Local Conversation on Federalism
Iligan Local officials, representatives participated in federalism RTD

HSF

Nearly twenty local elected officials, representatives from the office of the City Mayor and from the government’s line agencies, including its information network, joined a roundtable discussion (RTD) on federalism in Iligan City entitled, “Possible Shift of the Philippines to a Federal System of Government.” Held in the morning of 06 August 2019, the activity was organised with the help of the Office of the Iligan City Mayor by the Pimentel Institute for Leadership and Governance (PILG) to contribute to further dissemination of information on federalism.

Basic concepts of federalism and the Bayanihan Federal Constitution were explained by two speakers – one, a member and the other, a Technical Assistant of the erstwhile Consultative Committee formed by the Office of the President – both of whom had, in their capacities, contributed to the drafting of the Bayanihan Federal Constitution in 2018. 

The speakers presented information on the Draft Charter that helped to manage the expectations and address the fears expressed by the participants.  The participants were thusly provided a clear idea of the considerations – such as the bases for the computation of the percentage sharing of revenue – made by the Consultative Committee in the drafting of the Bayanihan Federal Constitution, so that they gained a deeper understanding of how the particular provisions were decided upon.  

HSF

The participants appreciated the detailed presentation by the main speaker and welcomed the chance to have a close discussion and exchange with her along with the other speakers.  Their questions revolved around revenue sharing, looking specifically into taxation and the powers related to income generation. 

There was an expressed concern that political dynasties will continue to exist and hinder the anticipated development possibilities that could be opened by the country’s adoption of a federal system of government.  Even as it had become clear to the participants that the dynasties’ existence in the country may or may not be directly related to its system of government, it was a concern that nevertheless overshadowed the discussion and continued to be a deterrent for several in supporting the country’s adoption of a federal system of government.

The RTD afforded the participants the chance to have a deeper discussion of the topic amongst less than twenty persons.  They observed a general lack of awareness amongst the people about federalism and about the Bayanihan Federal Constitution, especially, the details that they were able to discuss.  As lack of knowledge leads to a lack of understanding that can result in a lack of acceptance, the regular conduct of such information activities was one commonly suggested solution.

This roundtable discussion was held as part of the PILG-HSF partnership on the project “Increasing Awareness of the General Public on Federalism as a System of Government.”