DARAGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Daraga, Albay

IS FEDERALISM THE ANSWER TO PHILIPPINE POVERTY?

Whether or not federalism can solve the perennial problem of poverty in the
Philippines is an issue we need to take into consideration. With the administration
of President Rodrigo Duterte, federalism has been put into the scene again.
President Duterte has been active in advocating this type of government. But what
does it mean? To have a better grasp or understanding of this topic, we need to
know what the concepts of federalism and poverty are.

Federalism is a system of government in which the same territory is

controlled by two levels of government. This means that an overarching national
government governs issues that affect the entire country, and smaller subdivisions
govern issues of local concern. Both the national government and the smaller
political subdivisions have the power to make laws and both have a certain level
of autonomy from each other. One example of a state which has a federal form of
government is the United States. It has a federal system of governance that
consists of the national or federal government, and the government of the
individual states.

Meanwhile, as defined by the United Nations, poverty refers to a denial of

choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic
capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed
and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on
which to grow ones food or a job to earn ones living, not having access to credit.
It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and
communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in
marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation. To
add up, a research by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU), in 2015, affirms that
the Philippines remains one of the poorest in Southeast Asia despite robust
economic growth in the past few years.
 The question now is, will an adoption of a federal form of government solve
poverty in our country? Advocates of federalism contend that our unitary systems
centralized form is the culprit for poverty in the country thats why there is a need
for federalism. They argue that the top-to-bottom approach limits the powers,
authority and resources of its own local governments, impairing gravely the
decision-making process. As a result, planning and programs for the communities
are divorced from the realties on the ground.

However, for me, federalism is not the answer to poverty in the Philippines.
Why? It is because changing our current form of government into a federal one is
no joke. It involves complex processes and an extravagant cost. First, the mere
process of adopting federalism in this country poses a great threat to the finance
of our government and the economy. The first thing to be taken into consideration
is the amendment of our 1987 Philippine Constitution and the process of
amendment is lengthy. It takes a considerable amount of time, effort, and of course
money. At this point of the poor situation of the Philippines, spending money for
the adoption of federalism is very critical. Why should we not just focus on
strengthening the economy by spending those money through investments and
programs for the poor, rather than trying to change the form of government that we
have? I mean, the former is more practical than the latter in terms of trying to cope
up with the said poverty problem.

Second, the adoption of a federal form of government does not ensure or

pose an economic advantage to the Philippines. I think federalism will have an
impact more on governance, and politics. It will not automatically solve the poverty
problem that we have. It is not a solution aimed to answer the said problem. It aims
to solve, in priority, the problems on governance and politics, especially the
conflicts in the Muslim Mindanao.

Third, federalism is not the answer to poverty because it also seems

impossible to achieve. Because of the economic inequalities experienced in some
of the cities, municipalities and provinces in the Philippines, federalism is not viable
to be an alternative. Instead of focusing on changing our government, the pressing
problem that should be addressed by national leaders is improving the economy.
Which in the end, will also result to alleviation of poverty. Economy determines the
future of a state. It dictates what the government should do. When the economy is
high, the government is able to make public policies suited to benefit the people
especially those who are experiencing poverty, the marginalized sector, or the
indigents.

To sum up, federalism is not answer to poverty in the Philippines. This is

due to the reasons that: First, the process of changing our current form of
government to federalism, such as amendments, is very costly and can have a big
impact in our economy. Instead of solving poverty, it might end up worsening the
problem. Second, federalism is more focused on solving the problems on
governance and politics in the country. Thus, it is not guaranteed that federalism
can really solve poverty. And third, with our status quo, the political turmoil, and
the mindset of the Filipino people, federalism is hard to achieve. It is not a viable
alternative for the solution of our problems. But instead, the government must
focus and strive hard for the advancement of our economy. For the fostering of our
economy is an assured solution to the problems that we are facing, most especially
poverty.

We cannot deny the good things that federalism can offer. It can solve
regional dissidence and can bring the lasting peace in Mindanao. But it is also
important to consider its disadvantages. It is as well important to consider that
federalism may be a solution to the bureaucratic problems that we have, but it is
not a clear and viable solution to end poverty in the Philippines.

Prepared and Submitted by:

JONALYN D. MAPE
BSED II-9

Submitted to:

Mrs. ROWENA BACEA

Adviser