Effects of Federalism in Political and Administration of the LGU

Effects of Federalism in Political and Administration of the LGU

What is federalism? Federalism refers to a government system in which there is constitutionally established sharing of sovereignty between central and state governments. Federalism is defined as a form of government where sovereignty is constitutionally shared between a central governing authority and constituent political units called states or regions. In other words, federalism will break the country into autonomous regions with a national government focused only on interests with nationwide bearing such as policy and defense. It allows for each individual state to create laws that can be applied specifically to the setting and conditions that the state finds itself; a greater level of participation; stops the centralization of power; and encourages research in good policy. It encourages development of the nation in a decentralized and regional manner and allows for unique and innovative methods for attacking social, economic and political problems. A federal system of government will help empower local government units. However, there are also disadvantages to this form of government. Federalism can hinder the creation of effective national policy, create big problems and conflicts regarding overlapping jurisdictions and law, and create general ignorance of the public in regards to the larger issues facing the country. It can lead to duplication of government and inefficient, over-lapping or contradictory policies in different parts of the country, it can lead to inequality between the states and lead to unhealthy competition and rivalry between them, it can lead to over-government that will result to corruption.

Some of the proposals I've read, that there will be 11 federal states, four federal states in Luzon will be Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and the Bicol area; four federal states in the Visayas will be Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, and the provinces of Romblon and Palawan; and Mindanao will be composed of three federal states of Northern Mindanao, Southern Mindanao, and a separate state for the Bangsamoro, in a easier understanding, jurisdiction of the courts as well as the administrative powers of local government units or administration will be totally divided, the Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act 7160) aims to equally disperse the power from the national government to the local government units (LGUs) and allowing them to be independent in serving their people and attaining their fullest development by using and nurturing their own resources. LGUs are then expected to perform their designated functions to deliver quality governance, provide better public service, and encourage public's participation for country's intensive development. With the enactment of the Local Government Code, Philippines took a major step forward to decentralization. Decentralization in the Philippines is divided into three dimensions: (1) Administrative decentralization, (2) Fiscal Decentralization, and (3) Institutional Decentralization. Each component describes different functions of LGUs and different processes

to attain a specific political goal. In enacting the Federalism, there will be a clear and total distributions of the powers and the functions and responsibilities of the Local Government Units. It encourages development of the nation in a decentralized and regional manner and allows for unique and innovative methods for attacking social, economic and political problems. Decentralization and democratization tend to reinforce each other; decentralization is a factor in increasing democratization while successful decentralization can only take place with democratic process. To a certain extent, that is what the devolution and the local autonomy is all about: unleashing the creative powers and resources at the local level towards the general objective of developing of self-reliance and lessen dependence upon the central government which after all has been one reason for the state of under development of local government unit in the Philippines. Indeed, local governments in the Philippines are undergoing a fundamental structural and ideological transformation as a result of the devolution. This transformation will be better appreciated within the context of decentralization, democratization and local empowerment.

The country’s provinces, cities and towns will have more power to govern their areas and more control over their resources and revenues under a federal form of government. The administration of the LGU will not be having a hard time in realisng fund for the State, because the administration will be automatically entitled to it. The country’s LGUs would soon be engaged in competition with each other in terms of attracting investors to further enhance local development and expand social services. once the federal system of government sets in, what will be left of the Department of the Interior and Local Government functions will be homeland protection.

Detractors say federalism will only make local political dynasties more powerful, Political dynasties constitute the unequivocal proof that the quality of our local leaders is still below par as far as federalism is concerned. According to a groundbreaking study by the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center in 2012 titled “An Empirical Analysis of Political Dynasties in the 15th Philippine Congress,” lower standards of living, lower human development, and higher levels of deprivation and inequality persist in the communities governed by political dynasties. supporters give the argument that, in fact, it will make all local leaders, including those part of political dynasties, more accountable to their constituents. State governments will no longer have any excuse for delays in services or projects that, in the present situation, are often blamed on choking bureaucracy in Manila, the decentralized decision making structure provides greater proximity to the people and forces the governments to be more responsive to its citizens' preferences. Economic development is achieved through inter-sectoral dialogue and equitable distribution of wealth that render significant improvements in local infrastructure. There would be more access to local resources, in example, developing better

privileges to local contractors for infrastructure projects. The local government unit in this time, is not as good as we wanted it to be, there are a lot of problems that these LGU's are facing, because of the current system in managing administrative powers of the LGU's, which is always labeled as substandard or below the limit on measuring a good local government. the progress of the LGU is really a failure in reaching the real standard of one's administration in an LGU. The primary task in the pursuit of this goal is to improve the quality of local leadership. Ardent believers of federalism can actively push for the enactment of these pieces of legislation: the Anti-Political Dynasty Law, the Freedom of Information Act and the Political Party Development Act of 2014. Federalism, together with parliamentary government, will improve governance by promoting the development of strong, united, disciplined, and program-oriented political parties that are responsible and accountable to the people for their conduct and performance in and out of power.

In Federalism, states are able to both make their own decisions and retain the income they have to fund these decisions, it's possible for federalism to promote specialization and competition. This affects both the national government and the states since the national government turned certain administrative powers over to the regional governments, it can now funnel its resources more intensively towards the issues it is assigned to, such as foreign policy and nationwide defense. Likewise, the states are now better able to nurture their individual strengths and selling points because the people who have the decisions and funding are the people who are personally involved in the state's development. These self-reliant states will compare their growth to the growth of surrounding states. Hopefully, this will lead to friendly competition between states that will help raise the quality of life and economic development for everybody involved. A federal form of government will reverse the process and after contributing to the national government, it would help the LGU's to be independent alone and to supervise on its own powers based on the law. Billions of pesos will have to be spent on setting up state governments and the delivery of state services. States will then have to spend for the elections of their own officials. But in the process it would be beneficial in the administrative powers of each state and also to its people. There are ways on how the state can implement infrastructure development under a federal form of government. First is that a federal government has to get a local state to agree to a federal project that might prove to be quite problematic, especially since the local state will be given more power to implement infrastructure development deals on its own, and the other one is that local states can undertake their own infrastructure-development projects and get outside financing on its own.

While the idea of federalism is attractive for most Filipinos, the possible benefits that are marketed by the idea will inevitably come at a cost, and will require extensive time and effort from both governments and citizens alike. the transition to federalism also requires the elevation of the electorate to a higher level of political consciousness. there are a number of trailblazing and innovative local governments in the area of service delivery, people’s participation, economic development and disaster management, etc.

There are also cases of successful local and grassroots partnerships in areas where there are active civil society groups, progressive local officials, and supportive academic, civil society and private institutions. However, the situation is not the same across all LGUs. There are localities that remain poor. Others have no active civil society groups and power remains in the hands of a few elites. Local corruption, violence and patron-client relations continue. The lesson being: Increasing the autonomy of local governments will ultimately amount to nothing if local leaders are incompetent and incapable of properly utilizing expanded powers and resources.

One documented advantage of federalism is that it creates a system of checks and balances. However, it can also result in frustration and paralysis as implementation of bold reforms from the central authority or emergency intervention of the central authority to deal with an urgent situation like disasters or failure of governance in one or several of the states can be very difficult due to noncooperation of the federal states.

In this current situation in which many key government services are becoming more and more interconnected, governments at all levels have to be more interdependent. There is a need for mechanisms under federalism in which there is coordination and sharing instead of just competition. Assuming more autonomy for regions leads to economic development, there will be more incentive for Filipinos to live and work in regions outside Metro Manila. More investors may also decide to put up their businesses there, creating more jobs and opportunities to attract more people away from the jam-packed mega city. Many of the provisions of the Local Government Code have not yet been maximized. The recall and initiative mechanisms have not been used regularly and properly. There are no sectoral representatives in the local councils as mandated by the Local Government Code. Local development councils and special bodies are not working as envisioned.

Federalism aims, together with parliamentary government, to improve governance by promoting the development of strong, united, disciplined, and program-oriented political parties that are responsible and accountable to the people for their conduct and performance in and out of power. Metro Manila State will have a unified political structure that will integrate its various cities and municipalities under the state assembly that combines legislative and executive powers and authority. Unlike the state assemblies of the other states, the mayors in Metro Manila will constitute the Metro Manila State Assembly. The Metro Manila Governor and State Cabinet will direct and coordinate the various metropolitan functions and services. The Federal Republic will empower our citizens by enabling them to raise their standard of living and enhance their political awareness through their participation and efficacy in elections and the making and carrying out of government decisions at the regional and local levels. in this sense, the people will be invovled in the administrative decisions of the government they also have the participation in performance of the government itself. LGUs need not wait for central government assistance, resulting in shorter turnaround time in dealing with emergencies.

It is true that federalism cannot guarantee good governance any more than a unitary form of government. But the increase in worldwide attention to federalism is being driven by the spread of democracies and the increase in population in many developing countries. These two factors are leading to the demand for the devolution of powers to the areas outside the usual centers of powers.

Also, a direct impact of a strong link between the government and the business sector opens broad spectrum of business support services in an effort to achieve a consolidated approach when representing the viewpoint of private enterprise in its relations with the government. This would allow the development of small businesses to be competitive with large businesses in any industry. Through direct involvement and community action, we see rapid development and the proliferation of our interests. With these advantages it can hardly be supposed that the adverse position would have an equal chance for a favorable issue. Pimentel proposed allocating 80 percent of resources to the federal states and increasing LGUs’ revenue share from what is currently provided for by the LGC (40 percent) so that vital needs of all sectors of society are provided for. Pimentel is also realistic in acknowledging that not all of the proposed federal states are equal in terms of resources and opportunities.

Chief Justice Reynato Puno – believe that this system will result in a more participative kind of government because the local level will have relative autonomy from the national (or central) government. Economists also believe this systemic change could spur real growth and

prosperity that could reach far-flung areas especially in Mindanao, since a federal form of government will give local governments more power to decide and craft solutions that are tailor fit to their economic situation – reducing poverty and unemployment in the process. I’m one of those who believe that it’s the system that spawns corruption and not the other way around. What happened with the PDAF and DAP is a clear example of corruption in the current system.

One senator, explains the advantages of the federalism is that, it hasten the economic development among the various regions of the country by allocating power which at present is concentrated in the central government to the regions that will be converted to federal states. The devolved powers will allow the federal states to mobilize their resources for development without being hindered or controlled by the central government; and it dissipate the causes of the recurrent armed Moro challenges against the government and, thereby, lay the basis for a just and lasting peace in Central and Southwestern Mindanao. Metro Manila will be decongested as more employment opportunities are created in other locations by LGUs. Once those experiences have been studied, both the incoming administration, both House of Congress, and business will have a better idea what will work in the Philippines and what business has to do/change in order to adjust to a different system. The good thing is that we will have time; the shift is not going to happen immediately, it will take a number of years. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. said that under the federal system of government, the powers of the Executive Department over local government units (LGUs), particularly by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), will be abolished.

People on the other side are saying that, we do not need here a change of government all we need is to strengthen the centralized government. And also it’s very expensive to have a federal kind of government. We have no enough funds because we are still paying our debts. We have already LGU’S and NGO’S to monitor the needs of people that have a power equal to the national government. We are making our situation complicated if we change our present type of system. But as I was saying, a change will come at a cost, nothing comes easy, but the effects of federalism or a Federal type of Government is the change that this country need, in terms of administration of the Local Government Unit, it would be helpful for them because in federalism, the administration of an LGU is divided and they will act on their own, they will not be dependent on the successful cities that this country has. The change will be not easy at the start but when we see the fruits of the process we might be able to adopt to the system. people nowadays are scared of changes, they don't want to be a part of a new system, well in fact, that system that they don't want to implement, might be the answer to our current problems in poverty, population and even traffic problems might be resolved with a drastic change. More

people across all regions—or states in a federal system—share equitably in progress, the various insurgencies that have bedeviled the country for decades can also be decisively ended because the sparks of unrest—poverty, injustice, inequity—would be tamped down.

The Philippines is a third world country and according to survey last September 16, 2006 we have 25 only of the world’s 193 countries have federal political system, and 3 out of 25 is belong in Asia. It only indicates that a third world country like us is not ready and cannot afford the federal government. But it is not the issue, it is whether the country can successfully implement the federal system, the federal system will affect the political and administration of the LGU and therefore, it might result for the country to reach the higher status and not just a third world country after the said implementation. because the effect and the change that it would bring to the Political and the Administration of the LGU will be beneficial for all the people in the country.