Dgte City hosts PHs first 

Federalism info roll-out 

VISIONAIRES LOUNGE, Negros Oriental Convention Hotel, Dumaguete City, June 18 (PIA)—The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) finally rolls-out its information campaign on federalism in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental June 18, 2018. 

The federalism roll-out, which President Rodrigo Roa Duterte desires, is to be the framework upon which sustainable change in the country, can thrive. 

And to top-bill the event, no less than DILG Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya, who concurrently is the administrator of the Center for Federalism and Constitutional Reforms (CFCR), Assistant Secretary Marjorie Jalosjos, along with federalism stalwarts political analysts Mon Casiple and Gary Olivar came to take turns in explaining the implications of the Duterte Federalism to a country so used to the imposed unitary system. 

Earlier, a respectable survey firm, Pulse Asia in a survey revealed that there is very low awareness among people on federalism form of government. 

The DILG, which is supposed to have started the information roll-out on the federal system, said they waited until the Duterte-formed Constitutional Committee (ConCom to review the 1987 Constitution) can come up with the kind of federalism which the President wants to be cascaded. 

With the different kinds of federalism and its variations which is adopted as a form of government in many states and countries across the globe, Filipinos have started to guess the federalism which the president plans to build upon the sheer weight of his reforms. 

“The DILG waited for the right time, and because we have a ConCom, and if we want to roll out, it would be with the ConCom to make sure that it would not just be personal [interpretations] but echoing the president’s intentions,” Asec. Malaya explained. 

Although a bit late, the DILG federalism roll-out is still the first in the country and gathered sectoral representations, local government officials, business sector representatives, students and the academe, was set at the Negros Oriental Convention Hotel in Dumaguete City. 

Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo and Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, along with key local officials who turned out to be staunch federalism supporters also rallied local people to get the most from the evens which the DILG organized. 

Simultaneous with the Federalism event was the town hall meeting where sectors in Negros and Siquijor listened and learned about the kind of federalism for the Philippines, as they too asked the resource persons their apprehensions and questions. 

The DILG also admitted that there have been a lot of groups claiming to be advocating federalism, but these are advocating different kinds and not be the kind which the President and the ConCom intends to give the backbone for the reforms that they think should institutionalize the change the president campaigned for. 

For years, we have not seen the government’s willingness to share its power to the people, until this president, Asec Malaya pointed out. 

President Duterte, since his campaign to the presidency, has always shared his intent to shift the kind of government to federalism, to bring back and share to the people the government’s power to decide, to decentralize and share resources, share revenues and share development. 

Now, President Duterte, who used to be a mayor, knows the issues strangling local governments, and now, he wants to share this power wielded by politicians, Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo said. 

DILG also confessed that many are against federalism. 

Those who are used to owning the powers, don’t want it and those who are now comfortably living in the bounty of the unitary system would resist, but it is but the right time to empower the people, another attendee shared along the sidelines of the consultations. 

We have to do this now, because if we can not go for federalism, we will not be able to do it, he insisted. 

Admitting that cascading federalism is not easy, political analyst Gary Olivar however reminded the consultation participants that the move has to start by amending the constitution. 

Amending the constitution is nothing new to Filipinos, Olivar pointed out. 

He reminded everyone that the four constitutions we had all came out during a time of war: the Malolos Constitution, 1935 Constitution, the Martial law Constitution and the 1987 Revolutionary Constitution. 

All those times when the constitutions were crafted, there were wars and oppression. Now we are looking at a constitution in a time of peace, this is the perfect time, stresses Mon Casiple, political analyst. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

Sectoral representatives and students fill the Dumaguete Macias Stadium during the federalism rally held here, the first in the programmed roll-out in the country. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)