Proposed gov’t shift: ‘Federal but still presidential’

Supporters of President Duterte march on Edsa in a near confrontation with activists protesting the Duterte administration’s push for Charter change. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

The Consultative Committee (Concom) formed by President Rodrigo Duterte to study and recommend amendments to the 1987 Constitution voted in favor of a federal-presidential form of government.

At its en banc session on Tuesday at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila, the Concom, which was described as just a recommendatory body by leaders of the House of Representatives, voted in favor of federal-presidential over the semi-presidential model of federalism similar to France’s.

The Concom chair, former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, voted in favor of federal-presidential.

Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, dean of the San Beda Graduate School of Law, was the lone advocate of the British model.

Familiar to Filipinos

Puno supported the federal-presidential system, echoing arguments made by several members that Filipinos were already familiar with the presidential system and a stronger executive was needed if there would be a shift from a unitary to a federal form of government.

The federal setup, Puno said, was challenging as it would require the creation of regional governments from scratch, unlike in the United States where states were already existing prior to federation.

Puno said he thought the pure parliamentary system, or British model backed by Aquino, would require further reforms in the country’s political system and strengthening of political parties. The British elect members of parliament who, in turn, choose the prime minister and members of Cabinet.

“We would be incurring lots of risks if we are to experiment on it,” Puno said.

Puno said he was also “not prepared to gamble” on the
semi-presidential system where executive power is shared by the president and prime minister.

‘Cohabitation’

Other Concom members also criticized the semi-presidential model because of “cohabitation,” or the president and prime minister belonging to opposing political parties which could lead to deadlocks and frequent dissolution of parliament.

But advocates of the semi-presidential system, Professors Edmund Tayao and Julio Teehankee, said the system would avoid concentration of political power in one person.

The Concom would resume its session on March 5. —Jerome Aning