The attempt of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to secretly grant "statehood" to a large area of Philippine territory has sparked an uproar and also brought to the forefront of international debate the issue of federalization of the Philippines. After failing to carve out a Bangsamoro "ancestral domain" for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Gloria has put into motion another Charter change (Cha-cha) -- to change the present unitary presidential system of government to a federal system.
Last August 4, 2008, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order stopping the signing of the "Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain" between the Philippine government and the MILF which was to occur the following day in Malaysia.
The Supreme Court had been kind -- and accommodating -- to Gloria on matters involving executive privilege; however, it has been vigilant when it comes to tinkering with the constitution. It appears that the Supreme Court is the only institution left which would protect the sanctity of the country's constitution. With the House of Representatives seemingly in Gloria's pocket, the Senate has been wishy-washy on how to deal with Cha-cha. They didn't seem to know what they were bargaining for when 12 senators signed Joint Resolution No.10 authored by Senator Aquilino Pimentel which calls for the creation of 11 federal states including a homeland or "ancestral domain" for Bangsamoro. However, once Cha-cha is on, Gloria could introduce any amendment including a provision that would allow her to remain in power beyond 2010 either as a Prime Minister for an indefinite period or President without term limits. Didn't she at one time promise that if the people would stay with her she'll transform the country into an "Enchanted Kingdom" within 20 years?
What then would Resolution No.10 accomplish? First of all, it will convene the Congress into a Constituent Assembly for the purpose of revising the constitution to establish a federal system of government which shall consist of 11 states and a Federal Administrative Region. It calls for the election of six senators from each state and increase the number of seats in the House of Representatives to a maximum of 350. The new states shall be Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Minparom (Mindoro, Palawan, and Romblon), Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Southern Mindanao, and Bangsamoro. Metro Manila shall serve as the Federal Administrative Region. So far, so good.
But here is the stinger in Resolution No.10: "No state may dissolve itself, secede or separate from the Federal Republic of the Philippines unless it first secures the approval of two-thirds of its qualified voters in a plebiscite called for that purpose. Thereafter, the Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of all its members, voting separately, act on the proposed dissolution, secession or separation of the State concerned." The question is: Why did Sen. Pimentel include a provision that would allow a State to dissolve, secede or separate from the Federal Republic? All constitutions of the Philippines, past and present, have not allowed secession. Why now?
It is important to note that the MILF's absolute goal has always been independence, not statehood. In my opinion, statehood to them would just be another step closer to independence. One may argue that while it would be possible to get two-thirds of a State's voters to secede, it would be improbable for the Congress to muster two-thirds to allow secession. And when that happens, would a seceding State take it sitting down? Or would it go to war to free itself from the federal government? Wasn't that what happened in 1861 when seven states seceded from the United States? When the U.S. federal government rejected the secession, the secessionists formed their own country and went to war against the U.S. More than 620,000 Americans died in the War Between the States or better known as the American Civil War.
Indeed, the spectre of a Kosovo-like war in Mindanao is making a lot of people jittery. Recently, North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani provinces became war zones when government military forces and MILF guerillas had running battles which caused massive evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians. Christians are arming themselves to the teeth.
Once the country is federalized, conflicts could erupt in Luzon and the Visayas. Northern Luzon, the largest of the 11 states, could become a hotbed of secessionist activities. The indigenous tribes in the four mountain provinces, which cut across Northern Luzon from north to south, have been yearning for autonomy for many years. Long neglected by the Philippine government, they're likely to demand for their own state or secede.
In the Western Visayas, the predominant Ilonggos have also been yearning for a separate Ilonggo Republic. In the Eastern Visayas, the predominant Cebuanos have always maintained that they were the largest ethnolinguistic group in the entire archipelago. They have been claiming that they were neglected and exploited by the "ruling Tagalistas" in "Imperial Manila."
At the end of the day, the nagging question is: Is federalism good for the Philippines? One of my readers, Ike Santos, said it succinctly: "Federalism is a natural political creation, not a work of a committee. We can not artificially create a new form of government overnight. Creating federalist regions, as suggested will only create more private armies, political animosities, corruption and power grabbing. It's just another layer of bureaucracy. The current constitution has enough elbow room to allow laws to be made to provide political and geographic 'autonomies' while we continue to preserve the national government's role in equitable revenue and shared governance. We've created the autonomous barangays, Metro Manila, etc. Congress can enact laws on revenue sharing, forego pork barrels, implement current laws, etc. With the present state of political and economic affairs in the Philippines, we do not need another rock to hit our head with and ask why we're in pain."
In my opinion, Resolution No.10 is a blueprint for the Balkanization of the Philippines. What was once the "Pearl of the Orient" could become a chopped-up archipelago in a sea teeming with infernal warfare. Are the Filipino people ready for this? Or would they try to work within the framework of "One Nation, One People"?
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