Federalism in the Philippines: Perks and Bonuses

The first part will cover the basics of the concept of Federalism. The author, in favour of

federalism, argues that the three basic characteristics of a federal government are that it promotes local

autonomy and self-governance, executes effective cooperation, and is compatible to the country’s

culture. The second part of the paper will deal with the author’s opinion on what is needed before a

successful transition may occur. The paper shows that federalism, because of its characteristics with

consideration of the prerequisites, must be applied in the Philippine setting for the country to achieve

proper and genuine development.

Federalism, in its most basic sense, is the sharing of power between the central and local

government. This form, particularly in its application in the Philippine setting, has three main

characteristics. The first is that a federal government allows its local units to achieve autonomy and self-

governance. It empowers the local governments to be able to solve their problems without being too

dependent on the assistance of the central government. One of the ways would be in the fiscal arena. In

the unitary system, parts of the taxes collected in each region go straight to the central government. As

stated by Jonathan Malaya, with federalism, the taxes collected within the region will remain in the

region. Thus, it will supply enough monetary means to achieve the region’s goals. In addition, the

devolution of powers would provide the local units a framework of responsibilities. It will thus

strengthen self-governance and accountability mechanisms. In the current form, the supposedly local

projects are sometimes facilitated by national departments. Thus, the constituents are unable to hold

anyone accountable for their dissatisfactions. A shift to Federalism would solve this problem. It will

provide the necessary frameworks of action that the local governments need to undertake, give it

recognition for these actions, and provide the capabilities to execute such.

The second characteristic of a federal government is that it facilitates teamwork between the

national government and the administrative regions. There is a system of power-sharing and formal

distribution of executive and legislative duties that balances independence with interdependence. An
example can be during emergency situations. A unitary system provides a slow response to emergencies

because the process of delivering the services from the central government to the local arena takes a lot

of time. This is the reason why it is taking so long for the government to facilitate recovery of the

Yolanda victims. But federalism provides a solution to this problem. It creates a system of task-sharing

between the government and the more independent local units. When such efficient task designation

occurs, the services are better delivered. It thus strengthens the capacity of the government to respond to

problems in the local arenas.

The third characteristic of a Federal system is that it suites a fragmented culture. This is very

much applicable to the country. We are a state composed of various diversities, distinct cultures, and

minority groups. This hinders development in the current system because what the national government

may prescribe in one place may not be applicable in another. Again, a shift to federalism would solve

this issue. The power to self-governance of distinct regions empowers them to develop themselves based

on their distinct strengths that cannot be identified by central authorities. Such will encourage them to

remain in their areas and foster its development. This will be able to solve the huge imbalance that we

have in development, specifically in the economic aspect wherein there is a huge concentration of

income only in Manila.

The arguments presented have established that Federalism is best suited for the country because

it provides a good avenue for development. But the main question now is what the country needs for it

to be able to transition. The author argues that there are three main prerequisites which are a stable and

working political system, a thorough consideration of the transition process, and the existence of

competent authorities. First and foremost, before any sort of transition is possible, we must first be

equipped with a stable and working political system. For the Philippines, this is democracy. It must be

ensured that this democracy is a genuine and effective one. A transition to federalism cannot be

expected to solve our problems if these system-rooted issues are left unsolved. Federalism is not a magic

pill. Thus, we must first correct our system, before we can change its form to maximize the benefits and
avoid instability. The second prerequisite is to properly study the process of transition. We must learn

from our previous 1991 experience in hurried decentralization that was not as successful as expected.

The form itself must first be studied to find out which parts the state must adapt, as there is no model

suits that everyone. Thus, we must find the particular model that would suit the country best and

maximize its potentials. The third prerequisite is that there must be efficient and competent authorities

situated in the local units that will be able to absorb all the responsibilities that will be imparted upon

them. A competent authority is required for a local government to be able to maximize its powers and

perform its duties. Without it, the transition would generally fail, as there won’t be any agents that can

properly facilitate its success.

Federalism in general is a form that is well-suited for the Philippines. A transition to it is

favourable particularly because of it allows local governments to govern themselves, it provides a way

of coordination between the national and local governments, and it suits the fragmented culture of the

country. But before a country can transition, there are certain prerequisites needed to be considered in

order to ensure its success. But once such prerequisites are fulfilled, a transition to Federalism would

equip the country of a better means of governance that will lead to its eventual development. Thus, a

transition towards it would be beneficial at the very least.