FEDERALISM: PROS AND CONS

Posted on November 20, 2016 by tinglomibao

During the 2016 National Elections, hardly a day goes by when there are not ‘federalism’ discussions in different
media particularly social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Social media status posts flooded
everyone’s newsfeed with dialogues discussing about the pros and cons on the said form of government.

This sudden uproar was all due to the then presumptive present Rodrigo Duterte. Even before he was elected as
the President of the Philippines, he has been vocal about his belief that federalism can bring a lot of big positive
change in the lives of the Filipino people especially for economic development not just for Metro Manila but for
all the regions and peace, particularly in the south.. Filipinos all around the world shared their view on the matter
raising countless comments and arguments. Points of views from Filipinos all around the world were made one
side stating that federalism was the next step in bringing democracy to communities throughout the country and
the others stymied the move.

But what is this buzzword all about? Well, let us take a look at its advantages and disadvantages.

A federal government is a system that divides up power between a strong national government and smaller local
governments.

Federal Government and Its Benefits

In a lecture given by a college Sociology and Political Science professor, he mentioned that United States has a
federal government but not Great Britain because of size. Federal governments are best used in large countries
where there exists a diverse group of people with diverse needs but a common culture that unites them together.
Federal governments help address the wide variety of needs of a geographically large country. It is no wonder,
then, that federal governments exist in large countries, like the United States, Mexico, Germany, Canada,
Australia, Brazil, and others.

In the United States, the Constitution created the federal system by limiting the activities of the national
government to a few areas, such as collecting taxes, providing for defense, borrowing money on credit, regulating
commerce, creating a currency, establishing post offices and post roads, granting patents, creating lower courts,
and declaring war.
Currently, the Philippines employs a unitary form of government with much of the power — decisions, policies,
and programs — emerging from the central government. Under federalism, however, power is divided or shared
between the central government and local state governments.

On Tax
Levi So of philstar.com on his May 2016 article enumerated the argument of those pushing for federalism in the
Philippines. Also, he raised questions such as if federalism is the road to economic growth in poorer regions or
will it bring peace to Mindanao. In his interview with assistant professor of political science of the University of
the Philippines and political analyst Jan Robert Go, he (Go) said that Budget and fiscal autonomy have been a
long-standing issue among local government units (LGUs) in the country. And most of the time, programs of the
national government are “downloaded” to lower-income municipalities without the benefit of evaluating whether
they are applicable and sustainable, he added. One contention of federalism advocates is that major tax revenues
are turned over to the national government. This could mean that it will in time distribute wealth across the country
instead of the bulk going to big cities like Manila.
Moreover, Duterte argues that federalism is primarily about peace. Poverty is seen as one of the roots of armed
rebellion, considered as a national security threat by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.
Likewise, historical neglect and injustice are seen as factors behind the emergence of secessionist groups in
Mindanao. Go said that it is possible for federalism to bring peace in Mindanao but warned against making it
appear like the ultimate solution.

Locals decide for themselves

Pia Ranada and Nico Villarete of Rappler enumerated the good side of federalism such as locals being able to
decide for themselves, more power over funds, resources, promotes specialization, possible solution to the
Mindanao conflict, decongestion of Metro Manila, lessens dependence in Manila, brings government closer to
the people and encourages competition.

Archipelagic Characteristics
Artemio D. Palongpalong, Dean of the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman , wrote that Except
for Indonesia and a few other archipelagic nation-states, the Philippines is perhaps the most scattered island
territory. Since Philippines is frequently visited by typhoons, it is difficult to reach some islands making it hard
to respond to their immediate needs He then added that the best system of governance under these circumstances
is one that is sufficiently decentralized. The response mechanism to natural calamities must be locally crafted,
suitable-for the most part to local conditions. In general, how to minimize adverse impacts of natural calamities
or how to turn negative developments relative to nature into regional assets should be comparatively easy for the
local leaders to work on.

On the same note, Lea Baluyot’s on her blog quoted Jose Abueva that federal government ensures that government
remains close to the people because the state government argue that they are more in tune with the daily needs
and aspirations of people especially relevant to small and isolated places.

Scope for Innovation and Experimentation

Federalism has room for innovation and experimentation. Two local governments can have two different
approaches to bring reforms in any area of public domain, be it taxation or education. The comparison of the
results of these policies can give a clear idea of which policy is better and thus, can be adopted in the future.

States have more autonomy to focus on economic development using their core competencies and industries. The
state of Central Luzon can focus on becoming an agricultural hub. The state of Mimaropa, home to Palawan, can
choose to use eco-tourism as its primary launch pad.

Federal Government and Its Disadvantages

Now, let’s list some of the cons of forming a federal government focusing on its effect to the Philippine
government and its people.
Conflict of Authority
Sharing of power between the center and the states includes both advantages and disadvantages of a federal
organization. Sometimes there can be overlapping of work and subsequent confusion regarding who is responsible
for what. For instance, in times of disaster, what is the division of responsibilities between state and national
governments?

Framing of Incorrect Policies

Philippine society is made up of a multiplicity of interconnected and highly interdependent and interacting parts—
political subdivisions, geographic regions, communities, ethnic groups, political, economic, religious and other
types of institutions, and so on. Choices made and actions taken in any of these components of society in pursuit
of their respective interests invariably affect the rest of the country, both positively and negatively.

For example, strategies for tourism development adopted in the Cordillera Autonomous Region are bound to
affect income from tourism in the Cagayan Valley and other adjoining regions. Efforts to solve the burgeoning
traffic problem in the National Capital Region will have important consequences on transport costs in Central
Luzon and the Calabarzon Region. Forest conservation measures implemented in Western Mindanao may affect
water supplies in the adjoining areas. Local and regional environmental policies are especially far-reaching in
their external effects.

Regionalism Over Patriotism

The mark of a great country is just how patriotic and prideful the citizens are to be a part of it. Federalism, since
it promotes smaller level of government, it also promotes smaller levels of pride. It can begin to pit one region
against another and take away from the feeling of patriotism that should be present all over the entire country.
Healthy competition among states can become alienating – creating rivalries and promoting the regionalism that
some say already challenges the sense of unity in the country. It could enflame hostilities between ethnic groups
in the country like Tagalogs, Cebuanos, Bicolanos, Ilocanos, Tausugs, and Zamboangueños.

Uneven Development Among States

Some states may not be as ready for autonomy as others. Some states may not be as rich in natural resources or
skilled labor as others. States with good leaders will progress faster while states with ineffective ones will degrade
more than ever because national government will not be there to balance them out.

But in some federal countries, the national government doles out funds to help poorer states. A proposed
Equalization Fund will use a portion of tax from rich states to be given to poorer states.

Conclusion
There have a long of meaningful debates since the announcement of President Duterte’s plan to form a federal
government in the Philippines. Also, shifting to a new form of government requires a very long preparation.

Joseph Viray, a teacher of Social and Political Thoughts, Philosophy, and Literature at the Polytechnic
University of the Philippines, Manila, presented some important issues about federalism or federal system which
must be resolved first before a strong advocacy for transformation is made. Such issues include the type of
federalism is advocated. Is it cooperative federalism, competitive or coercive? In addition, the readiness of the
Filipinos must be highly considered. For example, examining our political leaders is a good start, the Filipino
mind sets, and socio/cultural dimensions.

References:
Renz, Rainer. What is a Federal Government? – Defintion, Powers and
Benefits http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-federal-government-definition-powers-benefits.html
So, Levi. 2016. Federalism: What Filipinos Need to
know. http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/05/31/1588742/federalism-what-filipinos-need-know
Ranada, Pia, Villarete, Nico.2016. Will federalism address PH Woes? Pros and
Cons http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections/2016/120166-federalism-pros-cons-explainer
Palongpalong, Artemio. 1991. The Pro and Con Arguments on
Federalism. http://asj.upd.edu.ph/mediabox/archive/ASJ-30-1992/palongpalong.pdf
Baluyot, Lea. 2007. Federalism: Its Advantages and
Disadvantages. https://bpspolitics.wordpress.com/2007/02/11/97/
Poblador, Niceto. 2016. The false promise of federalism. http://business.inquirer.net/212711/false-promise-
federalism
Lombardo, Crystal. 2015. The advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism. http://thenextgalaxy.com/the-
advantages-and-disadvantages-of-federalism/
Viray, Joseph Reylan B. 2015. Federalism: Issues, Risks and
Disadvantages. https://www.scribd.com/doc/2052348/Federalism-Issues-Risks-and-Disadvantages
Wikipedia. Last modified on November 15, 2016. Federalism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalism
Dogra, Aastra. 2016. An In-depth Look at the Advantages and Disadvantages of
Federalism. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-federalism.html
Efren, Cruz. 2016. Understanding Federalism. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-
federalism.html

Source:
https://cgvlomibao.wordpress.com/2016/11/20/federalism-pros-and-cons/