Federalism and the Views Surrounding It

Federalism is the mixed or compound mode of government, (the central or

‘federal’ government) with regional governments (provincial, state, cantonal, territorial or
other sub-unit governments in a single political system… (It is defined) as a form of
government in which there is a division of powers between two levels of government of
equal status (Torrevillas, 2018). Under the proposed new constitution, the Philippines
will be divided into 18 federated regions. Regional states will have greater power over
raising their own revenues, determining their own legislation and choosing their
economic development models. On paper, federalism seems well suited for the
Philippines. In reality, however, it could become a recipe for disaster in a country that is
already divided by language, religion and economic inequality (Heydarian, 2018).
The argument here of pro-federalists is that the unitary form of government is
no longer effective for this country and must be changed. President Duterte himself
cites that the Philippine experience under this system of government limits the space for
local governments to take initiatives and become self-reliant. Another one is that it is far
more difficult to capture powers of government in a federal state than a unitary state
(Sarmiento, 2017). He bemoans that the current system, with powers centralized
around the National government in Manila, has been prone to corruption since only the
President in Malacanang and his allies in Congress decide on how the budget is
distributed and much of that goes to their pet projects and their pockets. To further the
point, he also states that this is the answer to the secessionist tendencies in Mindanao
by Muslim groups where he is quoted that “nothing short of federalism will bring peace
to Mindanao” (Araral et.al, 2017).
For the anti-federalists, their argument is that federalism may end up only
reinforcing socio-economic and ethno-political fault lines in an already divided nation.
First of all, studies show that the vast majority of provinces, which will be submerged
into new federal states, lack the basic administrative capacity for generating revenue.
Moreover, a federal system could further strengthen the power of political dynasties and
warlords, which control the Philippines’ peripheries. In a statement by Senator Ralph
Recto, he summarizes this by saying that “Federalism will only add to the bureaucracy
red tape, more taxes and greater tension in government” (SunStar Philippines, 2018).
We believe that the Philippines is not ready for this type of government as long
as there are officials in power that put their own interests first before the common good.
The current constitution and form of government are not at fault here, it lies with the
people in charge of implementing the laws. We should have more leaders who are
really concerned with the welfare of the people and who are not related to any of the
prevailing dynasties that make our government look more like an oligarchy rather than a
democracy. If this will continue to be unaddressed, the Philippines will not achieve
prosperity, whatever form of government may be in place.
References:
Araral, E., Hutchcroft, P., Llanto, G., Malaya, J., Mendoza, R., & Teehankee, J. (2017).
Debate on federal Philippines. Quezon City.
Heydarian, R. (2018). Does Federalism Make Sense For The Philippines?. Retrieved
from https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardheydarian/2018/07/19/does-federalism-
make-sense-for-the-
philippines/?fbclid=IwAR0aDtBgvYPDcXJFhmtX8HH8SgjhlEIHUxp3YgmXJx3Ufd8SD
TDRfry6EJg#7c3e13a477cf
Sarmiento, R. (2017). Q&A Primer on Federalism.
SunStar Philippines. (2018). Most senators against federalism, 'no-el'. Retrieved from
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1754575
Torrevillas, D. (2018). Federalism: Good or bad? | Philstar.com. Retrieved from
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2018/08/23/1844958/federalism-good-or-bad