COTABATO CITY — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) kicked off Monday a series of public forums in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) aimed at raising awareness on the proposed shift to federalism from the present system of government.
On Monday, the DILG-ARMM has convened information officers of various line agencies in the region as well as media practitioners at Shariff Kabunsuan Complex, the provisional seat of the ARMM in this city, in connection with the federalism roadshow.
The roadshow, which has for its theme ‘Pederalismo para sa Tunay na Pagbabago’ reiterates that shifting to a federal form of government perfectly aligns with the Bangsamoro’s hope for local autonomy.
In his remarks, DILG Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya assured that federalism will not undo the developments of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), but rather serve as the essential motivation and support that the Bangsamoro people need for the autonomy they have been fighting for.
For his part, Sec. Gary Olivar of the Center for Federalism and Constitutional Reform explained that the principles and advantages of the proposed system — vis-a-vis the BOL and the policy direction of President Rodrigo Duterte on the shift to federalism — are consistent with each other.
He urged the ARMM constituents to take part in the BOL plebiscite scheduled early next year.
Professor Eddie Alih, a member of the Consultative Committee (ConCom), has allayed the apprehension of the public on federalism, stressing that there is a need for such information tour for a broad and deep knowledge of the federal system.
“While federalism is not a panacea to all the problems of the Filipino people, it is a step along the way in our journey for better governance and progressive Philippines,” he said.
As stated in Article XI of the ConCom’s proposal, the federal republic will have 18 regions, 16 of which will be symmetrical.
The Bangsamoro and Cordilleras will have asymmetrical setups due to provisions of their autonomy, which recognizes ethnicity, culture, customs, traditions, language and distinct identities.
In the case of the Bangsamoro, the BOL provides that the new region would have a 75 percent share of net revenues in the exploration, development, and utilization of its own natural resources.
On Tuesday, a convention on federalism commenced in the province of Maguindanao. Aside from Maguindanao, other area components of the ARMM are the cities of Marawi and Lamitan, and the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi. (Noel Punzalan/PNA)
