REGGIE S.

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1.) WHAT IS FEDERALISM

The term federalism is derived from the Latin root, foedus which means formal agreement or covenant. It is a
system of government in which powers are divided and shared by the central (Federal) government and its
regional (State) governments. Generally, an overarching national government is responsible for the federal
governance, governing the issues that affect the entire country, while the smaller subdivisions, states, and
cities, govern the issues of local concern. Both the national government and the smaller political subdivisions
have the power to make laws and both have a certain level of autonomy from each other.

-Federal government with power over issues of national concern, while the state governments, generally, have
jurisdiction over issues of domestic concern.

A. AGRUMENTS FOR WHY Federalism is beneficial

 As a Protection Against Tyranny – One of the most important points of federalism in dividing the power
between the national government and state governments, and spreading the national government’s power
among three branches that serve as a check and balance on each other, is that it serves as a deterrent to
tyranny and runaway power. The protections we have in our system against a tyrannical, runaway
government are one of the most important points to why the system was designed the way it was.
 Diffusing Power – The form of federalism that we have in our country, where power is shared with state
governments, and where the federal government is separated into three branches, serves as a means to
make sure that all power is not centralized into a single person or group of people, since excessive power
among a single group tends to be corrupting.
 Increasing Citizen Participation – By not centralizing all power into the hands of a national government,
but sharing that power with state governments, which are closer to the level of the common citizen, our
founders actually increased a citizen’s ability to affect their government, government policy, and
lawmaking.
 More Efficient – When some of the power of the government is dispersed among the states, giving states
the right to solve some of their own problems, you allow for more efficiency within the system. To try to
have a national solution to all problems, which could be refered to as a ‘cookie-cutter method’ of law and
policy making, you end up with solutions that are more effective in some states, and less effective in others.
To allow states to create solutions to their own problems, using policies and laws that work best in their
state, means that each state can come up with its own solution, making government more efficient.
 Conflict Management – By allowing different communities and states to create their own policies, they
allow for people with irreconcilable differences, or very strong disagreements, to live in separate areas,
and create their own solutions, or policies, that would be totally disagreeable to the other people in other
states or regions of the country.
 Innovation in Law and Policy is Encouraged – By allowing for many state governments, different sets
of policies can be tried, and the ones found most effective at solving its problems can then be implemented
in other states, or on the national level. Imagine Christopher Columbus trying to get funding to voyage
across the Atlantic Ocean if there was a unified Europe back then, with its head saying ‘no!’ to him; instead,
he had several governments from which he could try to get his funding – he got turned down by several
governments before Spain gave him the okay. The same principle applies today with our many states –
something that is rejected in one state can most likely be tried in another state, with competition leading
the way, based on effectiveness of those laws.
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 State Governments Can be More Responsive to Citizen Needs – The closer a government entity is to
its citizens, the more likely it is the respond to the needs of citizens. States are more likely to listen to citizen
needs, and respond to them, than the national government would be.

B. Arguments given for why federalism has a detrimental or negative impact on society

 It had a History of Protecting Slavery and Segregation – This is often cited as one of the main
detriments of the system of federalism that we have in this country, that since slavery was a state issue, it
was something that could not be removed on the national level.
 It Allows for Inequalities Between Different States – For example, instead of education funding
throughout the country being the same, since it is a state issue, some states will spend more, per capita,
on education than other states, causing what could be considered a disparity. The same goes for other
things, as well, such as taxes, health care programs, and welfare programs.
 The Blockage of Nationalist Policies by States – States can fight against the existence of certain
national laws by challenging them in court, or going out of their way to not enforce those national laws, or
even deliberately obstructing enforcement of national laws.
 Racing to the Bottom – One argument given is that states will compete with each other in an oppositional
way, by reducing the amount of benefits they give to welfare recipients compared to, say, a neighboring
state, motivating the undesirables to go to the neighboring state, thereby reducing their welfare costs even
more. This reduction of state benefits to needy has been deemed the ‘race to the bottom.’

2.) What is revolutionary government?

The Revolutionary Government of the Philippines (Pamahalaang Panghimagsikan ng Pilipinas) was

an insurgent government established in the Spanish East Indies on June 23, 1898, during the Spanish–
American War, by Emilio Aguinaldo, its initial and only President. The government succeeded a dictatorial
government which had been established by Aguinaldo on 18 June, and which was disestablished and
replaced by this government upon its establishment. This government endured until January 23, 1899, when
the proclamation of the Malolos Constitution established an insurgent Philippine Republic government which
replaced it.

Four governmental departments were initially created, each having several bureaus: foreign relations, marine
and commerce; war and public works; police, justice, instruction and hygiene; finance, agriculture, and
industry. A Revolutionary Congress was established with power to watch over the general interest of the
Philippine people, and carrying out of the revolutionary laws; to discuss and vote upon said laws; to discuss
and approve, prior to their ratification, treaties and loans; to examine and approve the accounts presented
annually by the secretary of finance, as well as extraordinary and other taxes which may hereafter be
imposed."

On August 14, 1898, two days after the Battle of Manila of the Spanish–American War and about two months
after Aguinaldo's proclamation of this revolutionary government, the United States. Established a military
government in the Philippines, with General Merritt acting as military governor.
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A. Disadvantages of revolutionary gov't

1. Existing institutions and processes will no longer be functioning.

The Congress, Senate, and courts may have to be abolished or decrease in power. That means the positions
of politicians will be diminished. All local government officials or politicians such as mayors, governors will be
replaced or included under the military. The courts, including the Supreme Court, may have to be neutralized
and overruled by the executive department. The people in the bureaucracy will remain but they cannot work
effectively and efficiently under a new set of rules.

2.The President will have both executive and legislative powers.

Since the Congress will lose its power, the president will have both executive and legislative powers. Like
the former President Cory Aquino, soon after the People Power uprising in 1986 that oust the late President
Ferdinand Marcos, President Aquino released a proclamation including the adoption of a provisional charter
as she discarded the 1973 constitution and also implementing changes in the government
She guaranteed an “orderly transition” to a government under a new constitution (which is the 1986
Freedom constitution) that limits all future presidents from implementing martial law the same way as the
late President Ferdinand Marcos did and as well as shutting down the Congress and all elected officials.

3. The economic implications of a revolutionary government will dire.

Our domestic and foreign investments will decrease, it is also the case in other countries under a
dictatorship. OFW remittances, BPOs and Tourism will go down taking with them our domestic demand.
Then our poverty level, which has been going down, will start going up.

4. Communist insurgents will expand.

Because of the increasing level of our poverty rate, communist insurgents or protests will start to grow. The
fastest membership expansion of the NPA was in the martial law years wherein injustice and poverty in the
urban and rural areas were forced to rebel due to lack of better choices.

5. The country will be under an autocratic form of government.

If a revolutionary type of government will occur, the country will be under a one-man rule which others do
not agree of. But, according to a survey, five (5) out of ten (10) Filipinos are still open to an autocratic form
of government (Pew Research Center).

B.Advantages of revolutionary gov't

1. Independence of the Philippines

2. The Philippines become true Republic
3. Four Department Secretaryships are created