Federalism will heal RP, foreign legal experts say

Asian and European legal experts agreed yesterday that federalism will "heal" the nation.

Discussing federalism with Filipino officials at an international conference on federalism and multiculturalism held at a Makati hotel yesterday, the legal luminaries said changing the country’s form of government from a presidential to a parliamentary federal system will propel the Philippines towards progress.

"Federalism will heal the country’s political problems and bring about economic stability, end insurgency and rebellion in Mindanao, address graft and corruption, and solve the problem of poverty as well," the legal experts said.

Swiss Ambassador Lise Favre said stability, especially political stability, is the best way to attract investments to the country.

"It is always the best way," she told newsmen in a press briefing held in between the conference to explain how federalism will work.

Prof. Thomas Fleiner of the University of Fribourge, Switzerland’s Institute on Federalism, said local autonomy will empower the country.

Switzerland used to be very poor, but because of effective governance, it has prospered, he said, which could also happen to the Philippines.

The best way to stop graft and corruption is strong decentralization of power and finances by making local or regional government directly accountable to the people, Fleiner said.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., one of the speakers at the conference, said the powers of local governments are just a fraction of the powers of regional government in a federal system.

"These powers are so awesome in federal states," said Pimentel, author of the Local Government Code.

Pimentel said the idea of adopting a federal form of government is not for President Arroyo alone to decide, since it would require the ratification of the people.

"It is not for Gloria, it’s for the people," he said.

Pimentel said senators opposing a parliamentary system of government do not understand the idea, accusing the Senate of standing in the way of progress.

"Federalism is a way of unifying and bringing the nation together," he said. "No federal government has ever led to the breakup of any nation."

Pimentel rejected the idea of letting foreigners meddle with the proposed rewriting of the Constitution.

Former University of the Philippines president Jose Abueva, Consultative Commission on Charter Change Chairman, said federalism will reinvent the way the country solves its national issues.

"These will be taken away (from regional governments)," he said. "Now they will all be national government functions. But for the national government to perform this, we have to overhaul also our tax system."

He said the following will be the national government’s concern under a federal system:

• Agriculture and fisheries;

• Peace and order, energy, environment and natural resources;

• Trade industry and tourism;

• Labor and employment;

• Public works;

• Consultation and communication, health and basic education; and

• Language, culture and the arts.

Presidential adviser on the peace process Rene Sarmiento said federalism will also solve the insurgency problem in Mindanao and bring the conflict towards harmony.

Yesterday’s international conference on federalism and multiculturalism sponsored by the Swiss Embassy was meant to show how federalism would raise the Philippines to new heights.