FEDERALISM

Do you favor a shift to a federal system of government? Why or why not?

No. I believe that a shift in the system of government from unitary to federal is not what
we need right now. Federalism will only widen the cultural and political gaps among the different
regions because our country is already divided by language, religion and economic inequality.

First of all, studies show that only a few regions are capable of raising enough taxes on
their own. The vast majority of provinces, which will be submerged into new federal states, lack
the basic administrative capacity for generating revenue. Not to mention duplication in taxes and
further stress on the nascent bureaucracy of peripheral regions under a federal arrangement.

Under a federal system, the richer states of the north will have even more resources to enhance
their competitiveness, thus deepening the developmental gap with other southern regions.

Even in prosperous nations like the U.S., the developmental gap between the rich coastal states
of California and New York, on one hand, and the southern and mid-western states, on the other,
has barely narrowed after two centuries of federalist experience.

In developing countries like India, Iraq and Nigeria, federalism has either failed to close
developmental gaps and ethno-communal tensions among various states or, more worryingly, in
some cases reinforced and reified them over the decades. In places such as Yugoslavia, a federal
setup eventually collapsed into a genocidal civil war.

Moreover, a federal system could further strengthen the power of political dynasties and warlords,
which control the Philippines’ peripheries. According to academic studies, around 178 so-called
"political dynasties" – politicians related by kinship and blood – control 73 out of 81 provinces
across the country. They also control up to 70% of the legislature, thus they seem likely to remove
any proposed restrictions on the proliferation of political dynasties.

Under a federal system, they are best positioned to dominate the newly created local legislature
and state institutions, further consolidating their grip on power in the country's poorer regions. It's
no wonder, then, that most surveys show the vast majority of Filipinos are either against
constitutional change or completely unaware of its implications.-Forbes

“There is absolutely no need to amend or revise our Constitution, a shift to a federal

system of government from the present unitary setup would be a lethal experiment, a fatal leap,
a plunge to death, a leap to hell. A federal form of government is not suited for the Philippines.”
The federal government’s structure, indissolubility and permanence as indicated in the
draft constitution’s preamble are not democratic and are more totalitarian, monarchy.
 The most undemocratic yet however as proposed in the Constitution prepared by the
committee is the perpetual ban on amendments or revisions of the Constitution in respect of the
democratic and republican.
It creates a horribly horrendous, bloated and enlarged bureaucracy to maintain and
sustain, which would forever burden the people. All the reorganizations in the bureaucracy will
prompt both the federal and regional governments to impose taxes or to resort to borrowing
money. Not far behind these would be increases in the prices of almost everything, e.g., food,
medicine, etc. They create an unbearable burden on the people.-former Chief Justice Hilario
Davide, Jr.
I believe that our government should also consider what the Filipinos really need instead
of solely focusing on changing the system. It should be what is good for the people and the future
generation instead of what the President wants because the implications of changing the system
will greatly affect all.