Federalism, now or never — ConCom members

By October 15, 2018Headlines, News

THE chance to transform the system of government from the present to a federal system is here and now or never, particularly under the Duterte presidency.

This was stressed by members of the Constitutional Commission (Concom) who were in Dagupan City for the Media Forum, attended by media practitioners in region, a part of a three-day Federalism Road Show sponsored by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine Information Agency.

Speaking at the Media Forum on Federalism on the theme “Pederalismo may Pagbabago” at CSI Stadia on Oct. 10, were ConCom Commissioners Eddie M. Alih, Rex Robles, a retired Commodore of the Philippine Navy; Atty Susan Ordinario, and Professor Eric de Torres of the University of the East.

Alih believes that federalism must be put in place as early as May next year although he admitted that Congress has a different version of the Federal constitution. apart from the draft prepared by ConCom.

He expressed hope that those who will be elected senators and congressmen in next year’s mid-term election will support the cause of federalism.

Assessing the initial result of the federalism roadshow the Concom had conducted so far, Alih said “without fear of contradiction, hindi po bumababa sa 80 percent ang acceptability of federalism every time we hold a federalism road show.”

Robles said the draft constitution prepared by Concom seeks the creation of 17 federated regions across the country with the inclusion of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and the Bangsa Moro Region.

Ordinario pointed out that no local government unit will be removed by its proposed federal constitution.

The governor, vice governor and the board members as well as the mayors, vice mayors and the councilors will remain, she said, and the only difference with the present set up is requiring the governor and vice governor as well as the mayor and vice mayor, like the president and vice president of the Philippines, to be elected in tandem.

She said the federal governor and vice governor will be elected by the regional assembly whose members will be composed of assemblymen from Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte and one independent chartered city, Dagupan City.

A province will have one representative in the Regional Assembly and they will be joined by nominees of political parties that will garner five percent of the votes to one seat during a regional election.

The party-list will be allowed to transform into political parties that will actively participate in the regional elections

It is the regional assembly that will approve the budget of the whole region and  each federal region will have one supreme court and one civil service commission.

Meanwhile Professor de Torres said federalism will correct the imbalance between poor regions and rich regions, citing many areas in Mindanao that are under-developed compared to many regions in Luzon. (Leonardo Micua)

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