By JONATHAN DE SANTOS
POLITICAL turncoatism, and possibly even the sharing of candidates among political parties, could be a thing of the past if Congress manages to pass by June 6 a bill strengthening political parties.
But Congress has a very limited window of opportunity to do it, under the present term.
“We have June 5 and 6,” Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez, main proponent of the House version of the bill, said Thursday. If the Senate approves the bill on third and final reading in time, the bill could still be sent to Malacañang before Congress adjourns.
The bill, which has hurdled the committee level at the Senate, is meant to institutionalize “real political parties,” Rodriguez said. If passed, it will require that political parties are stricter with how they accept members and choose candidates.