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Reflection On Federalism in The Philippines

1) The document discusses the issue of changing the Philippine government from a unitary to a federal system. 2) Federalism would divide the country into autonomous states that have more control over policies, finances, and development, but it could also increase division and unhealthy competition between states. 3) While federalism may help some provinces develop faster, others may develop more slowly without support from the national government.

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74 views2 pages

Reflection On Federalism in The Philippines

1) The document discusses the issue of changing the Philippine government from a unitary to a federal system. 2) Federalism would divide the country into autonomous states that have more control over policies, finances, and development, but it could also increase division and unhealthy competition between states. 3) While federalism may help some provinces develop faster, others may develop more slowly without support from the national government.

Uploaded by

Cha
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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As a youth, I think it is important to be vigilant when it comes to national issues.

We have to
be aware of issues and problems that may affect us in the near future. One of the pressing issues of
our country is the changing our type of government. As a youth, where do I stand, as a Filipino
citizen, in this national issue of whether in favor or not in approving the newly proposed type of
government?

It is important to understand the definition of federalism. Federalism is a type of


government wherein sovereignty is constitutionally divided between the national government and
sub divisional governments (such as states or provinces). Federalism divides the country into
several autonomous states with a national government. The autonomous states are even further
divided into local government units. They will have the main responsibility over developing their
local industries, public health and safety, education, transportation, and culture. These states have
more power over their finances, policies, development plans, and laws.

Federalism in the Philippines has its own pros and cons. These are the reasons why Filipinos
are divided in their opinions regarding Federalism. Firstly, under a federal government, states are
empowered to make their own decisions. They no longer need to rely on the central government to
decide for them. Decentralization in the Philippines would allow states to keep more of their
income to themselves. They do not have to rely on collecting real estate tax and business permit
fees - 80% of their total earned income stays, while only 20% goes back to the national government.
This means that states are able to channel their own income for their own development, creating
policies and programs suitable for them without having to wait for the national government to
approve. It's possible for federalism to promote specialization and competition. The states are now
better able to nurture their individual strengths and selling points because the people who have the
decisions and funding are the people who are personally involved in the state's development.
Federalism can be a possible solution to the Mindanao conflict.

The first problem the Philippines would have to iron out would be the overlaps in
jurisdiction. There is always a chance that it will bring more division than unity in the Philippines. It
can arise from more than just increased hostility between ethnic groups - competition between
states can quickly become unhealthy and can lead to the regionalism that is currently already
challenging the unity of the country. Moreover, development of the states in a federal form of
government might not even work at all. Some states may not be as gifted or as ready for autonomy
as others. A major concern is that while some states may progress faster, the converse is also true
because other states may devolve faster as well - even more so without a national government to
back them up.

YES, Federalism has its good side. It can improve the status of one province. It may be a help
of a national progress. The state would be responsible for its own improvement. The state has the
sole power to divide the tax of its constituents to the different needs of the place. We can monitor
the progress we are making. Without the national government meddling, the local government can
allocate its fund to the needs and problems that aren’t looked into or the national government
don’t give that much attention. A system that allowed lower levels of administration greater
autonomy in addressing local problems would arguably enable them to respond more effectively to
the needs of their constituencies. The Philippines has functioned under a unitary, presidential
system of government.  But it has failed to meet expectations for a government that could provide
the effective and equitable delivery of public goods and services, maintain the rule of law, control
corruption, and protect democratic and human rights, including the people’s right to take part in
policymaking and to hold public officials accountable for their actions. These may be the reasons
why our present administration is pushing for a change of government.

NO is my stand to the changing of our type of government, from a unitary type to


federalism. Budget and fiscal autonomy have been a long-standing issue among local government
units (LGUs) in the country. The Philippines, our country, is still a developing country. We don’t have
enough funds or budgets to accommodate pressing issues and problems in our country. If we are
going to change our type of government to federalism, it still requires funds. Some economic
experts in our country said that we will spend still spend lots of money in changing the type of
government. In the Philippines, there are some states that are probably not as ready to be
autonomous compared to other states, which would create a lot of problems. Probably, there are
states or provinces that may lack natural resources and skilled laborers – under a federal
government would be in worse condition than before because the national government would not
be there to balance the situation and help out with their predicaments.

I think that changing our type of government shouldn’t be the issue that we should ponder
on. We still have lots of problems to give solutions to. Changing the type of government won’t solve
the present problems we have. Our government should focus more on the agriculture that we have
in our country. We have the resources that may help us improve the current situation of our
country. The current inflation rate in the Philippines is very alarming. We keep on focusing on the
industrialization and now, our agriculture is lagging behind.

Federalism does not guarantee decentralization. Decentralization can be achieved within a


unitary state. If decentralization efforts in the Philippines are failing to yield the expected benefits,
it is not because of its unitary political structure.

I firmly stand on negating the change of the type of our government because I believe that
our country isn’t ready for this change yet. The rich becomes richer and the poor is still poor. At the
end of every political or economic discourse, the fate of a nation can only be dictated by its people.

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