Adoption of Federalism in PH: The Pros and Cons

Adoption of Federal system in the Philippines has constantly been a hot-button issue
since a number of scholars, including those who are in the governmental sectors and politics,
have proposed it.

Defining federalism per se, is a type of government system that entails the allocation of
power between the national government and regional/ provincial government (Baluyot, 2007).
Furthermore, this is a system of government that consists of division of power for central
authority and constituent political units. Masigan (2015) discussed this as a political system
where administrative powers are shared between the national government and its units. Abueva
(2005) connected Federalism to the principle of “dual sovereignty” that proposes the distribution
and sharing of governmental power, authority, functions, responsibility, and resources between
the national and regional units.

The definitions above clearly present an idea of centrifugal force that will drive to make a
particular local or regional unit to have its own system of ruling without the influence of other
units. Nevertheless, the big question is that: Is it advisable for a country like the Philippines to
adopt this kind of government system?

Before undertaking the reform from unitary to federal and presidential to parliamentary,
we should consider first its advantages and disadvantages. Hence, below are some pros and
cons of transforming a Federated Philippines.

ADVANTAGES

● It fosters Social Bond. According to Abueva (2005), one of the advantages of having a

federal system of government is that it ensures that government remains close to the
people because much attention will be given to their needs, especially to those who are
in remote areas, in view that regional units shall be given the power to make their own
decisions. This will ensure that people will have to perceive the administration with good
governance.
● Federal system provides Customized solution. Problems, both national and regional

issues, will have more specified solutions since decentralization of government units will
be pursued. In fact, Masigan (2015) noted that:

No one knows the political, economic and social problems of a region better than
the residents themselves. Federalism allows regional governments to devise the
most apt solutions to their unique problems. This is especially appropriate for the
Philippines given its 80 ethno-linguistic communities spread over 7,107 islands.

Since there are too many islands in the Philippines, it therefore means that there is
diversity in culture orientation, aspirations, preferences, and distinctiveness (Masigan,
2015). The good point is that, because of the noticeable heterogeneity throughout the
country, needs of people are better addressed if Federalism type of government is
adopted.

● Decentralization means Specialization. According to Masigan (2015), it promotes

specialization because since there is a division of power, the national government can
therefore concentrate on its national defense, international affairs, and country branding
without getting stuck because of regional issues. Apparently, the regional governments
can make their own decisions to specialize competences and industries that will
heighten their own economic progress.

The division of power and distribution of authority among regional and provincial
government units will further run a more specialized set of actions that is pertinent for the
development of an area. With that in mind, it would be a better idea if federalism is
implemented because more appropriate action mechanism from the leaders will
definitely give synergy in the improvement of governance. This can be clearly foreseen
because undue influence from the higher government unit is excluded in the plan.

● Federal Republic builds a just framework for the country’s diverse ethnoliguistic

and diverse elements. It allows fragmentation for cultural diversity while at the same
time promotes national interest. Ethnolinguistically, Filipino culture is really diverse. This

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 could be explained by the country's archipelagic characteristic which keeps the island
provinces isolated from one another (Palongpalong, n.d.). A Muslim Filipino and a
Christian Filipino, for example, have different perceptions about political issues and may
be completely conflicting. This is true with a Filipino from the North who might perceive a
lowlander different. But on a closer examination, this problem of ethnic differences and
perspectives is not really alarming, provided that it does not result in "movements" to
separate from the country like the secessionist movement in Mindanao (Palongpalong,
n.d.).

However, it is important to signalize that the perspective of the natives can be taken as
reflections of the effectiveness of national political integration. In a deep and further
looking at the picture, Federal system of government can also help to end the internal
conflicts brought by separatist movements in Mindanao since federalism will
accommodate their legitimate interests (Abueva, 2005).

● Federalism helps to broaden and deepen democracy. According to Abueva (2005),

democracy will be intensified if the government shall adopt the Federal type in the
Philippines. Division of power between the National government and States (Regional/
Provincial) will enable a particular government itself, political parties, private sectors, and
other institutions to bring about the constitutional promise regarding equal distribution of
human rights, a better life for all, a just and humane society, and creditworthy political
leadership (Abueva, 2015).

Despite of the advantages offered by the Federal Republic, if adopted, there are also some
detrimental consequences that may arise. Hence, here are some of the cons.

DISADVANTAGES

Federalism can yield duplication of government and contradicting policies in

different parts of the country (Baluyot, 2007). Because of the division of power and
decentralization of government units, there will be a total deviation of the rules followed
in each State. If the functions of the national government and regional government will
be separated, eventually there will be duplicity of functions. The confounding policies

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 among the regional government units might confuse the people about abiding these. To
say so, there will be policies in Northern Luzon that are not applicable to other States.
National integrity of the Filipinos will gradually lose because of the differences.

● A federal setup can lead to inequality between the states and can result to

unhealthy competition and rivalry between them (Baluyot, 2007; Palongpalong, n.d.).
There is no denying that the provinces here in the Philippines are raggedly supplied with
natural human resources. To draw the argument, if one province with relatively small
annual revenues turns self-supporting, the gross in absolute terms will remain small if
compared to developed provinces with natural resources (Palongpalong, n.d.). Those
blessed with natural resources will create wealth faster than those without.
Therefore, there will be an unequal development.

● Federalism can be divisive (Masigan, 2015). Decentralization of government units

means promotion of regional loyalties rather than national fealties. So this means that
the probability of a certain region to rebel against the national government is raised.

The central point of Federalism is to achieve national progress while regarding diversities.
As mentioned above, a Federal setup is placed in double-edged sword wherein it can work for
us or against us. The discussions mentioned above are presented to help us achieve for a more
effective and responsive governmental system. Despite of the foregoing pros and cons
arguments, at the end of the day, the challenge is not the federal system per se, but the
type of leadership steering the ship of a Federal Republic, if possibly adopted.

References:

Abueva, Jose V. (2005). Some Advantages of Federalism and Parliamentary Government for

the Philippines. Retrieved from <www.aceproject.org>

Baluyot, Lea. (2007). Advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism. Retrieved from

<www.bpspolitics.wordpress.com>

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Masigan, Andrew James. (2015). The pros and sons of Federalism. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved

from <http://www.mb.com.ph>

Palongpalong, Artemio D. The Pro and Con Arguments on Federalism. Retrieved from

<http://asj.upd.edu.ph>

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