Federal state of Metro Manila?

Federalism takes many forms. Even in the Philippines, a federal government structure for the Bangsamoro and the Cordilleras can take a different form from the federal structure in other regions.  

Many years before today’s debate on federalism, I was already writing columns on the need for a regional government or some kind of federal government for the Metro Manila region.  While the provinces condemn the so-called Metro Manila imperialism, to my mind the region that is in dire need of a unitary regional government is this metropolis we call Metro Manila.

Here are excerpts from previous columns that I have written on this topic:

The present political boundaries of the region were the product of the Spanish colonial era when places like Malabon and San Juan were villages far from the city of Manila. The modern central business district of Makati was just a barrio and Marikina was still mountainous. Two centuries later, urbanization and technology have changed the landscape but the political boundaries have not changed.

The old boundaries assumed that people lived, worked and socialized essentially within their town. But let us look at the reality of today’s urban life.

Examine the life of Juan de la Cruz who lives in a subdivision in Parañaque City. He travels daily to Makati where he works but sometimes goes to Pasig  or Quezon City to attend meetings. His wife goes daily to Fort Bonifacio, Taguig where she works. They have three children. One has started working in Pasig in the Ortigas area. Another goes to a university in Manila and the youngest goes to school in Alabang, Muntinlupa. The family shops in Alabang or Makati.

The family is affected by traffic in the whole of Metro Manila. But members are also affected by floods in Manila, crime in the Ortigas area, lack of parking in Makati and the flood of illegally parked vehicles along President’s Avenue in Parañaque. The stench of pollution in Laguna de Bay has also affected the subdivision since smell does not recognize any political boundary.

Think of Robert who lives in Fairview, Quezon City and works in Manila or Annie who lives in Bacoor, Cavite and works in Pasig City. Both of them spend more time, six days a week, in other cities rather than their own.

The benefits of a metropolitan government are accountability, efficiency and simplicity. Today, Metro Manila is divided into 27 semi-independent kingdoms ruled mostly by mayors focused on local issues even though their decisions affect the entire metropolitan region. There is no accountability for metropolitan concerns. In the absence of a Metro Manila government, the public and media will now look to the national government for solutions.

Almost all the large metropolitan areas like Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok, Jakarta, Beijing, New York City, London have metropolitan governments.

There are two ways of governing a metropolitan region. The first is through federation  where a metropolitan government shares responsibility with local governments for public services such as transportation, traffic, parks, water, sewage and economic development.

The Tokyo Metropolitan government consists of a popularly elected governor and an assembly with 127 members elected every four years. The Metropolitan government administers 23 Special Wards, each one governed as an individual city. It also includes 26 other cities, five towns and eight villages.  

The second way is by having a consolidated metropolitan government. The Seoul Metropolitan government is highly centralized with one mayor and three vice mayors. It is responsible for education, prisons, public safety, libraries, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, and welfare services.

New York City is divided into five boroughs; but there is also a single city mayor and city council. The city has also unified officials like a police commissioner and fire commissioner. Miami and Dade County  used to have separate structures but they have decided to have a single governance structure in recognition that this has become a single metropolis. London is divided into districts like Westminster and West Ham; but, there is a single Lord Mayor and council for the entire metropolis. Paris has a single  mayor.

Bangkok has a single governor. Widodo, the present President of Indonesia, was governor of  Djakarta before he became president. I can cite more examples from around the world. All these major metropolitan regions have a single government; and, are not fragmented into semi autonomous bodies without a regional governance structure.

In Metro Manila, the national government has become the de facto regional government. The Metro Manila Development Authority is a national government agency. Different national government departments are involved in the day to day life in Metro Manila.

But Metro Manila is unique. For example, the environmental concerns of Metro Manila does not include illegal logging and mining. But there is no one body that is addressing the environmental concerns of Metro Manila.

I suggest that in these debates on federalism, the citizens of Metro Manila seriously study the need for a Metro Manila regional governance structure. 

Letter from Arthur Aguilar:

Your column today (Jan. 27) suggested someone in the committee to come from MAP and MBC. You may want to know that I am past president of MAP (1995) and the Harvard Club of the Philippines (1995-00).  From LiaCom and MBM, I received a grant to get an MPA from Harvard. I spent 15 years in public service under Cory, FVR and GMA. I think I am the only one from the corporate sector (with both private and public sector experience) but I also represent Negros Island Region.  

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