Philippines: GMA, JDV May have Hidden Agenda Behind Federalism Move — Pimentel

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Nene” Q. Pimentel,
Jr. (PDP-Laban) today expressed suspicion that
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Speaker Jose de
Venecia, Jr. are riding on the proposed adoption of
the federal system to push their real objective: to
establish a unicameral parliamentary system.

Pimentel said he reacted with skepticism when the
President, at the height of the scandal over the
national broadband-ZTE project, suddenly revived the
federalism proposal. This sparked speculation that the
move was meant to divert attention away from the
controversies plaguing the Arroyo presidency.

He said both Mrs. Arroyo and De Venecia have not given
up the idea of shifting to a parliamentary system
because this would enable them to perpetuate
themselves in power. The President is barred for
running for reelection in 2010 while De Venecia is
obsessed with becoming prime minister.

“When they spoke of amending the Constitution, it was
primarily to adopt a parliamentary system of
government and they were backriding on the issue of
federalism,” Pimentel said.

“I suspect they have a hidden agenda to prolong
themselves in power.”

The senator from Mindanao said that he and his party,
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan
(PDP-Laban), have been advocating the federalization
of the country since 1982 in order to achieve two
goals.

First, to dissipate the causes of Muslim unrest in
Mindanao. And second, to promote a more equitable
development policy for the country.

Pimentel, who attended the fourth international
conference on federalism in New Delhi, India last
week, said a federal system can be installed in the
Philippines while retaining the presidential form of
government just like in the United States.

“We can have a model like the US which is federal but
presidential. In other words, there is no need to
adopt a parliamentary system to fit into a federal
system,” he said.

The minority leader said one striking fact surfaced
during the New Delhi conference: “Federalism is not a
silver bullet that can solve all the problems of a
nation.”