MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Tuesday sought the passage of the proposed Anti-Political Dynasty Act to break the concentration of political power in a few families. The senator on Tuesday co-sponsored Senate Bill (SB) 1901 under Committee Report 33, describing the measure as “historic, long overdue.” He cited the growing number of so-called “obese” dynasties, where a single family fields five or more relatives across different elective posts in one election cycle. “In some provinces, public officers already operate like a family business," Ejercito said. “Power, whether political or economic, should be shared," he said. "Daddy is the congressman, Mommy is the governor, elder sister is the vice governor, elder brother is the mayor, and the youngest sibling is being groomed [for political office]," he said in Filipino and English “Some say we should focus on ‘bigger’ problems like poverty, hunger, or the economy before tackling dynasties. But these problems are limbs of the same body,” Ejercito said. Ejercito recalled that then-senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., now President, chaired the Senate committee that steered the Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council)  reforms. Marcos now listed the anti-political dynasty bill as a priority measure. “The time to pass this measure is not next year, not next term, but now,” Ejercito said.