Is it worth a try?

Ruffy Magbanua

NOW that Davao Mayor Digong Duterte is poised to become  the 16th president of the Republic, his campaign promise to shift the present form of  government from unitary to federal maybe worth a try in a country long  besieged with political and cultural divide.

Nowhere can I recall that in the present system of government, the roadmap of peace and progress had  been leveled up equally on a per region basis or felt or seen or even enjoyed by at least half  of the country’s 100 million population.

Imperial Manila had always the final say in managing the resources of government to the frustrations of the greater masses, including the millennials who opted to go with the Duterte bandwagon.

With hope against hope, the millions who supported Duterte expect drastic inroads in the search for lasting peace in Mindanao and the subsequent economic leap in every nook and cranny of the country’s 7,000 plus islands.

That said, the incoming Duterte  administration, is reportedly hell bent on  pushing for federalism to bring lasting peace to Mindanao, sooner or later, subject to constitutional amendments either made through a people’s initiative, or by Congress through a constituent assembly.

The next President firmly believes that separatist groups in Mindanao who have been fighting for greater autonomy in governance would likely agree with federalism as long as key aspects of the configuration in the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law are retained.

Duterte, the first-ever Mindanaoan to occupy Malacanang, believes that nothing short of federalism will bring peace to Mindanao.

The most outstanding feature of a federal set-up is that our resources are ours to benefit from, Duterte explained  in one of his oftepeated mantras during the campaign trail.

In a federal form of government, each state or region will have its own discretion in managing its economy, natural resources and law, among others.

Further, provinces need to remit their income to Manila, of which the distribution and allocation of funds to the provinces are pittance compared to the large amount these areas contribute to the national coffer.

As practiced invectively, unfair distribution of funds between the local government and national government persist under a unitary form of government up to this day.

Federalism, as perceived by the Duterte administration, would offer greater autonomy and allow regional governments to provide more opportunities and appropriate solutions all by themselves without relying too much on the manna from the central government.

This early, the new administration has already prepared for a push for a federal government. It’s timeline will start with a proposal to Congress to call for a constitutional convention for the rewriting of 1987 Constitution, then to the possible approval through a plebiscite, and eventually the setting up of regional states under a federal system of government.

Hopefully, before the end of Duterte’s term, we will have federalism put in place.

With fingers crossed, the millennials would, by then, see a federal government that will work in achieving a more balanced and sustained economic growth among the country’s 17 regions.

That said, is federalism worth a try?

E-mail: ruffy44_ph2000@yahoo.com