Lawmakers push for shift to unicameral federalism

MANILA, Philippines - Administration lawmakers are pushing for a shift to federalism with a unicameral Congress, saying it is about time the government gives up the presidential system whose bicameral legislature has been marred with gridlocks.

Prospective speaker Pantaleon Alvarez is optimistic that President Duterte’s proposed shift to federalism may finally end the conflict in war-torn Mindanao.

“Federalism will allow the autonomous regions to realize their full economic potentials as self-governing units that are directly answerable to their respective constituents. The key word is divergence,” Alvarez said.
He said federalism – which they will be pushing in the incoming 17th Congress – might achieve for the Philippines inclusive economic growth that would help reduce poverty in urban population centers and the countryside.

Neophyte congressman L-Ray Villafuerte of Camarines Sur said the major impediment to industrial and agricultural development in the provinces could be attributed to the presidential set-up, wherein only “imperial Manila” gets control of the wealth.

“Successive credit rating upgrades by international agencies and a high GDP growth rate of 6.9 percent in the first quarter are meaningless to millions of families in the regions who haven’t felt the tangible benefits of our fast-expanding economy,” he said, referring to the gross domestic product.

The former Bicolano governor said one key factor in ensuring that economic growth would be felt in the countryside is to shift to the federal system of government.