Changing Lanes

"....Are we ready to be called the Federal State of the Philippines?"

It has been 20 years since the Marcos regime was toppled by a peaceful civilian revolution. After the fall of the unyielding Martial Rule, it was then replaced by the Aquino regime elected through people power.
Fourteen years after, Filipinos went again to the EDSA shrine to end the governance of another president, Estrada. Within a week of protest, it was then time to start the administration ----- this time Gloria Macapagal - Arroyo ----- again, through people power. From these instances we can see a pattern in our history ---- unfortunately not of economic growth, but of weakness on the part of the government. Why does history seemingly repeat itself over the decades? Who is to blame, the voters or the ones in position?
An answer would be both. Blame the Filipinos because of their strong emotion and dissatisfaction; unseating the person presently in position and replacing him with a new one without scrutinizing who this successor will be. Responsible voting is also rarely practiced. Some are carried away by false promises. Worse, due to extreme poverty, people allow their votes to be bought by opportunistic politicians. Blame the political leaders because they take advantage of the power vested to them by the people. Blinded with the trapping of power, the very means of selfless service ----- public office ----- will in turn be of selfish service.
To remedy the problems of the government and the economy, bills will be passed and the Constitution will be amended. Now, a pending decision to modify the present system is in controversy. Changing the presidential system of governance to a federal parliamentary centralizes power of authority. The whole archipelago will be divided into federal states, with each region led by a governor. A prime minister will replace the president. The election process will be modified: instead of directly voting a person for the highest position per se, voters will be entitled to vote for a political party. Representatives from the elected parties will in turn vote among themselves a prime minister. Consequently, lower levels of authority (the barangay level) will be abolished. From a bigger perspective, federal states will be given the autonomy to act independently.
Checks and balances present in the status quo are risked, in this case. Autonomy in a sense may lead to corruption since there is no one to check the actions of a state leader. On a positive view, there will be no more regionalism and provincial concepts. Hence, remuneration among the workers regardless of the place they came from will be equal with the metro. Moreover, job opportunities will grow as industries will be opened in the federal states. In terms regulation, each federal states is given an autonomy to implement laws distinct from other states. Given the features of the federal parliamentary system, are we ready to be called the Federal States of the Philippines?
This system offers advantages and disadvantages, and changing the system of government into a new one will test the government's stability. Would this be the solution to problems of poverty and governance? Come the time it is enacted, what will happen if it doesn't work? Will the new system be abolished? It was just 20 years ago when the 1987 Constitution was drafted; there are now calls for extensive amendments to it.
Successful countries like United States of America and Australia have proven the strength of federal government system. This is so because these countries have the economy to support the system. Having the federal parliamentary system would require stricter discipline.
Once the resolution to revert to a federal parliament set-up is passed, the entire Philippines will undergo a long adjustment process. If so, the focus priority of the government will be more on the transition process rather than pressing concers ----- again, like poverty. Budget appropriations during this transition will definitely be an issue. Instead of focusing on projects for citizens and developing better infrastructure, the transition process will most probably take up most of the budget. It seems easy to propose for a change in the government system especially when it is believed to resolve all the problems our country has; however, it is the implementation process that will be crucial.
True, calls for people power are rarely ignored and almost always succeed. However, irresponsible usage of this power would expose us to some great decision making risks. We started with the Marcos regime when a strong authority was eradicated by people power. Some would say this was a mistake because questions of efficiency and corruption persist. An impeachment complaint was recently filed by militant groups against President Arroyo; will we commit the same mistake again? Will changing the person in power provide an answer? We could not just rally and go to the EDSA shrine if we do not like the present leader. Simply put, to prevent further mistake, try to start the change from the start.
Some historians might claim that history merely repeats itself, but repeating a mistake implies that there is something wrong ----- not on the policies that were implemented, but on the people responsible for them. To prevent such mistake, responsible involvement and social criticism is encouraged for everyone.
As Rock Ed Philippines says again and again, "No more excuses Philippines!"