Shift to federalism is political swindling, says Joma

Communist leader Jose Maria Sison and President Rodrigo Duterte. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS)

LUCENA CITY — Junking the 1987 Constitution to pave the way for federalism as being pushed by allies of President Duterte is “political swindling,” Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison said on Wednesday.

“Duterte and his cohorts are engaged in political swindling when they say that federalism is the cure to all the big problems of the Philippines,” Sison said in a statement.

He maintained that whatever form of government the Philippines has, “the rottenness of the semicolonial and semifeudal ruling system under US imperialism and the local exploiting classes will persist.”

Sison accused Mr. Duterte and his allies in Congress of paving the way to a “fascist dictatorship or one-man rule” by pushing for the amendment of the Constitution through a constituent assembly that would adopt federalism.

Sison said the powers of government under the proposed federal system would be “overconcentrated in the hands of Duterte on top of regional governments run by big compradors, landlords, corrupt bureaucrats and warlords like him.”