Explain federalism to constituents, lawmakers urged

Lawmakers should take advantage of their recess to educate their constituents on the benefits of a federal form of government, Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said yesterday.

The Senate and the House of Representatives will take a break from Oct. 12 to Nov. 12.

“It’s our job as partners for change of the Duterte administration to explain to our people the benefits of having federal states instead of an overly centralized government... under the unitary setup,” Nograles said.

He said lawmakers should help their constituents decide when the matter is presented to them in a referendum.

“Filipinos have never been more aware of the concept of federalism until now. Thanks to President Duterte. As we return to our districts in the coming weeks, let us fortify this awareness of federalism among our constituents as we prepare for the big switch,” Nograles said.

He said he expects Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to make good his promise to ask senators and congressmen to convene into a constituent assembly if ever Malacañang fails to form a constitutional commission within the year.

Nograles said a constituent assembly would save the government millions in pesos because there is no need to elect delegates to amend the Constitution.

“The lawmakers themselves will be the delegates. Since lawmakers have fixed terms, we will have a definite time period for the job. This means we will achieve our goal faster,” he said.