MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang remains optimistic that Congress will pass a measure amending the constitution and adopting a federal type of government even if is not among the priorities of the Senate.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III previously said his chamber has no time to tackle bills on federalism, saying the priority is the proposed 2019 national budget. He stressed that a controversial issue like charter change should not be rushed.
Asked in a radio interview Sunday if he thinks a federalism law would be enacted within President Rodrigo Duterte's term, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said: "Kaya lahat 'yan kung may political will (everything is possible if there is political will)."
Panelo said while Duterte has been advocating the shift to federalism, Congress has the final say on the matter.
"It's the call of Congress. If they believe in the president, they will perform their duty and continue what they started," he added.
In his State of the Nation Address in July, Duterte said was confident that Filipinos "will stand behind us as we introduce this new fundamental law that will not only strengthen our democratic institutions, but will also create an environment where every Filipino—regardless of social status, religion, or ideology—will have an equal opportunity to grow and create a future that he or she can proudly bequeath to the succeeding generations."
The Palace also admitted in July that more work needs to be done to promote the shift to federalism, one of Duterte's major campaign promises. A consultative committee that Duterte created to study amendments to the 1987 Constitution has submitted a draft proposal for a new charter but the campaign has slowed down since then.
Panelo said Sunday it is not surprising that the Senate would prioritize the passage of the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget.
"They said it (charter change) is not a priority. That is not unusual because the approval of the national budget has a deadline. Otherwise, we will operate under a reenacted budget," the presidential spokesman said.
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Officials have expressed concern that a reenacted budget could delay the implementation of key government projects.
Duterte has warned that failure to adopt federalism could worsen the conflict in Mindanao and strengthen the recruitment of extremists who exploit the issues raised by radical Muslims in the south.
The president has argued that the unitary form of government was introduced by Philippine colonizers and has resulted in the concentration of power in Manila and underdevelopment of parts of Mindanao.