Du30 gives up on federalism, pushes ‘cha-cha’ instead

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has given up on changing the system of government to federalism and has instead pushed for amendments in the Constitution.

In a speech on Tuesday night at Malacañang, Duterte said he already accepted that efforts toward federalism would not push through under his administration but hopes for a change in the Constitution.

“Kaya it’s not for me, in my generation, somebody else’s. But you should change the Constitution actually. Not for anything. If you do not want federalism, fine. But change the Constitution that would really change this nation,” Duterte said.

Earlier this year, Duterte said he is not yet giving up on its push to change the country’s form of government to federalism even if he might just opt to have the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution amended.

The President has been pushing the federal shift since the start of his term to address national economic and power imbalances.

In his first State of the Nation Address in July 2016, Duterte directed the Department of Interior and Local Government to undertake a nationwide information campaign on federalism.

DILG held several “federalism summits” in cities nationwide in an advocacy campaign that aimed to bring the issue down to grassroots communities and help ordinary citizens understand the concept of federalism.

Duterte’s proposed shift has yet to pass Congress, which is dominated by his allies, despite amendments proposed by the Consultative Committee chaired by former chief justice Reynato Puno./PN