PDP expansion boosts federalism campaign – Alvarez
The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino’s (PDP’s) continuing expansion in terms of membership among politicians all over the country has bolstered the administration’s push for federalism, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said.
“Meron na lang ibang mga
natitirang probinsya, ’yung mga hindi ko pa napupuntahan, pero yung mga respective representative nila in Congress halos PDP na rin (There are a few remaining provinces that have yet to join the fold of PDP, those that I have yet to visit. But most of their respective representatives in Congress have already joined PDP),” Alvarez said in a press briefing at Hotel Sibugay in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay over the weekend.
Alvarez sits as secretary-general of the PDP, and has conspicuously dropped the “LABAN (Lakas ng Bayan)” part of the ruling party’s name in recent weeks.
PDP became the country’s top political faction after its standard-bearer, former Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte, won the May 2016 presidential polls in landslide fashion.
Alvarez said that more or less the PDP recruitment campaign has covered the major provinces in the country.
“Hopefully ito ay makakatulong sa kampanya tungkol sa federalism. Kasi nga yung advocacy ng PDP ay talagang itong federal form of government (Hopefully, this would help in our campaign for federalism because PDP’s advocacy is to push for a federal form of government).”
President Duterte is the biggest advocate for the switch to a federal system of government from the current unitary system, which has been criticized as being “overly-centralized.” Alvarez is his top lieutenant in the legislature.
Shortly after the press conference, Alvarez proceeded to the Ipil Central Sports Complex and administered the oath to an estimated 5,000 new PDP members composed of local officials from the 16 municipalities, 2 districts, and 390 barangays of the province.
Polls postponement? Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon warned that administration allies in both the Senate and House of Representatives are planning to railroad Charter change (Cha-cha) proposals by postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections scheduled this May to October.
In an interview over Radio DZBB, Drilon said these Charter change proponents have accepted the fact they cannot beat the deadline for the proposed Charter amendments in time for May 2018, that is why they are mulling to propose yet another postponement to October or November 2018 so the plebiscite on the proposed revisions be held at the same time.
“Tama po iyan. Kasi hindi na kayang ihabol ang pag-amyenda kung Mayo 2018. Kaya kailangan i-postpone mo ang barangay at SK elections ng mga Otukbre o Nobyembre 2018 para may pagkakataon na maisabay yung plebisito (That is right. Because they cannot rush the amendments if elections will be held on May 2018, they need to postpone and move the barangay and SK elections to October and November 2018 so they have a chance to hold it simultaneously with the plebiscite),” Drilon said in the interview.
“I heard from one of senior congressmen, and I was able to confirm from a senator during one of their conversation with congressmen, that they will postpone the barangay and SK elections either to October or November to railroad Chacha and have it approved by Congress in time for the barangay and SK elections in October or November,” Drilon continued in broken English.
Drilon, however, cautioned that such a move is frightening as the first casualty to such plans to railroad Charter change proposals that would pave way for a federal form of government would be the lost of the country’s democracy. (With a report from Hannah L. Torregoza)