FEDERALISM IS NOT NEEDED, STENGTHENED BARANGAY IS.

(by: Aura Ester F. Sionillo)

A federal government is a system of disassociating of power between a

central national government and local state governments that are connected to one
another by the national government.

Last April 25, 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte initiated the consultative
committee (Con-Com) to propose and discuss revisions of 14 of the 18 Articles of
the 1987 Philippine Constitution to adopt a federal and presidential form of
government with a bicameral legislature.

Empowering local government units (LGUs) is the key to extensive growth

instead of implementing federal sanction — the change of form of government. If
LGUs and barangays are supported appropriately, the federal charter, which
provides politicians greater power, is dispensable.

The barangay should be honored and should be weighed as a prominent unit

in the country. We can even be actually more powerful than any other public
officials, for we have the exceptional power of the executive, of the judicial, and the
legislation that only considers of course ourselves, the country and the betterment
of the Filipinos.

Barangay officials all over the country do not need to wait for the green light
of officials from Manila to procure funds for their projects. Let’s strengthen Local
Government Code. We Filipinos do not need new political impositions and other
additional income burdens. We need a government that starts with us. The closer
the civil servants are, the more effective our needs to be provided.

There is no progressive country unless its local units are productive and
progressive; no beautiful country unless its localities are beautiful; and no peaceful
country unless its villages are orderly and peaceful. We do need stronger barangays
but also educated ones. We need to allow the people to be able to question and
remove them from office immediately if proven they are not worthy of the position.