It has been almost twenty nine
years since the 1987 Constitution was amended and many are suggesting that it
is already time to revise the provisions of the constitution to keep up with
time. One of the prominent constitutional issues is the change in the system of
government in the Philippines. One contention is the shift to Federalism, which is being sought by some
of the running Presidentiables. But what exactly is Federalism and what can it
do for our country?
Federalism as defined by Merriam
Webster is the distribution of power in an organization (as a government)
between a central authority and the constituent units. [1]Plainly
speaking, Federalism will decentralize the central government powers to the
local government units (LGUs). This means that the LGUs will have fiscal and
legislative autonomy and the freedom to propose & implement projects for their constituents
in their respective regions. The central government in turn will focus on the
national matters on a broader perspective like foreign policy and
military defense. [2]
To change the style of government
to Federalism would be beneficial to our archipelagic nation. The budget will
be realigned based on the needs of the regions and the LGUs have more leeway on
what to implement for their constituents in terms of local policies, industries,
social services and tourism development. On the other hand, the Central Government must set a
standard on what level of progress the LGUs must follow or else the regions
without a strong leader will be left behind and rely on the Central Government
for support which defeats the purpose of having a Federal Government.
Personally, I would like to think
that the autonomy that Federalism will boost competition in the regions which
will hopefully in the long term decongest Manila and raise the marketability of
the provinces to local and foreign investors. Politicians will have to think of
projects that will benefit their constituents since the approach will be from
the bottom up which will in turn lessen their dependence and reproach in the
Central Government for lack of progress in their respective jurisdiction. Nonetheless,
Federalism remains to be unseen until the next administration deems that a
charter change to shift the style of government is already a viable option.
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