budget for feeding programs or medical missions for the poor, but there must be accounting and accountability.

The dynasties are quick when there is no clear report. They know the Church needs help, but when the bishops or priests are close to them, and those dynasties have questionable interests like mining, human trafficking, or illegal importation, the Church might stay quiet even if what they are doing is wrong. We have seen terrible corruption through the times of former presidents Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and Rodrigo Duterte, yet why was the Church quiet? There is a tendency to be careful and silent when we should be loud against corruption because we are “close” to the dynasty.

In a word, why do dynasties want to be close to the Catholic Church? 

Because the Catholic Church has the moral voice. If the moral voice is quiet, it is implicitly saying that this mayor or governor is okay, even if they are not. Silence translates to legitimization.

During the time of Cardinal Jaime Sin, he was always critical of the Marcoses. We asked him, “Your Eminence, you are critical of the Marcoses, but do you receive donations from them?” He said, “Of course. Because it does not go into my pocket. It’s money that should go back to the poor.” He had a very practical business mind; he said, “Money is the devil’s excrement, but it is very good fertilizer.”

He kept on saying that; that’s why we all memorized it. But I’m very careful to practice it, because there’s always a way for the source to collect from you. I’d rather stay away from the devil’s excrement — the dynasties — so that my life will not be that complicated. That’s very dangerous unless you are Cardinal Sin, who knows how to deal with the devil. He used to joke, “I am Cardinal Sin, I know how to deal with the sinful.”

Some say corrupt politicians donate to the Church to launder their sins, as in the Middle Ages with indulgences.

It’s their way of dealing with their guilt, as if you donate big-time to the Church, you are assuring yourself a slot in heaven. It doesn’t work that way. Even the Church representative who receives money from the guilty becomes guilty himself.

So Father, how can the Church be part of the solution?   

It is time to tell the dynasties: you have been at the helm for 50, 60, 70 years; it is time to slowly retire from power. Help the country grow with people who are professional and do not depend on your munificence, but on their own capabilities. Let go.

The Church can come in by slowly convincing dynasties to dream of a Philippines led not by a few families, but by the people. No more paternalism where we depend on a family for our welfare. We should depend on principles of justice, human rights, and the common good.

We shouldn’t say, “The X family has been good to us; we can’t imagine a future without them.” No. Imagine your future without them. Imagine a future designed and effected by the people.

How do you plan to gather signatures using the Church’s networks?

We have started. We are using the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, charismatic groups, dioceses, and social action offices. We challenge these groups to contribute to a renewal of politics. As Pope Francis says, you can never really love the world if you don’t go into politics.

We see the Church as the backbone of this project in terms of numbers. Is this correct?

The Church is the most organized at this point, and it’s easy for us to agree to help this campaign. It is beyond political colors; it is about our country. The Church is everywhere, from north to south, in parishes, schools, and organizations. The Church can serve, if not as the backbone, then as the catalyst.

This is a political effort, but what does a spiritual group like the Church have to do with it?   

The political and the practical have to be in tandem with the cultural, the spiritual, and the moral. This is where the Church has to come in. We have to create a new culture — a culture of empowerment, responsible leadership, and good governance. We need a spirituality of stewardship — not of greed, domination, or dependence.

For our international audience, what does the Church’s involvement here say about the kind of Catholic Church we have in the Philippines?

In the last 50 years, I’ve seen a Church more capable of standing and speaking truth to power. We are telling political power that you are wrong and you should change, even at the cost of our own privilege and advantage.