Manila, Feb. 24 -- House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima, along with fellow Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP) lawmakers, on Tuesday urged for the passage of a measure seeking to strengthen and professionalize political parties to serve as genuine instruments of national development and good governance.

In filing House Bill No. 7914 or the Political Party System Reform Act, the LP bloc at the House of Representatives aims to transform political parties into stable, programmatic, and accountable institutions, rather than patronage-based and personality-oriented organizations used for political convenience.

"Political parties are the cornerstone of a functioning and robust democracy, yet in th...