Inheritance

Know your Future youth! The Charter-Change question

This article hopefully will somehow shed light over the dark political hole over Charter Change in a wonderer’s point-of-view.

The youth will inherit the nation; therefore it is our duty to understand what we will inherit.

The Arroyo administration is aiming to amend or revise (whatever!) the constitution into a Parliamentary-Federal from of government, a different form from our present presidential-centralized system. This is part of HER Beat the Odds 10-point agenda.

Review muna.

What is unicameral legislature?

A unicameral legislature is a single house law-making body of the government. The proposed form of government is a parliamentary-federal system. A unicameral parliament will replace the present bicameral congress which consist the House of Representatives and the Senate. The parliament as a single body votes on bills thus legislation is faster. Not like Congress that the Senate and H of R have to vote separately. The head of government is the Prime-Minister. That person is not directly voted by the people but rather leads the majority party in Parliament. So the people votes for the party representative from their district. The Prime-minister then assigns ministers from Parliament to manage the different government agencies much like the present department secretaries. So here is the big picture. The executive (Prime-Minister and the Ministries) and the legislative (Parliament) work as a single mechanism in passing and implementing laws. The Prime-Minister, being the leader of the majority political party in Parliament, has the responsibility to present all his plans before parliament and be deliberated for approval. The Prime-Minister has no fixed term. He will stay in power aslong his popular in Parliament. He will be kicked-out if a single member of Parliament proposes a motion of no confidnece and voted upon by the majority. The judiciary will remain independent.

What the heck is Federalism?

Federalism is a form of government which the locality is given a substantial amount of power in a centralized constitution to govern itself independently. Federalism’s most prominent example is the United STATES of America. The STATES are somehow small nations able to make its own laws, projects and budget independent from that of the central government. In the Philippine setting, we are living in a centralized government. All power comes from Manila. Social programs are emanating from Manila thus the program’s implementation can’t reach the grassroots of the locality. The local government depends solely on Manila’s support programs. If Manila dies, the entire Philippine Republic will also die.

Cons on Parliamentary-Federal

Federalism can cause economic imbalances among the regions if the division is not properly proportional to its economic capacity. For example, if a region has lesser resources than another, the former will surely lag behind. Parliament on the other had also shows some defect. Parliament’s function relies on its member’s political loyalty. Parliament is a political coliseum, if party members shift sides now and then; there will be blood shed. Another thing is the vote of no confidence. Even though this tool is created to protect parliament in impeaching a prime-minister instantly, in times of crisis, parliament tends to be unstable if leadership is not strong. It is a possibility we could have 5 Prime-Ministers in a week! Where government is badly needed exposes it in a greater sea of instability.


Pros on Parliamentary-Federal

Federalism gives more power to the locality thus the local government’s policies and projects reflect the need of that locality. Picture it this way. If an apartment administrator issues a red sofa in all of the living-rooms. It does not imply that all the residents would like the red sofa in their living-rooms. So again the locality is given the power to make its own laws that best confronts its own problems, values and needs. Not like the centralized form which Manila or the apartment administrator dictates the policies which sometimes don’t fit the needs of some regions. The locality or region manages its own resources. It has its own constitution, its own education and health budget, its own regional guard I case if disasters, its own legislature, court and little president called the governor. It acts independently to solve its own internal problems. So Manila can focus on the development of the nation as a whole through directing finance, trade, diplomacy and laws. Parliamentary form on the other hand is faster in passing laws. A fused executive and legislative can implement rules and projects faster. Red tape will be cut short.


Reflection:

What we need in order to produce a well-functioning parliament is PARTY LOYALTY, an extinct attribute of a statesman. How could it work now if political parties are divided, then divided further? It seems like political parties are exponential in form. It accelerates as soon as small disputes erupt. Sus! This is manifested in the present number of political parties in the Philippine! We need powerful parties which talks about different views on pressing issues not personalities! Political Parties that have roadmaps for a common vision, not personal agenda.

In Federalsim, I think it is best for our archipelagic nation. Come to think we are made up of thousands of islands and localities with different values, needs, resources and culture. Exacerbating the issue, provinces are even planning to secede from the republic (Cebu, Mindanao) to make their own nations! Our national culture is a melting pot of different sub-cultures form the Muslims in the south to the Ifugaos in the North. It is only fitting to change. I just hope that when federalism is implemented each region has its own contribution to the national economy which is unique from the rest of the nation. I hope federalism empowers the locality and its citizen to its optimum level.

A new structure will never stand if its cement is the same quality of the old.