“LET a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend.”
That, in essence, was what Senate President Aquilino Martin Pimentel III wants on the issue of revising the 1987 Constitution, particularly on the proposed shift to a federal system of government.
“On the issue of federalism, we in the PDP-Laban have long advocated a shift from a unitary-presidential to a federal-presidential system of government to address, for one thing, the imbalance in the distribution of resources and uneven development of the various regions,” Pimentel said.
He said he respects the views of every senator on the issue of Charter change and federalism.
“I have my own views on this, but the last thing I want to do is impose my own views on others,” Pimentel said.
He said he would allow every view to be heard in the Senate so that legislators–and citizens–could weigh all the arguments and make an informed choice when the time comes for them to vote for the ratification of a new constitution.
“There’s the view, for instance, that we do not need to shift to federalism and merely amend the Local Government Code to give more resources to the regions. This is an input that we should take note of and seriously consider in our deliberations in the months ahead. We shall be open to all proposals and recommendations. This is the essence of democracy,” Pimentel said.
Pimentel’s father Aquilino Jr., a former Senate President himself, authored the Local Government Code.
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