Title: FEDERALISM: A GAME CHANGER

Table of Contents:

#Federalism attachment to youth

*What is Federalism?

*Understanding Federalism?

*What is the difference between federal government and unitary form of

government?

*What is the main purpose of federalism in the Philippines?

*Federalism in the Philippines?

Abstract:#Federalism attachment to youth

Sabrina Anonas

POLITICS is not something that young people would discuss. Au contraire,

student leaders from all over Central Luzon woke up at the crack of dawn to
prepare themselves for the #FedUp Youth summit to talk about Federalism.

A survey of 1,537 respondents by Brand Philosophy Inc. most Millennials have

already taken their stand about federalism. However, the survey during
September 1 to 15 showed only a few are actually knowledgeable about it. Of
the survey, the rate of respondents were About 44.45 percent of the total
respondents were from Luzon, 22.23 percent from Mindanao and 20.82
percent from the Visayas. Only 11.50 percent were from the National Capital
Region (NCR).

Majority (58 percent) of the respondents has no idea what federalism is. About
25 percent said they have little knowledge of Federalism. Ten percent said
they have sufficient knowledge while 6 percent said they have knowledge of
federalism.
The survey results showed 65 percent of the respondents believe Federalism
can improve the country’s situation. Majority of those who said so were by
Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon respondents (84 percent, 70 percent and 59
percent, respectively). About 39 percent from the NCR believe Federalism can
improve the country’s situation.

Introduction: “Vigor of government is essential to the security of liberty”

Alexander Hamilton

What is FEDERALISM?

Federalism is a system of government in which the same territory is controlled

by two levels of government. Generally, an overarching national government
is responsible for broader governance of larger territorial areas, while the
smaller subdivisions, states, and cities govern the issues of local concern.

Body: Understanding Federalism

She has spoken countless times on TV and radio as well as other media where
her expertise in political science and forms of government were shared with
wider and curious audiences. But Professor Maria Ela Atienza still feels that
there is a lack of understanding of what federalism is and how it can affect
people.

As chairperson of the Department of Political Science at the College of Social

Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) of the University of the Philippines Diliman,
Atienza teaches subjects on governance, politics, local government, gender
issues, and human security.

As to why some countries opt for federalism, Atienza says the structure may
be more ideal for those with diverse traditions and populations. “There are
reasons why some nation-states opt for federalism. Some of the reasons
include preservation of identities. Identities can be in terms of ethnicity,
culture, religion and other differences,” she says.

Speaking of culture, her colleague at the department, Assistant Professor Jan

Robert Go, sees federalism as a structure which would be more
accommodating of the varied cultural traditions of ethno-linguistic groups in
the country. “Under a federal system, you can have the Bicolanos ruled by
Bicolanos in a Bicolano way, if there’s such a thing. In the same way with
Calabarzon, the Tagalogs, or the Cebuanos, or the Mindanaoans.” Go believes
that the form of government would reflect the local communities of the
country: “I think that’s one thing positive about federalism, that we highlight
the regional identities, these differences that is in our context as a Philippine
society, is very apparent.”

“The main argument of federalism is to empower the lower levels of

government, particularly the regional level.”

What is the difference between federal government and unitary form

of government?

A unitary system is composed of one central government that holds all the
power, but a federal system divides power between national and local forms
of government.

What is the main purpose of federalism in the Philippines?

The primary goal of a constitutional amendment is to increase

decentralization, greater local power and access to resources most especially
among regions outside Metro Manila which has long been dubbed as rather
imperial.

Federalism in the Philippines

The concept of a federal government for the Philippines was first suggested
by José Rizal, the Philippines' national hero. He outlined his vision of federalist
governance on his essay "Las Filipinas Dentro de Cien Anos" (The Philippines
a Century Hence) that was published by the Barcelona-based propaganda
paper La Solidaridad in 1889.[1]
In 1899, Filipino revolutionaries Emilio Aguinaldo and Apolinario Mabini also
suggested dividing the islands into three federal states.[2]
One of the first proponents of federalism in the Philippines in the 21st century
is professor Jose Abueva from the University of the Philippines who argued
that a federal form of government is necessary to more efficiently cater to the
needs of the country despite its diversity.[3] The primary goals of a
constitutional amendment is to increase decentralization, greater local power
and access to resources most especially among regions outside Metro Manila
which has long been dubbed as rather imperial.[4]
Aside from Abueva, senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. is a prominent supporter of
federalism who, since 2001, has advocated for federalism. He sees the
proposed system as a key component in alleviating the Mindanao crisis and
appeasing Moro insurgents. According to Pimentel, even though federalism
was never intended to appease any followers of any specific ideology of
religion, it will also hasten economic development, since resource and financial
mobilization is upon each state's or province's discretion without significant
constraint from the central government.
In late 2014, then-Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte launched a nationwide
campaign calling for a charter change for federalism. During his visit to Cebu
City in October of the same year, Duterte stated that federalism will facilitate
better delivery of services to the people.[8] He also saw the current system as
"antiquated"[9] where distribution of public funds is disproportionately
biased towards Manila. Aside from the economic aspect, federalism is also
seen as the best means to address problems in Mindanao which suffers the
most from ethno-religious conflicts.[10] Duterte added that the current unitary
form of government has not worked well given the ethnic diversity in the
country.[11] In spite of initially rejecting several calls for his candidacy for the
2016 presidential elections, he cited his organizational reforms if he were to
become president. Parallel to his campaign for federalism, Duterte planned to
privatize tax collection and abolish the Congress to make way for
a unicameral legislature, contrary to the originally proposed Joint Resolution
No. 10
In May 2016, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte stated that a plebiscite on the
proposed replacement of the unitary state with a federal one will be held in
two years.[15] On December 7, 2016, Duterte signed Executive Order No.
10 creating a consultative committee to review the 1987 Constitution.

Conclusion: Federalism: A Game changer form of Government

The proposal of charter change must involve youth as they will be the next
beneficiaries of this changes. Therefore, for them to know the role of
federalism and the effect it brought, we must spread awareness and
knowledge on what is really federalism and what good it does to us.