Sitoy's version of federal parliament

CEBU, Philippines — Presidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs, Secretary Adelino Sitoy, has drafted his own version of federal parliament in the Philippines as an alternative proposal to that of former Senate president Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr.

The Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO), which Sitoy heads, has been undertaking its information drive on the principles of the fundamentals of federalism.

“I have my personal advocacy, this is not of the PLLO,” Sitoy said.

The composition of federal parliamentarian under his proposal is that a state must have at least one million populations. A population of one million to 1.5 million is entitled to one senator or federal parliamentarian. Excess population of not less than 750,000 will entitle the state to an additional senator or federal parliamentarian.

The composition of states parliamentarian would be in every population of 250,000 is entitled to one state parliamentarian and excess population of 125,000 or more is entitled to another state parliamentarian

Instead of 12 as proposed by Pimentel, Sitoy proposed 45 federal states with 67 senators to compose the unicameral body known as the Federal Parliament.

The senators exclusively elected at large by every state shall be called federal parliamentarians. The parliament is headed by a prime minister elected by the federal parliamentarians upon the nomination by the party.

Sitoy proposed that the two-party system shall be institutionalized and strictly observed and no crossing of party lines is allowed among elected officials unless they are ousted from their own party.

Political “turncoatism,” used to be a term associated with treacherous shift of loyalties, is penalized, he said.

Each federal state shall consist of cities and towns which shall remain within their respective boundaries. Highly urbanized and component cities shall be known as cities only.

The cities and the towns shall commonly elect state parliamentarians, proportioned at 250,000 population per parliamentarian. The state shall be headed by a governor with a vice governor automatically elected upon the governor’s election.

Every town and city is headed by an elected mayor whose vice mayor goes with the mayor’s election. Every barangay is headed by a barangay captain. Each barangay council is composed of eight councilors.

Each party shall put up its candidates for governor, vice governor, mayor, vice mayor, barangay captain and councilors. No direct election is allowed.

According to the proposal, the party that succeeds to elect the majority of its state parliamentarians shall be entitled to the governorship and vice governorship; the party electing the majority of its barangay councilors shall be entitled to its barangay captain; the party electing the majority of the barangay captains shall have its mayor and vice mayor, and the barangay captains shall constitute the City Council or Municipal Council.

“In short, there is no more Sangguniang Panlalawigan and City Council/ Sangguinang Panlungsod and Municipal Council/Sangguniang Bayan directly elected by the people,” Sitoy said.

Relationships up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity between governors and vice governors, mayors and vice mayors are banned.

“But there is no term limit among elected officials,” he said.

Sitoy also proposed that the barangay system of justice shall be strengthened. In effect, 42,000 barangay courts can be created.

Based on the proposal, barangays shall be entitled to barangay courts with sufficient powers and authority to hear, settle, and decide cases arising from the barangay. Settlement of the controversy is the goal. Each barangay court shall be assisted by members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to be assigned thereto by the executive judge with compensation.

Each state shall have only four kinds of courts—The Barangay Courts, The Pre-trial Courts; The Trial Courts; and The Court of Appeals of nine justices (in three Divisions) which is the State’s Supreme Court. (FREEMAN)