Name: Angel Olivas Cruz November 8, 2019

BSED- 1 FILIPINO DR. Cecile Espiritu

Are you in favor to “Federalism?”

Federalism is a proposed type of government wherein sovereignty is constitutionally

divided between the national government and sub divisional governments (such as states or
provinces). Federalism divides the country into several autonomous states with a national
government (Dela Cruz, 2019). Just like what President Rodrigo R. Duterte said this new
system of government will benefit the entire country through its wealth and power sharing
feature.

The autonomous states are even further divided into local government units. They will
have the main responsibility over developing their local industries, public health and safety,
education, transportation, and culture. These states have more power over their finances,
policies, development plans, and laws. The United States, Switzerland, Germany and Australia,
Canada, India, Malaysia and Brazil are examples of countries with a federalist form of
government. In the past, the Philippines has had attempts at a reform towards a federal system
of government - during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, she
recommended federal decentralization as one of the goals of the proposed charter change.
However, the attempt failed because opposition from various sectors believes this reform was
used to extend her term limit.

Today, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte also introduce again to Filipino the federalism.
Duterte said he might not assure improved economic condition right away, but believes there
is a chance it would spread the country’s wealth and resources evenly among the regions. It
might help, it cannot guarantee prosperity immediately but it might help distribute the wealth
of the nation among the local units. He said federalism is “gaining ground” in the provinces
because they have always been lagging behind Metro Manila and other urban areas in terms of
development. However, he wanted political and economic power distributed to empower local
governments to help themselves by implementing their own measures to alleviate poverty.
Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno support the idea of the President.
According to Puno (2019), They divided the powers of government guided by the Filipino spirit
of bayanihan where both the federal government and the federated regions govern the people
less in competition but more in cooperation with one another and aligned with the maxim: the
welfare of the people is the supreme law.

As a student who is concern to our beloved country, I am in favor to federalism because

I believe citizens become more engaged in their government in a variety of ways when the
system of federalism is in place. Elected officials are closer to citizens to state official under
this system which means that people can easily reach a local office and express their opinions
without fear of judgment. When a government is closer to its people, it can provide a responsive
solution when there are citizen’s needs, emergency situations, and improvements that are
needed to the structure of the law. The example of why I support federalism is one of the
reasons why aid for Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria took longer to receive than states in
the continental 48. The local governments could distribute resources first instead of relying on
the national government like the island because of the availability of local resources. Federalism
allows communities and states to create their own policies, allowing people with ideological
differences or very strong disagreements to live in separate areas and to create their own
solutions or policies, which would be totally unacceptable to other people in other states or
regions of the country.

According to Wiseman (2018) Federalism is beneficial because it protects against

Tyranny. One of the most important points of federalism in dividing the power between the
national government and state governments, and spreading the national government’s power
among three branches that serve as a check and balance on each other, is that it serves as a
deterrent to tyranny and runaway power. The protections we have in our system against a
tyrannical, runaway government are one of the most important points to why the system was
designed the way it was.

Different communities have unique requirements that they must meet in order to
maximize their quality of life. Instead of requiring everyone to follow the same set of laws, this
system allows each community to create a foundation that works best to meet their needs in
each region. We will have a chance to embrace diversity as a culture, then it is an opportunity
to draw upon each of our strengths and enhance it to create something incredible.

The current government mandated by the 1987 Constitution isn’t helpful for the rest
of the country as the only prioritized region by the current centralized government is the
national capital, Manila. Where in, Manila is full of establishments, corporation and centers.
While other places in the country are still left unprioritized. Poor roads, fewer businesses, lack
of government services, etc. made the people from these areas leave their families and seek
hope by finding a good life in Manila.

Federalism is a small step and is not exactly the end of the world. If we want Federalism,
we need some serious changes of the government to suit federalism. Let the power distributed
equally so all regions will develop successfully and bring back its glory as the Pearl City of the
Orient.