The Use of Federalism in The Philippines Under The Administration of President Duterte

Federalism cares for the development of a country, they work well to improve its economic growth and still, for its progress. An example of a country that has a federal government is the United States. Federalism is when power is divided into units. In the Philippines, federalism is a big issue because some Filipinos doesn’t want it. But, President Duterte has made the project of federalism as a main deliverable of his administration. This looks reliable with his desire for going deep as he examines our society’s basic institutions and offers structural changes by way of revisiting first principles for social organizations. To the point that we have a President who is not interested in superficial solutions, this clearly has to be celebrated. Even then, we must consider the fact that federalism does not really have any content beyond ideas such as having clear lines of separation between the state and the federal government, or dual power. The truth is that federalism is as federalism does, and only the details of any federalism project can reveal its many practical meanings.

The relevant question is therefore not whether we should become a federal republic, but what we want to use federalism for. Federalism is but an instrument, a way for carrying solutions in a new constitution. You cannot judge the beauty of a house by just looking at its foundation.

At the same time, while federalism may be able to offer imaginary advantages, that certainly is only half the picture. The interaction between law and culture is an entirely separate challenge. Convincing the people to ratify a new constitution is easier than making them change their ways. There are simply no models that can predict the impact of a new constitution on individual consciousness and institutional practices.

Our biggest problems, bad governance and corruption, are problems about people, People will not wake up to a new constitution that will supernaturally talk upon them the ability to govern themselves well or make them less corrupt.

Regardless of the situation, we should take advantage of the President’s open-mindedness and willingness to propose solutions that he believes are equal to the seriousness of the problems our society is facing