Federal Republic of the Philippines
Encyclopedia
Federalism is a proposed system of administration for the Philippines
and a revision of the current 1987 constitution
. Under Joint Resolution No. 10, proposed by senator Aquilino Pimentel, Jr.
, the creation of eleven autonomous regions out of the Philippine Republic which would establish centers of finance and development in the archipelago.
presidential bicameral form of government.
, Southern Tagalog
, Bicol
, Minparom (Mindoro
, Palawan
, and Romblon
), Eastern Visayas
, Central Visayas
, Western Visayas
, Northern Mindanao
, Southern Mindanao and Bangsamoro
. These would be similar to the US 50 states or German 16 States.
, and will be the seat of the Federal government.
. Unlike the Nene Pimentel Senate Resolution, Puentevella included the option of holding a constitutional convention
, but excluded the People's Initiative
mode. Prospero Nograles
, a self-proclaimed advocate of federalism
, on May 1, 2008, announced: "This federal system of government is close to my heart as a Mindanaoan leader and I'm sure most of the leaders in Mindanao will agree that we have long clamored for it. Senate Resolution 10 is a pleasant surprise because the Senate has a long history of opposing any move to amend the Constitution." The joint Senate resolution called for the creation of 11 federal states in the country, by convening of Congress “into a constituent assembly
for the purpose of revising the Constitution to establish a federal system of government.”
stated to visiting Swiss President Pascal Couchepin
: “We advocate federalism as a way to ensure long-lasting peace in Mindanao.” Press Secretary Jesus Dureza, on August 12, 2008, stated: “It’s all systems go for Charter change. We are supporting Senate Joint Resolution No. 10. Naughty insinuations that she [Arroyo] was going for Cha-cha [Charter change] because she wants to extend her term in office prompted the President to make her position clear. She is calling for a constitutional amendment
... in order to bring about the Bangsamoro
Juridical Entity. An opportunity should be given to the whole country to avail of the reform effects of federalism. The sentiment of many people there is to give local officials more authority in order to perform better. And the federal set-up is the way forward to this. The President has approved the way forward and there’s no question about it. If she has the political will to do it she has to muster political will in spite of all these noises.”
Meanwhile, La Union
Representative Victor Ortega of La Union
, chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments said, the results of his survey showed that 115 (94.26%) of the 123 solons were in favor of amending the Constitution. However, opposition and leftist lawmakers questioned the results and intent of Ortega’s survey, and called Arroyo’s proposal a ploy for her “perpetuation in power” and the removal of protectionist provisions in the Charter. Ortega’s survey showed 62 respondents favor Charter change through a constitutional assembly, and 89 respondents were in favor of shifting to a parliamentary form of government compared to 56 who voted for federalism
, while 70 respondents preferred to amend the Constitution after the 2010 presidential elections. Members of the committee on constitutional amendments would vote by the end August on whether to amend the Constitution or not.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and a revision of the current 1987 constitution
Constitution of the Philippines
The Constitution of the Philippines is the supreme law of the Philippines.The Constitution currently in effect was enacted in 1987, during the administration of President Corazon Aquino, and is popularly known as the "1987 Constitution"...
. Under Joint Resolution No. 10, proposed by senator Aquilino Pimentel, Jr.
Aquilino Pimentel, Jr.
Aquilino "Nene" Quilinging Pimentel, Jr. is a Filipino politician who served as the President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2000-2001.-Delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention:...
, the creation of eleven autonomous regions out of the Philippine Republic which would establish centers of finance and development in the archipelago.
Joint Resolution No. 10
The resolution would have required the revision of 14 of the 18 Articles of the 1987 Philippine Constitution and the addition of two new articles. It sought to adopt a federalFederal republic
A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. A federation is the central government. The states in a federation also maintain the federation...
presidential bicameral form of government.
Senate Majority
This proposed bill was backed by the 13 senators of the Philippines:- Senate Minority Floor Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr.Aquilino Pimentel, Jr.Aquilino "Nene" Quilinging Pimentel, Jr. is a Filipino politician who served as the President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2000-2001.-Delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention:...
filed Senate Resolution No. 10 - Senate President Manuel Villar, Jr.Manny VillarManuel "Manny" Bamba Villar, Jr. is a Filipino businessman and politician. He is currently a Philippine Senator, president of the Nacionalista Party...
- Sen. Edgardo AngaraEdgardo AngaraEdgardo Javier Angara is a Filipino politician who served as President of the Senate of the Philippines from 1993-1995. He is currently serving his fourth term in the Senate which ends in 2013.-Early life and career:...
- Sen. Pia Cayetano
- Sen. Juan Ponce EnrileJuan Ponce EnrileJuan Ponce Enrile is a Filipino politician. As a protege of President Ferdinand Marcos, he served as Justice Secretary and then Defense Secretary under the Marcos regime. He later became one of the leaders of the 1986 People Power Movement that drove Marcos from power...
- Sen. Francis EscuderoFrancis EscuderoFrancis Joseph "Chiz" Guevara Escudero is a Filipino politician who has been a member of the Philippine Senate since 2007...
- Sen. Jinggoy EstradaJinggoy EstradaJose Pimentel Ejercito, Jr. , better known as Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, is a Filipino politician and former film actor who has been a member of the Senate of the Philippines since 2004...
- Sen. Gregorio Honansan II
- Sen. Panfilo LacsonPanfilo LacsonPanfilo "Ping" Morena Lacson, Sr. is a Filipino politician. He was Director-General of the Philippine National Police from 1999 to 2001 and has been a member of the Philippine Senate since 2001.-Early life and education:...
- Sen. Francis Pangilinan
- Sen. Ramon Revilla, Jr.Bong RevillaRamon "Bong" Revilla, Jr. , is a Filipino actor, politician and senator of the Republic of the Philippines. In 2009, he legally changed his last name to Bong Revilla....
- Sen. Rodolfo BiazonRodolfo BiazonRodolfo "Pong" Gaspar Biazon is a politician in the Philippines. He is a former Senator. He was elected Senator in the 1992 election for a term of 3 years. He was elected to his first six-year term in the 1998 election, and was re-elected in the 2004 election...
- Sen. Juan Miguel ZubiriJuan Miguel ZubiriJuan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri is a Filipino politician who served as a Congressman representing the third district of Bukidnon for three consecutive terms, and was the Senate of the Philippines Majority Leader, replacing Senator Francis Pangilinan on November 17, 2008...
Eleven States
The proposed states would have been Northern Luzon, Central LuzonCentral Luzon
Central Luzon , also known as Region III , is an administrative division or region of the Republic of the Philippines, primarily serve to organize the 7 provinces of the vast central plain of the island of Luzon , for administrative convenience...
, Southern Tagalog
Southern Tagalog
Southern Tagalog, or Region IV, was a region of the Philippines that is now composed of Region IV-A and Region IV-B . Region IV was split into the two regions on May 17, 2002...
, Bicol
Bicol Region
The Bicol Region or Bicolandia is one of the 17 regions of the Philippines. Its regional center is Legazpi City...
, Minparom (Mindoro
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
, Palawan
Palawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
, and Romblon
Romblon
Romblon is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region. It lies south of Marinduque and Quezon, east of Mindoro, north of Aklan and Capiz, and west of Masbate. Its capital is also named Romblon....
), Eastern Visayas
Eastern Visayas
Eastern Visayas is one of the two regions of the Philippines having no land border with another region, MIMAROPA being the other, and is designated as Region VIII...
, Central Visayas
Central Visayas
Central Visayas, designated as Region VII, is a region of the Philippines located in the central part of the Visayas island group. It consists of four provinces—Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor— and the highly urbanized cities of Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City....
, Western Visayas
Western Visayas
Western Visayas, one of the regions of the Philippines, is designated as Region VI. It consists of six provinces; Aklan, Antique, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Guimaras and Iloilo and 16 cities making it the region with the highest number of cities. Iloilo City is the regional center...
, Northern Mindanao
Northern Mindanao
Designated as Region X of the Philippines, Northern Mindanao is composed of five provinces and two cities classified as highly-urbanized, all occupying the north-central part of Mindanao island, and the island-province of Camiguin...
, Southern Mindanao and Bangsamoro
Bangsamoro
The term Bangsamoro refers to a people who are natives or original inhabitants of the island of Mindanao and its adjacent islands in the Philippines, including Palawan and the Sulu archipelago at the time of conquest or colonization...
. These would be similar to the US 50 states or German 16 States.
Federal Administrative Region
Metro Manila would have been patterned to the US Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and will be the seat of the Federal government.
Senators Based on states
Other major proposals: the election of senators based on states; the election of senators representing overseas voters; the election of the state governor and the vice-governor as a team; the abolition of the Judicial and Bar Council which screens nominees to the judiciary etc.House Concurrent Resolution No. 15
Rep. Monico O. Puentevella on May 7, 2008, filed House Concurrent Resolution No. 15 which supported Senate Resolution No. 10 backed by 16 senatorsSenators
The term Senators can refer to:*The members of a senate*The Ottawa Senators, a National Hockey League ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada...
. Unlike the Nene Pimentel Senate Resolution, Puentevella included the option of holding a constitutional convention
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
, but excluded the People's Initiative
People's Initiative
People’s Initiative or "PI" is one of the modes in which the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines could be amended. The other two modes are via Constituent Assembly or "Con-Ass" and Constitutional Convention or "Con-Con"; which also allow revisions....
mode. Prospero Nograles
Prospero Nograles
Prospero C. Nograles is the former Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. He was elected as the Speaker of the House on February 5, 2008, the first ever elected Speaker from Mindanao in a hundred years in Philippine legislative history...
, a self-proclaimed advocate of federalism
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
, on May 1, 2008, announced: "This federal system of government is close to my heart as a Mindanaoan leader and I'm sure most of the leaders in Mindanao will agree that we have long clamored for it. Senate Resolution 10 is a pleasant surprise because the Senate has a long history of opposing any move to amend the Constitution." The joint Senate resolution called for the creation of 11 federal states in the country, by convening of Congress “into a constituent assembly
Constituent assembly
A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...
for the purpose of revising the Constitution to establish a federal system of government.”
Presidential Visit of Couchepin and Arroyo's backing
Gloria Macapagal-ArroyoGloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
stated to visiting Swiss President Pascal Couchepin
Pascal Couchepin
Pascal Couchepin is a Swiss politician, former member of the Swiss Federal Council and President of the Confederation in 2003 and 2008...
: “We advocate federalism as a way to ensure long-lasting peace in Mindanao.” Press Secretary Jesus Dureza, on August 12, 2008, stated: “It’s all systems go for Charter change. We are supporting Senate Joint Resolution No. 10. Naughty insinuations that she [Arroyo] was going for Cha-cha [Charter change] because she wants to extend her term in office prompted the President to make her position clear. She is calling for a constitutional amendment
Constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a formal change to the text of the written constitution of a nation or state.Most constitutions require that amendments cannot be enacted unless they have passed a special procedure that is more stringent than that required of ordinary legislation...
... in order to bring about the Bangsamoro
Bangsamoro
The term Bangsamoro refers to a people who are natives or original inhabitants of the island of Mindanao and its adjacent islands in the Philippines, including Palawan and the Sulu archipelago at the time of conquest or colonization...
Juridical Entity. An opportunity should be given to the whole country to avail of the reform effects of federalism. The sentiment of many people there is to give local officials more authority in order to perform better. And the federal set-up is the way forward to this. The President has approved the way forward and there’s no question about it. If she has the political will to do it she has to muster political will in spite of all these noises.”
Meanwhile, La Union
La Unión
La Union or La Unión may refer to:-Colombia:*La Unión, Antioquia*La Unión, Nariño*La Unión, Sucre*La Unión, Valle del Cauca-Peru:*La Unión Province, Peru...
Representative Victor Ortega of La Union
La Unión
La Union or La Unión may refer to:-Colombia:*La Unión, Antioquia*La Unión, Nariño*La Unión, Sucre*La Unión, Valle del Cauca-Peru:*La Unión Province, Peru...
, chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments said, the results of his survey showed that 115 (94.26%) of the 123 solons were in favor of amending the Constitution. However, opposition and leftist lawmakers questioned the results and intent of Ortega’s survey, and called Arroyo’s proposal a ploy for her “perpetuation in power” and the removal of protectionist provisions in the Charter. Ortega’s survey showed 62 respondents favor Charter change through a constitutional assembly, and 89 respondents were in favor of shifting to a parliamentary form of government compared to 56 who voted for federalism
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
, while 70 respondents preferred to amend the Constitution after the 2010 presidential elections. Members of the committee on constitutional amendments would vote by the end August on whether to amend the Constitution or not.