Coming soon: The battle for federalism

One of the biggest changes coming to the Philippines is the proposal by presumptive President Davao City Mayor Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte to push for a shift from our present unitary form of government and into a federal form of governance. This proposal has now been officially adopted by the PDP-Laban political party that is expected to take over the legislature from the Liberal Party.

On hand to help educate the Filipino people on the benefits of this shift into a federal form of governant is former Senator Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr. who revealed last week that this federal form of government would see the retention of the current congressional districts. But the change will happen with the election of 66 Senators to represent the 11 Federal States, where he sees four Federal States in Luzon, Four in the Visayas and Three in Mindanao.

However, last Monday, Senators Franklin Drilon and Senator Ralph Recto issued a pronouncement that made its way into the banner headlines of the Philippine Star that "federalism is a touch sell." I reckon that these two senators would throw a monkey wrench into the proposal of Mayor Duterte to push for this shift from a unitary form into a federal form of government. In short, the battle for federalism has begun!

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No matter how President Benigno "PNoy" Aquino III make a boast that the economy has grown during his six years in office, but for as long as this economic growth is not being felt with the people living in that vicious cycle of poverty, no one would give him a pat in the back. Indeed, under his watch, the rich have become richer and the poor has become poorer. Our major indicator is Forbes Magazine where the rich Filipinos are now featured in the top 100 of the world's richest men.

What's our indicator that the poor has become poorer? Just drive around the streets of Cebu City and you will find many beggars sleeping on the sidewalks. Most notable are the streets along Juana Osmeña Street and Gotianuy Street beside the Foodarama Supermarket near the Redemptorist church where beggars converge almost on a daily basis. This brings us to the question what is the Department of Social Welfare and Development doing about this? We have heard the DSWD come up with their much-ballyhooed Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Programs or the conditional cash transfer programs, which is supposedly aimed at reducing the poverty levels. But in the end, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and when I see a lot of poor beggars on our streets, I can only see something wrong with our system, which unfortunately has not improved during the term of PNoy.

Incidentally, we read a news report that eleven street kids were rescued in Barangay Mabalo. They were found sniffing rugby (the poor man's drug) that brings these kids out of their present reality and into some kind of fantasy within their minds. At this point, I dare Barangay Captain Rey Ompoc to find out where are the parents of these kids. From what I heard from the press interview of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte, he will not arrest these kids, but have their parents arrested instead.

Now while presumptive President Digong Duterte has not taken his oath as president, it is incumbent for our barangay officials to search their respective barangays of the parents of rugby boys. So that they can take custody of their children before the DSWD takes custody of their kids. But when the Duterte administration takes power, it will be those irresponsible parents who will feel the brunt of the change that is to come.

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Speaking of change, change has come to Mandaue City when the Mandaue City Police Office apprehended some 40 motorcycles many of them, without proper documents and all of them having illegally installed mufflers. Actually you should not be calling them mufflers because technically mufflers muffle the noise emanating from the motorcycle's exhaust pipes. Rather these are straight pipes, which no longer muffle the noise of the engine. I'm glad that Senior Superintendent Jonathan Cabal, MCPO Director, ordered the destruction of these devices that increase the decibel release of these small motorcycles.

I just wish that they would also do this in Cebu City, or better make this a metro-wide campaign to reduce noise pollution. Actually the owners of these small motorcycles put in those modified exhaust systems in order to increase their tiny horsepower but end up making unbearable noise instead. If power is what these people want, then they can upgrade their motorcycles to bigger engines many of which are available in the market today.

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