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PROVINCIAL GOVERNORS BACK ADOPTION OF FEDERAL SYSTEM The League of Provinces has thrown its full support behind the proposed adoption of a federal system of government, taking a frontline role in holding a series of roadshows nationwide to raise public consciousness about the merits of federalizing the republic. “Yes, we are for federalism because we want to chart our destiny. We want to stand by our own feet. We want to do our journey. All we want from you is to give us that chance and the tools and the map,” declared Misamis Occidental Governor Loreto Leo Ocampos, national president of the League of Provinces. Ocampos spelled out the league’s stand on the raging debate over the move to replace the existing highly-centralized unitary system with a federal system of government during the launching of the book “Federalizing the Philippines: a Primer,” authored by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. at the Padilla Room, Senate building in Pasay City . He said the 494-page factbook is “so timely” because it will shed light on the journey towards greater autonomy and more efficient local governance. “It will also remove the fear of the unknown to those people who are in the dark and don’t have the sufficient information,” the Misamis Occidental governor said. Members of the Senate (Juan Ponce Enrile, Loren Legarda and Jinggoy Estrada), House of Representatives (Faysah Dumarpa, Rufus Rodriguez, Edelmiro Amante), other local government executives (Speaker Paisalin Tago of the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly and Bataan Governor Exequiel Garcia), leaders of non-government organizations involved in the federalism movement and heads of academic institutions and some members of the diplomatic corps graced the book’s launching. Commending the League of Provinces for its initiative in teaming up with federalism proponents in organizing the roadshow during the congressional break, Pimentel said: “We believe this idea of federalism must be discussed in the presence of the people so that they will understand what is it that we are espousing. Otherwise, this will remain a concept that is not understood by our people and can be ignored over the years.” Pimentel has spearheaded the filing of Joint Resolution 10 which calls for the convening of Congress into a Constituent Assembly to amend the 1987 Constitution and lay the groundwork for a federal system. The proposal aims to speed up the development of the entire nation and help dissipate the causes of insurgency throughout the land, particularly the centuries-old Moro rebellion. Resolution 10 envisions the creation of 11 component federal states out of the existing regions and the conversion of Metro Manila into a federal administrative region. In his remarks at the book launching, Pimentel said federalism does not mean fragmentation of the country. “We are creating centers of development and power in addition to the one existing in Metro Manila – so that instead of only one center of power and development, we will have 12 different power centers,” he said. Pimentel explained that the dispersal of the vast powers in the hands of the central government to the highly autonomous federal states will break up the monopoly of power by the so-called Imperial Manila. In backing the federalism proposal, Sen. Enrile observed that “most of the economic development is being done at the periphery of imperial Manila to the detriment of the ramparts of the country.” “If we have to divide our country into several political entities and involve the minds and leadership of the local people in developing their own areas according to their best lights and the problems of these areas, I think we will propel this country to faster growth never before seen by our people,” the senator from Cagayan Valley said. Admitting he has had many differences with Pimentel over many issues, Enrile told the latter: “I am your apostle, I am your disciple. I support your idea of federalism.” “My only difference with him is the division of the states that will compose the federal republic is too big for me. I would rather suggest to hasten the onset of federalism in the country, we have to convert the existing regional groupings into federal states and define the powers that will be exercised by each state as against those of the central government,” he said. Lanao del Sur Rep. Faysah Dumarpa said federalism offers an opportunity for Mindanao to embrace its independence without necessarily cutting the umbilical cord that ties it to the motherland. “Federalism promises to recognize an independent Mindanao even as it preserves the fabric of our nation, to embrace the diversity and distinctiveness of the multi-ethnic origins of our people and to weave such diverse threads into a single fabric of national consciousness,” Dumarpa said in a speech delivered in her behalf by her husband, Commissioner Salic Dumarpa. In the same occasion, Agusan del Norte Rep. Edelmiro Amante recited a six-stanza poem, entitled “The Metaphor of Federalism” which he himself composed. The third and fourth stanzas of the poem read: “We must now take the bold step to correct The historic blunder of America , Who implanted a system of governance in our land So different from her own, That institutionalized instead centrality To make Manila an Imperial City, While those in distant and far islands Wear the enlarged image of poverty. “Please plant the seeds of federalism in your heart now So that the Philippines will grow vibrantly, For so nourished by those who know its meaning wholeheartedly, Such as the unfalling rain To eventually quench the country’s thirst away. Date: June 27, 2008 |
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