With Padilla's election to Senate, is it time to talk about federalism again?
MANILA, Philippines — Actor Robin Padilla's election to the Senate and his potential assignment as chair of the committee on constitutional amendments may revive a push for federalism that lost steam during the Duterte administration.
In an interview after the May 9 election, Padilla said he believes that Filipinos voted for him because his platform geared toward charter change and federalism. "Iyan siguro ang yakap ng ating taumbayan kaya siguro ako nangunguna (I think that is what the people want, that is why I am leading)," Padilla, who received the most votes in the senatorial race, said.
While it is good to discuss options about reforms and changes, University of the Philippines (UP) political scientist Maria Ela Atienza says that more ground work should be done to help the public understand the current system of governance.
She said the country might not be ready for the shift to federalism, which would involve the sharing of powers between two levels of government— national or federal, and the states or regional.
In a unitary system— the system in place in the Philippines — the central government makes nearly all of the policies and decisions. In a federal system, the central government has limited powers, as state governments can handle local affairs based on the political desires of their constituents, according to German political foundation Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS).
Some powers have been devolved to local government units under the Local Government Code.
"It is always good to discuss options for institutional reforms and changes. However, there is a need to have massive information drive to discuss with the public the current institutional setup and evaluate it comprehensively before discussing the possible changes," Atienza told Philstar.com.
Surveys conducted during the first three years of President Rodrigo Duterte's term showed that less than half of the population understood the 1987 Constitution, she said.
Meanwhile, a March 2018 survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations showed that only one in four Filipino adults knew about the federal system, while the remaining 75% said they only learned of it during the course of the survey.
Charter change might not be priority
Atienza also pointed out charter change, which would have to happen for that shift to a federal Philippines, may not be the first priority of the Philippine government as the country continues to recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
Although he is chair of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not mention charter change or a shift to federalism during the campaign. In a DZRH radio interview in January, Marcos Jr. said he believed that the federal system "fits" the Philippines, but admitted that pursuing charter change may be difficult as the public has historically seen these as attempts by incumbents to stay in power.
"At the same time, 2022 is the beginning of the implementation of the Mandanas-Garcia ruling of the Supreme Court and [Executive Order] 138 which promotes full devolution," Atienza said.
"Many local government units as well as national agencies are in the process of adjusting to these. [Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao] is still on its first few years as an autonomous regional government," she also said. "It may be premature to advocate for a shift to federalism immediately."
Padilla is a vocal advocate of federalism, which he believes is what the public wants. Hours after the vote counting of the 2022 polls began, he said in a radio interview that the people wanted power to be given to different regions, which would be able to craft laws based on their culture and traditions.
Federalism may be ideal for places where groups with diverse traditions and populations are present, Atienza said in an interview in 2018. In a way, federalism might be able to help them preserve their identities, she said.
The shift to federalism was among President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign promises but lack of public interest relegated charter change from the government's priorities. In 2019, an interagency task force on federalism and constitutional reform pushed instead for "surgical amendments" to the Constitution.
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Resentment toward Manila
Policymakers in Manila — the capital, and sometimes referred to as Imperial Manila — have historically been making decisions for the entire country, to the frustration of those in provinces who feel that they have little say, according to Bob Herrera-Lim, the managing director of Teneo, a global consulting and advisory firm.
"People in the provinces feel that is unfair. They have their own problems but sometimes or a lot of times, they are limited by the fact that many of...the decisions, the policies coming are based from a Manila perspective, so I think that's where [the clamor for] federalism comes from," Lim, who specializes in political and business risk in the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia, told Philstar.com.
Issues related to education, real estate taxes, health and transportation are influenced by local conditions, which may not be addressed by decision makers based in Manila, he said.
Asked if there is a chance that federalism can happen under the incoming Marcos administration, Lim said he expects economic managers to resist moves towards charter change because of potential losses in efficiency if the shift is not done properly.
Former socioeconomic planning secretary Ernesto Pernia previously said he is "not keen" about federalism, as development across regions has been slow and unequal.
In a recent interview on OneNewsPH, he indicated that the presence of federal states or regions will not help solve the problem of unequal growth and resources.
"I'm not an advocate for federalism," he said, echoing his earlier sentiments.
Not seen to solve inequality, poverty
While federalism might balance relations and powers between the central government and peripheral areas, it will not necessarily solve issues of inequality.
"It will not solve the political dynasties, the existence of political parties that are in name only. It will not prevent turncoatism. It will not prevent inequality and poverty," UP's Atienza said.
She said giving power to local governments that may be poorly equipped to wield them may cause more problems. Corruption can also still take place in a federal system and the unitary style of governance if the laws are not firmly applied, Atienza added.
READ: ‘Incoming admin must prioritize economic growth over federalism’
Constitutional change
Independent policy analyst and constitutionalist Michael Henry Yusingco said he is not sure about the chances of federalism in the incoming adminstration, because it is not clear what political system should replace the current one.
"If you want to push for a federal system, my suggestion is, do it the right way. Go down to the communities. Ask them, what structure do you want?"
"What are the powers that are going to be shared? What is the extent of autonomy and then what are the mechanisms for cooperation and coordination between the different levels of government?" he said in an interview with Philstar.com.
Yusingco said the government should take "bottom-up" approach in charter change because attempts to change the constitution would need the trust of the citizens and the engagement of civil society organization who could advocate on their behalf.
He explained those who push for charter change have historically employed the "top-down" approach which only strengthens inherent distrust in political elites.
"Constitutional reform might work, but it's very important to make sure that the citizens are onboard first and foremost," he said.
For Teneo's Lim, opening up the process of constitutional change will likely open up other proposals unrelated to federalism, such as the shift to a parliamentary system and removing economic restrictions among others.
"If you are Bongbong Marcos, you know it will be a very noisy, difficult and heavy lift. Do you do it first, when you are looking at problems such as inflation, geopolitics, getting as fully out of the pandemic, having an economic recovery, [and] dealing with all your critics? It's not going to be easy," he said.
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