FILE PHOTO: Robin Padilla. (Photo from Robin Padilla’s Facebook page)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Robinhood Padilla on Thursday filed a resolution reviving the push for the country’s “shift to federalism and a parliamentary government,” an ambitious move most likely to be challenged by a variety of factors that may prevent the country from embracing it.
In Resolution No. 6, Padilla lamented how the country’s economic growth has been “largely centralized” in Metro Manila and its surrounding areas such as Central Luzon and Calabarzon, the regions viewed with resentment in the Visayas and Mindanao because of resentment stemming from perceived neglect by the national government.
The 1987 Constitution, he claimed, is a “stumbling block” in the way of equitable economic growth, an issue raised previously by federalists but stymied by Congress’ disinterest, the public’s apathy, and general public skepticism.
Padilla’s Resolution No. 6 urges the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, which he chairs, to study the 1987 Constitution and introduce modifications.
The committee did a similar study on Charter change during the 18th Congress.
“While sovereign Filipino people promulgated the Constitution to build a just and humane society, it is unfortunate that after 35 years from its effectivity, we have yet to attain a ‘just and humane society,'” he said in his resolution.
The neophyte senator said it is time to consider federalism, so policy-making and legislation will ” reflect the concerns of our various geographical regions.”
A federal government, Padilla said, will decentralize government powers and provide a long-term response to political and economic inequality, inequitable access to the delivery of goods and services, and undue distribution of government resources.
He added that shifting to a parliamentary system will also provide political stability that would prevent an unconstitutional or divisive way of removing a head of government, such as a coup or “mob rule.”
He also pointed out that it is time to take a closer look at economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution, particularly its restrictions on foreign equity in natural resources, public utilities, build-operate-transfer projects, and mass media, among others.
Reviving the push for a federal form of government is one o of Padilla’s senatorial campaign promises.
He is a known supporter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who also pushed for a shift to federal governance.
Duterte ultimately gave up on the idea himself, admitting that it is “not accepted” by most Filipinos.
READ: Duterte concedes: Most Filipinos don’t want federalism