Ex-CHED commissioner calls for shift to federalism, says current gov't type not 'best'
Former Commission on Higher Education Commissioner Alex Brillantes, Jr. on Sept. 25 said the current type of government is not the "best" for the Philippines and that the shift to federalism is a search for the "appropriate government structures."
“When we talk about changing government, it is part of our continuing search for appropriate political administrative structures. In other words, what we have today is not the best, what we have today is not acceptable, what we have today has to be improved upon,” Brillantes said.
Federalism has a "stylized continuum of decentralization" where powers are distributed from the national government to the local government units (LGU) which will give them autonomy and will encourage more people participation in governance, he said.
Despite the favorable aspects of federalism, Brillantes acknowledged the problems that could arise from it, saying it might encourage feudal systems with warlords and political dynasties ruling over the government.
Brillantes said LGUs should have "safe guards" if the country is to shift to federalism to secure that they will not demand for compelete independence. He also said it should be written in the constitution that the autonomous regions are prohibited from separating from the rest of the Philippines, saying that they might have the tendency to use federalism as "grounds for separation."
The autonomy that will be granted to the LGUs will encourage interdependence among local governments and will give them assurance that the programs of the national government are given based on what they need, Brillantes said.
"We need inter-local cooperation to achieve common purposes such as addressing certain functions [such] as [the] responsibilities of local governments," he added.
Brillantes said he favors federalism because it is more immediate and responsive but said good governmental structure is not enough for a country to work well that is why people should elect "more responsive [and] more conscientious legislators."
The conference titled "Federalism and Strengthening Institution in the Philippines" was held at the University of Santo Tomas Miguel de Benavides auditorium, hosted by The Political Science Forum. Dyane Y. Diasanta with reports from Shana Angela Cervania