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Some candidates in the 2016 national elections have been vocal about their

support for federalism.

Presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte, and vice presidential bets Alan Peter

Cayetano (his running mate) and Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr, in particular,

have been championing it.

Supporters of federalism say it will evenly distribute wealth across the country

instead of the bulk going to "imperial" Manila. Detractors, like presidential

candidate Grace Poe, say it will further entrench political dynasties in the regions

and create confusion over responsibilities.

Read on to find out more about federalism and its perceived advantages and

disadvantages.

What is federalism?

It is a form of government where sovereignty is constitutionally shared between a

central governing authority and constituent political units called states or regions.

In basic terms, it will break the country into autonomous regions with a national

government focused only on interests with nationwide bearing: foreign policy and

defense, for example.

The autonomous regions or states, divided further into local government units,

will have primary responsibility over developing their industries, public safety,

education, healthcare, transportation, recreation, and culture. These states will

have more power over their finances, development plans, and laws exclusive to

ther jurisdiction.

The central government and states can also share certain powers.

How is it different from what we have now?

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We presently have a unitary form of government. Most administrative powers and

resources are with the national government based in Metro Manila. It's

Malacañang that decides how much to give local government units. The process

is prone to abuse, with governors and mayors sometimes having to beg

Malacañang for projects they believe their communities need.

How local government units spend their budget has to be approved by the

national government.

In federalism, the states will have the power to make these decisions with little or

no interference from the national government.

Examples of federal countries: United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, India,

Malaysia.

PROS

Locals decide for themselves.Regions have their own unique problems, situations,

geographic, cultural, social and economic contexts. Federalism allows them to create solutions to

their own problems instead of distant Metro Manila deciding for them.

The states can establish policies that may not be adopted nationwide. For

example, liberal Metro Manila can allow same-sex marriage which the state of

Bangsamoro, predominantly Muslim, would not allow. In the United States, some

states like Colorado and Washington have legalized recreational marijuana evenif other states have not.

This makes sense in an archipelago of over 7,000 islands and 28 dominant

ethnic groups. For decades, the national government has been struggling to

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address the concerns of 79 (now 81) provinces despite challenges posed by

geography and cultural differences.

With national government, and thus power, centered in Metro Manila, it's no

surprise that development in the mega city has spiralled out of control while other

parts of the country are neglected.

More power over funds, resources.Right now, local government units can only collect real

estate tax and business permit fees. In federalism, they can retain more of their income and arerequired to turn over only a portion to the state government they fall under.

Thus, local governments and state governments can channel their own fundstoward their own development instead of the bulk of the money going to the

national government. They can spend the money on programs and policies they

see fit without waiting for the national government's go signal.

Promotes specialization. The national and state governments can specialie in different

 policy domains. !ith most administrative powers now with the regional governments, the

national government can focus on foreign policy, defense, and other nationwide concerns, li"ehealthcare and taxation.

States have more autonomy to focus on economic development using their core

competencies and industries. The state of Central Luzon can focus on becoming

an agricultural hub. The state of Mimaropa, home to Palawan, can choose to use

eco-tourism as its primary launch pad.

Possible solution to the Mindanao conflict.The creation of the state of

Bangsamoro within a federalist system may address concerns of separatists who

crave more autonomy over the administration of Muslim Mindanao.

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Decongestion of Metro Manila.Through fiscal autonomy for state governments, federalism

will more evenly distribute the country#s wealth. In $%&', (') of the national budget went toMetro Manila even if it represents only &*) of the +hilippine population.

Lessens dependence on Metro Manila. !hen there is political upheaval in Metro Manila,

other regions that have nothing to do with the chain of events are left waiting for the resources

that ony the national government can release. !ith federalism, regions wor" independently ofMetro Manila for most concerns.

Brings government closer to the people. If detractors say federalism will only ma"e local political dynasties more powerful, supporters give the argument that, in fact, it will ma"e alllocal leaders, including those part of political dynasties, more accountable to their constituents.

tate governments will no longer have any excuse for delays in services or pro-ects that, in the

 present situation, are often blamed on cho"ing bureaucracy in Manila.

Assuming more autonomy for regions leads to economic development, there will

be more incentive for Filipinos to live and work in regions outside Metro Manila.

More investors may also decide to put up their businesses there, creating more

 jobs and opportunities to attract more people away from the jam-packed mega

city.

Encourages competition. !ith states now more selfreliant and in control of their

development, they will -udge themselves relative to how their fellow states are progressing. The

competitive spirit will hopefully motivate state leaders and citiens to level up in terms of quality

of life, economic development, progressive policies, and governance.

CONS

Possibly divisive. /ealthy competition among states can become alienating 0 creating rivalries

and promoting the regionalism that some say already challenges the sense of unity in the country.It could enflame hostilities between ethnic groups in the country li"e Tagalogs, 1ebuanos,

2icolanos, Ilocanos, Tausugs, and 3amboangue4os.

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neven development among states.ome states may not be as ready for autonomy as

others. ome states may not be as rich in natural resources or s"illed labor as others. tates withgood leaders will progress faster while states with ineffective ones will degrade more than ever

 because national government will not be there to balance them out.

But in some federal countries, the national government doles out funds to help

poorer states. A proposed Equalization Fund will use a portion of tax from rich

states to be given to poorer states.

!onfusing overlaps in "urisdiction.!here does the responsibility of state governments end

and where does the responsibility of the national government begin5 6nless these are very

clearly stated in the amended 1onstitution, ambiguities may arise, leading to conflict and

confusion. For instance, in times of disaster, what is the division of responsibilities between state

and national governments5

May not satisfy separatists in Mindanao. eparatists are calling for their own country,

not -ust a state that still belongs to a larger federal +hilippines. Federalism may not be enough for 

them. 7fter all, the conflict continues despite the creation of the 7utonomous Region in MuslimMindanao.

How the Philippines would look when federal

In some proposals, there will be 10 or 11 autonomous states. Senator Aquilino

Pimentel Jr envisioned 11 states plus the Federal Administrative Region of Metro

Manila.

Here's how the Philippines will look like as laid out in Pimentel's 2008 Joint

Resolution Number 10.

Cost of federalism

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Shifting to federalism won't come cheap. It would entail billions of pesos to set up

state governments and the delivery of state services. States will then have to

spend for the elections of their officials.

Attempts at federalism in PH

There was an attempt during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal

Arroyo. One of her campaign promises was to reform the 1987 Constitution.

A consultative commission she created recommended federalism as one of thegoals of the proposed charter change. But the attempt failed because of

opposition from various sectors who believed Arroyo wanted to use the reform to

extend her term limit.

(Note that shifting to a federal government does not necessarily mean an

extension of term limits for the sitting president. Such an extension would only

take place in a shift to a parliamentary government.)

In 2008, Pimentel Jr and Bacolod City Representative Monico Puentevella filed

 joint resolutions to convene Congress into a constituent assembly with the goal of

amending the constitution to establish a federal form of government. –

Rappler.com