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Governors' Forum on Federalism

BY INVITATION ONLY

A forum on federalism with various governors in the Philippines, organized together with the League of Governors of the Philippines, GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) Decentralization Program, and the Balay-Mindanaw Foundation (BMFI)

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There is no one-size-fits-all formula for federalism, according to experts.

Governors from more than 20 provinces across the Philippines came together last Sept. 11 in Cebu City to discuss the issue of federalism. The forum was organized by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), together with the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) Decentralization Program, the Balay-Mindanaw Foundation (BMFI), and the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP).

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Gov. Ocampos stressed the purpose of the purpose was for information and discussion about the issue of federalism
The LPP stressed that it still does not have an official position on the issue of federalism, according to LPP Vice President Palawan Governor Joel Reyes. The LPP is in discussion with several experts in order to formulate their position on the issue, as well as to identify solutions to current problems with the current form of governance.

League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) National President Gov. Loreto Ocampos of Misamis Oriental reiterated that the forum was to cater to the needs of the governors to be informed and the need for scholarly discussion on what federalism would mean, how federalism works, and how other countries practice federalism.

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Pimentel’s Senate Resolution #10, calling for a shift to Federalism
Federalism in the Philippines is not a new issue, according to Konrad Adenauer Stiftung country representative Klaus Preschle. The issue has been in existence as early as the late 1960s. However, federalism has been in the news again, following Senate Resolution No. 10 filed by Senator Aquilino Pimentel in April 2008, which called for a shift from unitary system of government to that of a federal system. Sen. Pimentel, who was also present during the forum, re-outlined his proposal to the group of governors.

Federalism has further made headlines as renewed calls for improvements on local autonomy as a possible means to resolve the “Bangsamoro Problem”.

Autonomy and Federalism law expert Prof. Dr. Rudolf Dolzer, who was visiting the Philippines upon the invitation of KAS, outlined how federal systems work, and how they varied across the world. Federal systems in countries such as Germany, Belgium, the United States, are all different, and systems were tailored according to a country’s history, culture, experiences, and capabilities.

The biggest question remained, however, was that of how “Philippine Federalism” would look like. While the Philippines may look to other countries for examples, however, it still remains imperative for the country to design its own federal system.

Political decentralization must go hand in hand with fiscal decentralization, according to Dr. Herwig Mayer from the Decentralization Program of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ). There is no political autonomy without fiscal autonomy, and fiscal and tax matters must also be addressed in any discussions on federalism.

The forum also hosted several experts on federalism and decentralization, which included former Citizen’s Movement for a Federal Philippines (CMFP) President Dr. Jose Abueva, Dr. Clarita Carlos from the University of the Philippines, Undersecretary Austere Panadero from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Prof. Abhoud Syed Lingga from the Institute for Bangsamoro Studies, Atty. Camilo Montesa from the Institute for Autonomy and Governance, and Atty. Soliman Santos, a human rights lawyer and legal scholar.

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Venue

Marco Polo Hotel, Cebu City

Contact

Klaus Preschle

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