Lagman: Only 4 regions can operate under federal system

MANILA, Philippines — Amid the renewed push for federalism, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said yesterday that the time to shift to this system of government “has not come” as only four of the country’s 17 regions have the capacity to operate as a federal state.

He identified these capable regions as Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Southern Luzon and Metro Cebu.

Lagman said in a statement that while he is open to discuss federalism, “the time for its adoption has not come, considering the various adverse economic factors that currently pummel the economy.”

“The shift to federalism shall remain a gratuitous soundbite so long as most local government units (LGUs) are destitute of fiscal autonomy,” the lawmaker stressed.

He warned that federalism would “waylay the development and progress of the other regions.”

“Any talk on federalism must first be geared towards the full implementation of the Garcia-Mandanas Supreme Court ruling which granted LGUs their belated rightful share in customs and tariff revenues,” Lagman pointed out.

He noted that Executive Order 138, issued by former president Rodrigo Duterte, “unfortunately sequestered the bonanza to LGUs by mandating that devolved services like the construction of irrigation systems and school buildings must be funded from the LGUs’ additional revenues.”

He continued saying that many of these LGUs do not have the capacity and the funds to undertake the devolved projects and programs.

“It is well that President Marcos partially suspended the implementation of EO 138 but, more than a temporary suspension, it must be repealed or abrogated to afford the LGUs the full discretion on the utilization of their funds consistent with the allocation ratio provided for in the Local Government Code,” Lagman suggested.

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, House committee on constitutional amendment chairman, welcomed the renewed push for federalism, but cautioned that this would require a Charter change.?He underscored that Marcos’ efforts toward federalism would “fall short of desired results if these are not done within the federal system of government enshrined in the Constitution.”

“There should be an appropriate constitutional framework for his federalism goal,” the Cagayan de Oro representative said.

He added that if Marcos is really bent on federalism, he should work on it during his second year in office as he “has enough political and popular support to do it successfully, and make history.”

Previous Charter amendment efforts, he recalled, failed because the sitting administrations tried it toward the end of their term in office.

“People suspected the outgoing leaders of attempting to prolong their tenure. That killed the effort,” he said.

Cha-cha

House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro dismissed the renewed push as nothing but an excuse to resurrect Charter change (Cha-cha).

“If we are to look back at the past administration, it also only used the cover of federalism to push for Cha-cha. But what it contained was the institutionalization of provisions that are self-serving and anti-people while granting president Rodrigo Duterte dictatorial powers,” Castro said in a statement.

She noted that Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 8 is “anti poor because it opens up the country and the economy to foreigners, big mining firms and transnational corporations and deletes provisions on agrarian reform, industrialization, security of tenure for workers, rights of the urban poor and other social, economic and cultural rights.”

“Cha-cha is not really about federalism but the exacerbation of the system of repression and exploitation of the Filipino people. This Cha-cha and its con-ass (constitutional assembly) must be opposed even by those who support federalism,” Castro added.

Castro maintained that “federalism is just a cover to institutionalize anti-people provisions in the Constitution.”