MANILA, Philippines – Clashes in ideology threaten to split the ruling administration Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) that supported then Davao City mayor and now President Duterte in the last elections, sources disclosed yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – With the once ruling Liberal Party hemorrhaging from defections to the new majority, Sen. Franklin Drilon wants political turncoats penalized as part of an overhaul of the party system.

Drilon has filed a bill seeking to strengthen the political system, prevent party switching and level the playing field among parties.

Centrist Democracy Political Institute President, Mr. Lito Monico Lorenzana delivers a speech on the "State of Philippine Politics" before the youth members of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) held during the first day of the DEPAdev training on "Political Party Development", organized by the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG), Konrad Adenaeur Stiftung (KAS) and the UBJP. Event will run from April 26-28, 2016 and is being conducted at The Ritz Hotel at Garden Oases in Davao City.

As the passage of an antipolitical dynasty law remains doubtful, political clans try to strengthen their influence by seeking seats in Congress through the party-list system.

Members of dominant political families, including former officials and those on their third terms, are among politicians running as nominees of party-list groups, according to the election watchdog Kontra Daya.

The media are replete with reports about the ongoing nomination process for the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States. Though the US presidential election to choose the successor of President Barack Obama will be held in November, since early this year the candidates have been slugging it out with full media coverage and unlimited spending.