Federal Republic of the Philippines?

There is no doubt – first on the agenda of president- in- waiting Rodrigo Duterte is the change in our system into a federal form of government. Whether this federal system would be patterned after the United States, Germany, Canada or Switzerland has yet to be clear. But from day one, the president-elect has been batting for federalism even long before he threw his hat into the presidential race.

A Duterte team has already mapped out plans to disseminate information and spread the word about federalism to make people understand what the system is all about. The president-elect has given his team a timetable of two years to push through with this Charter change and submit the proposal either to a referendum or a plebiscite.

All the moves indicate the incoming administration is certainly wasting no time, making sure that it will have the needed numbers to push for this systemic change in both houses of Congress, particularly in the Lower House where the impetus is expected to come. Duterte’s PDP-Laban has already formed coalitions with the Nacionalista Party, the Lakas-CMD and the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), with other groups such as the Visayan bloc, the Makabayan bloc and the National Unity Party also expressing their support for the federalism agenda by going behind the bid of Davao del Norte Congressman Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez to become the next Speaker.

In the Senate, it would most likely be a toss-up between Alan Peter Cayetano or Koko Pimentel for the position of Senate President, given the fact that the current ruling Liberal Party’s number has been diminished following the proclamation of seven nonLP candidates in the 12 winners of the recent senatorial race. NPC’s Tito Sotto is also throwing his hat into the Senate Presidential race. However, sources tell us Koko Pimentel has the support of the presumptive president-elect.

Seasoned politicians agree that pushing for Charter change at the start of the Duterte term is the right move for various reasons. For one, this will dispel suspicions that the real agenda is term extension – something that stymied previous efforts to change the Charter during the terms of FVR and Erap Estrada. And as correctly pointed out by them, the shift to a federal form of government needs careful deliberation and will require sufficient time to accomplish considering the structural changes that will happen – not to mention the debates that will ensue.

People who support federalism – among them former Chief Justice Reynato Puno – believe that this system will result in a more participative kind of government because the local level will have relative autonomy from the national (or central) government. Economists also believe this systemic change could spur real growth and prosperity that could reach far-flung areas especially in Mindanao, since a federal form of government will give local governments more power to decide and craft solutions that are tailor fit to their economic situation – reducing poverty and unemployment in the process. I’m one of those who believe that it’s the system that spawns corruption and not the other way around. What happened with the PDAF and DAP is a clear example of corruption in the current system.

Unfortunately, President Aquino did not support the RBH ( Resolution of Both houses) principally authored by Speaker Sonny Belmonte to amend the economic provisions in our current charter. A simple insertion of the words “unless otherwise provided by law” would have sufficed to quash all those suspicions that the proposed amendments could be open to abuse. Given the reality of the ASEAN economic integration, amending the economic provisions has become more important than ever to attract foreign businessmen to invest in the country – since creating much needed jobs is a key component in spreading the wealth especially with the population reaching 120 million by 2022.

Let’s face it – protectionist provisions that limit foreign ownership in certain industries and sectors like advertising and media are simply ridiculous. Even restricting land ownership is absurd; foreigners can’t take the land with them and most likely it will revert to Filipino ownership over time like what happened to the Pebble Beach Golf Course and the Rockefeller Center bought by “Japan Inc.” in the late 1980s. Less than a decade later, they were sold back by the Japanese to a US-based tycoon.

Incoming speaker Bebot Alvarez and several congressmen are ready to support the shift to federalism which could pave the way for lasting peace in Mindanao, as this would provide the best alternative to the scuttled proposal for the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) since both essentially have the same concept – autonomy for the areas under the ARMM. Senator Miriam Santiago correctly pointed out that a constitutional amendment would be needed to create the proposed Bangsamoro entity which had problematic provisions that were at odds with the current 1987 Constitution.

Alvarez did not mince words when he said he felt sorry for those who put their hopes on the BBL because they were “taken for a ride” by the outgoing administration that allegedly knew from the very beginning that it would be impossible to implement the BBL unless amendments are made on the current constitution. The fact is, constitutional amendments are long overdue because the restrictive and unclear provisions have made it very difficult for the country to sustain growth momentum and achieve real progress. Whether a federal form of government will work or not remains to be seen.

The only thing that is permanent in this world is change, and 16 million people took their chances and voted for a man who represented change. We will soon find out if indeed change will come – for better or for worse.

* * *