The locals revolt

In Bicol, I was advised to steer away from using the word federalism, too long and unfamiliar to conservative people in the provinces. I proceeded with my speech, and tried to stick to using “greater autonomy.” The theme of the conference was Paradigm Shift: Viability of Local Autonomy among Regions.

But I was soon to know otherwise. I was dismayed by their insistence that federalism was not unknown to them. They understood it and they wanted it. So in the end I came to use the long ‘esoteric’ word that best explained their situation. The question the Bicolanos asked was why were they so poor when the province was so rich?

That was the essence of the lessons I learned while in Legaspi City for the conference on Greater Autonomy organized by Dante Jimenez, founding chairman of VACC, Volunteers against Crime and Corruption.

I am afraid I have bad news for those who have presumed that any attempt at charter change is doomed when all are focused the presidential elections in 2010.

You can be sure that a story like this will not get prominent coverage in national newspapers because the last thing the supporters of the status quo want is for anything that would upset their hold on the levers of power.

It doesn’t matter. It was right to ask the question “Why are we so poor when we are so rich?” They are meeting to find the answer.

Region V commonly known as the Bicol region is second among the most depressed regions in the Philippines with a population of over 5 million as of August 2007.

Yet the same Bicol province has some of richest natural resources. It is home to 13 major fishing grounds that supplies fish markets as far as Metro Manila.

It is one of the highest producers of palay, abaca, corn and coconut. They have mineral reserves that include gold, copper, silver, iron, phosphate rock, perlite, red clay marble, guano and bentonite.

It has also good energy sources – geothermal, hydropower, potential wind resources, coal reserves etc. And of course, it is a tourist destination, home to the beautiful Mt Mayon, the Butanding (whale shark), paradise beaches and resorts and historical sites.

Rather than indulge in campaigning for personalities like senators wanting to be president as their salvation, they want to try a different path. Bicolano leaders, academics, community leaders and businessmen gathered together that day to ask themselves why they should be poor when the province is so rich. The answer they came up with was greater autonomy, but real autonomy, not paper autonomy that they have under the 1987 Constitution. That is why the people in this province are for charter change. At present only 2 areas are recognized autonomous regions: Autonomous region of Muslim Mindanao (ARRM) and Cordillera Administrative Region.

They propose an improvement on the current provisions of Section 15, Article on local government as a way out of their poverty.

An autonomous Region of Bicol would be able to address directly the interests and needs of its people if it were given greater autonomy.

Inevitably, such an autonomy would immediately imply the inequitable IRA. “We strongly propose that the Autonomous Region of Bicol will have eighty percent of the share of its annual revenues and twenty percent to be turned to the national government” they said. Today under the autonomy granted by the 1987 Constitution, it is the other way around. No wonder Bicolanos are poor. For that matter, it is no different for Filipinos in other regions who are also clamoring for a Federal Republic of the Philippines.

My only quarrel with some advocates are those who insist on discussing about its viability before supporting it in principle. The principle comes first. Moreover the viability is discussed using the terms of the unitary government. It is the same reasoning that colonials used when they occupied countries – are they capable of self-government? I think the correct procedure is to act radically like an invasive surgery as Sen. Pimentel said and the federalist government will follow.

*      *      *

Like democracy, there is no single form of an ideal federal government. Each society will have to devise its own. It will depend on the cultural or national diversity of the particular country. It will also depend on the number and size of constituencies and how to distribute legislative and administrative responsibilities. The same is true with financial resources among the levels of government, how much centralization or decentralization and economic integration. Federalism is a dynamic process. It is more pragmatic and used as a means rather than an end, a tool rather than a product. The more innovative the people who take it up, the more patterns and varieties of federalism will be found once it is decided that its principle of “unity in diversity” is the ideal way to peace and good governance.

*     *      *

It is worth noting that federalism is America’s way of life. Even then, its government has not been without problems. I was intrigued by a comment I read that with all the will in the world, Barack Obama might fail because he is working in what is probably the most complex and difficult way to govern – a presidential federal system with a bicameral legislature. He was able to get his appointees confirmed by Congress but this only refers to those in charge of foreign policy and not with the men and women with the job of solving the financial crisis. Critics say there is a lack of focus on this and the failure will take its toll. It will prove that American capitalism is at the end of its global hegemony and like Communism bound to self destruct as well.

Blame is put on the US constitutional system that makes the transition for effective Presidential power in less than five months difficult because of the separation of the executive from the legislative arm. Obama may be doing his best but it isn’t enough. It may be time to accept the problems of a presidential system with a bicameral legislature especially when time is of the essence. The presidential system of the Americans is said to be the most complex government man has ever devised, even an Obama cannot surmount.