Federalism as form of Government in the Philippines
“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 and defined as a form of government in which there is a
division of powers between two levels of government of equal status.”
Federalism is when power is subdivided into units. There is the central government that is
left with some exclusive federal power and the unit governments that enjoy states’ rights. The
unit states are under the central government that unites all the other small groups. Federalism is
different from the other forms of government like unitary government; this has got only one
dominant unit of the government, and confederation government that has units that are
independent. The central building block of a federal government system is democratic rules.
Each unit of power has the rights to make their rules but abide by the interest of the national
government. Laws in the small unit states have to be in line with the federal constitution.
Federalism is best suited for large countries. This allows the federal government to divide the big
area into smaller regions and have replica units of the government in the areas. This brings
people close to power. People have got the right to manage the resources in their area so long as
the federal government receives a certain percent of the income. This will encourage and
enhance development than when the national government is left to make all the decisions.
Leaders at the ground level are close to the people and will thus make policies that are relevant
and important to the region. Having small units of power also helps eliminate the possibility of
having a concentration of power. Some powers are devolved to the regional units and thus easing
the job of the national government. The local groups also act as training grounds for the national
leaders. The main disadvantage is that citizens are ignorant. They are not keen to understand the
duties of the national government and the regional government. Federalism may sometimes
make it difficult to form national policies especially when it comes to allocation of funds and the
utilization of resources in the regional areas. Having small units of government means having the
same functions that are in the central government in the regions created. This may lead to
duplication of posts and offices. This will result in the conflict of authorities.
It is stated that federalism is a proposed form of government in the Philippines base from
our historical times unto these present times. Last 2014, Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte
launched a nationwide campaign calling for a charter change for federalism. During his visit to
Cebu City in October of the same year, Duterte stated that federalism will facilitate better
delivery of services to the people. He also saw the current system as "antiquated" where
distribution of public funds is disproportionately biased towards Manila. Aside from the
economic aspect, federalism is also seen as the best means to address problems in Mindanao
which suffers the most from ethno-religious conflicts. Duterte added that the current unitary form
of government has not worked well given the ethnic diversity in the country. In spite of initially
rejecting several calls for his candidacy for the 2016 presidential elections, he cited his
organizational reforms if he were to become president. Parallel to his campaign for federalism,
Duterte planned to privatize tax collection and abolish the Congress to make way for a
unicameral legislature, contrary to the originally proposed Joint Resolution No. 10. In May 2016,
President-elect Rodrigo Duterte stated that a plebiscite on the proposed replacement of the
unitary state with a federal one will be held in two years. On December 7, 2016, Duterte signed
Executive Order No. 10 creating a consultative committee to review the 1987 Constitution.
Budget and fiscal autonomy have been a long-standing issue among local government units
(LGUs) in the country, according to political analyst Jan Robert Go (2015), assistant professor of
political science at the University of the Philippines Diliman. And most of the time, programs of
the national government are "downloaded" to lower-income municipalities without the benefit of
evaluating whether they are applicable and sustainable, he added. One contention of federalism
advocates is that major tax revenues are turned over to the national government. The Bureau of
Internal Revenue (BIR) collects national internal revenue taxes which include income tax, estate
and donor's taxes, value-added tax, other percentage taxes, excise taxes, documentary stamp
taxes, and such other taxes that may be imposed and collected by the BIR. LGUs are seen as the
primary service providers but if funds are lacking, these services may be difficult to run and be
provided to the public, Go said. Duterte argues that federalism is primarily about peace. Poverty
is seen as one of the roots of armed rebellion, considered as a national security threat by the
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. Likewise, historical neglect and injustice
are seen as factors behind the emergence of secessionist groups in Mindanao.
Generally, Filipino’s stance on the shift to federalism government is mixed reflected by
nationwide opinion polls. Currently, the Philippines employs a unitary form of government with
much of the power — decisions, policies, and programs — emerging from the central
government. Under federalism, however, power is divided or shared between the central
government and local state governments. Countries that employ a federal system of government
includes the United States, Australia, Austria, Germany, Ethiopia, Brazil, Canada, Malaysia,
India, and Mexico, among others. In the US, the national government has sole power or authority
to print money, declare war, maintain the armed forces, enter into treaties with foreign
governments, regulate interstates and international trade, and establish a postal system. A power
that states have, meanwhile, is to establish their own local governments. The power to tax,
regulate business, set up courts, and build and maintain roads, among others, are shared by the
national government and the local state government. In the US, the national government has sole
power or authority to print money, declare war, maintain the armed forces, enter into treaties
with foreign governments, regulate interstates and international trade, and establish a postal
system. A power that states have, meanwhile, is to establish their own local governments. The
power to tax, regulate business, set up courts, and build and maintain roads, among others, are
shared by the national government and the local state government.
A change in the system of government requires a constitutional change and past attempts
to push for federalism in the country have failed. Critics are also wary that federalism will lead to
fragmentation given the ethno-linguistic divide in the country. Many are also divided on whether
it could strengthen regional communities or deepen the hold of political dynasties.
For me, there’s nothing wrong with the proposed federalism government in the
Philippines because base on my own understanding federalism concept will creates
improvements and economic development in our country. However, looking on our current
political situation, if the corrupt political families will continue to be in their position, I think this
would worsen the current political situation.
