FORMER Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. is pushing for the creation of 11 states under a federal form of government.
For Mindanao, Pimentel is proposing the federal states of Northern Mindanao, Eastern Mindanao, and Bangsamoro.
The former Cagayan de Oro mayor is also proposing that Metro Manila be designated as the country’s capital, like Washington DC is to the US.
North Luzon, Central Luzon, Bicol Region and Southern Tagalog are the four federal states he is proposing for Luzon.
His proposed federal states for Central Philippines are Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas and the cluster composed of Mindoro Oriental, Mindoro Occidental, Palawan and Romblon provinces.
“The four provinces (the two Mindoros, Palawan and Romblon) are included in Luzon at present but actually lie in Visayan waters already,” he noted.
Available data also show such provinces are among the country’s poorest at present.
“By creating 11 federal states and by converting Metro Manila into a federal administrative region, we immediately establish 12 centers of power, finance and development throughout the country,” he said.
The country must first amend its 1987 Constitution so a shift from democratic to federal system of government can happen, noted Pimentel.
He believes such constitutional amendment is possible during the incoming Duterte administration.
Pimentel, founder of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) who is known as the father of the Local Government Code, sees the need for the administration of the next president, Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, to create a loans commission that would extend funding to proposed federal states unable to finance their respective development plans.
Pimentel envisages the commission to be a World Bank-like institution which such states can turn to for development assistance.
“We must ensure those states won’t be left behind,” he said.
Pimentel is optimistic that development of federal states that are not financially well-off would help increase these areas’ attractiveness for investments.
“Federal states must be able to attract investors,” he said.
Both Pimentel and Duterte have been advocating the country’s shift to a federal government system.
Pimentel said federalism would promote competitiveness among federal states and dissipate causes of rebellion in the country, facilitating development nationwide.
“Such system will better help address people’s concerns,” he said.
Federalism would also help empower local governments by enabling federal states to retain more of their respective income, he said. (pna)
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