Why are Filipinos non-committal to federalism?
I do not have to teach the DILG and the administration’s experts in communication and information dissemination. They have enough Mocha Usons, Martin Andanars, Harry Roques, and Sal Panelos but they are not moving with a sense of focus, much less any sense of urgency. The president is the principal proponent of federalism and, if they are working for him and for his administration, they should be moving heaven and earth by now, to undertake an intensive and extensive campaign to inform people on what federalism is and explain to them why it is good for our country. They should be conducting surveys in every barangay, municipality, province, and city. They should realize that, in Cebu alone, if a referendum or a plebiscite is to be conducted today, federalism will most likely be rejected. Only 30 percent of Cebuanos will support it and the reason for such support is not principle-based but partisan alignment with the president.
The first reason is that there is really lack of understanding among the masses on the meaning, nuances, of such a form of government. Nobody is telling them that federalism is widespread among Asian and Pacific Rim countries, from Malaysia to other ASEAN member nations. Nobody is telling them that governance is much better in federal Malaysia than the presidential unitary government of Indonesia. Nobody is telling them that federalism will empower local government units a hundred times more than they are being empowered today. Nobody is demonstrating to the people, in vivid, understandable, and down-to-earth language, that resources now will be in the better control of local officials, and that the sharing of national funds shall definitely favor the grassroots and outlying hinterlands, rather than the national budget being in the hands of central government in imperialist Manila.
The next reason is that there is no prominent political leader who is speaking with firmness, conviction, and persuasiveness on the merits and advantages of federalism. The senate president is silent. The speaker is silent. There is no single senator who has spoken with enough eloquence and determination to rally support behind federalism. Our congressmen from Cebu have remained silent, as if this is not their duty to their respective constituents. Whether they are for or against, they have to speak up and cease to be members of the notorious “ad hoc committee on silence.” Malacañan is not doing a very coherent, purposive, much less well-organized campaign. They (meaning the former tourism secretary have allegedly given P60 million to a firm where her brother allegedly worked) for what? For a tourism promotion via a government-owned channel. But I have yet to hear of a big budget allocated for a mass education and information dissemination to educate people on federalism.
On the other hand, former chief justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr. is very active in various fora and media outlets. And he is against federalism. He is against charter change. He has been very effective in convincing many Filipinos to withdraw support for any chacha initiative. He is for the 1987 Constitution. Davide, we should remember, was one of the leading constitutionalists who framed the post-EDSA Constitution, along with such illustrious statesmen as Blas Ople, Christian Monsod, Regalado Maambong, Fr. Joaquin Bernas, Sister Christine Tan, Cecilia Muñoz Palma, and a few others noted Filipinos. They are now going around on their own and for love of country, campaigning against chacha and federalism. And so, what is Malacañan doing to balance the situation? Nothing. The DILG is not doing anything tangible, meaningful, much less impactful. The administration is going to lose this battle by default, ineptitude, and neglect, worse, for lack of foresight and for lack of passion.
Before I heard former chief justice Davide expound on how federalism can destroy this nation, I was a rabid follower. But now, I am beginning to be convinced that maybe, my idol, Manong Jun Davide is correct. The stand of my hero from Colawin has made many Cebuanos reject federalism. And the way I look at it, federalism will be rejected in Cebu and the whole Philippines.
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