WHY CHANGE OUR UNITARY REPUBLIC TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES? [A P R I M E R] By DR.Jose V. Abueva Chairman of the Consultative Commission President of Kalayaan College at Riverbanks, Marikina UP Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Public Administration (c) Abueva-Why-Change-from-Unitary-to-Federal-Republic.pdf 1. What is our unitary Republic, or unitary system of government? In our unitary system our Constitution has concentrated political powers and authority in the national government. Legislative power is vested in Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives), executive power in the President, and judicial power in the Supreme Court and lower courts. National government institutions and officers are based in Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. * The President as the head of government is the chief executive and commander in chief of the armed forces. S/he has general supervision over local governments (the provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays) which are weak and dependent on the national government, although they are supposed to enjoy local autonomy.. All major laws and policies are passed by Congress and approved by the President who is responsible for implementing them through his/her control of the executive departments and agencies and the bureaucracy, and general supervision over the local governments. 2. Why do we want our unitary system changed by revising the 1987 Constitution? Because of the serious weaknesses and disadvantages of our unitary system: Our unitary system is highly centralized. With very limited powers and authority and inadequate resources, most of our local governments cannot provide the public services that our people need and expect. National taxes siphon or take away much of the wealth and revenues generated by agriculture and other industries in various local communities around the country. Major corporations, including banks, pay their taxes in Metro Manila whose cities benefit more from their activities than the provinces and other cities in which the branches of the corporations y operate. () Local officials have to spend much of their time and energy and their limited funds seeking the assistance and approval of national government officials in Metro Manila. Local dependence on the national government stifles local initiative and resourcefulness, and hampers local business and development. Our unitary system is not sensitive to our cultural diversity. The nation has many ethno-linguistic and cultural communities and a large Muslim minority, the Moros. and also our brother LUMADS and UPPER REGION of LUZON The migration of large numbers of people from other parts of the country has led to the loss of their identity and ancestral domain and to their landlessness and poverty. Decades of unitary rule under the policy of assimilation and national integration have marginalized the Moros and other indigenous peoples in various parts of the country. Meanwhile many settlers in Mindanao and other regions are becoming prosperous. Deteriorating relations between the Moros and LUMADS and the national government have led to many years of violence and rebellion—the death, displacement and suffering of thousands of people. Under our unitary system the efforts to promote local autonomy since the 1950s have reached a dead end, because of the reluctance of most national political leaders to decentralize the powers of the national government. The centralization of power enhances their power and control over the local communities. Thus under our traditional unitary Republic since 1946, and our presidential form of government, our government and leaders have generally failed to effectively address our problems and continuing underdevelopment—our poverty, social inequality, unemployment, inadequate social services, thee lack of transparency and accountability that breeds corruption, the government’s increasing deficits and public debt, endemic rebellion, etc. For these reasons the federalist movement seeks to change our highly centralized unitary structure to a decentralized structure of autonomous local governments leading to a federal system, in addition to a parliamentary government. 2. What is federalism? (“the Federal principle?”) Federalism is a system of government whose primary feature, defined in the Constitution, is the distribution of powers between a central or national authority (the federal government) and regional governments or states with their local governments. 2 Federalism emphasizes respect for the socio-cultural diversity of the people and seeks national unity in regional diversity. It promotes national solidarity and cooperation in governance, nation-building, modernization and development. Federalism emphasizes regional and local self-rule and self-reliance in governance, based on the principle of subsidiarity. This means that decisions should be made at the lowest possible level where the problems can be solved. While regional or state governments are designed to be autonomous in their regional and local affairs in relation to the federal government, the federal government provides assistance to the various regions and states, especially the less developed ones, as in all federal systems in the world. SYSTEM REVOLUTION.. THE FEDERAL SOLUTION..FOR BETTER PHILIPPINES..
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 14:48:30 +0000
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