MANILA – Malacañang expects senators to discuss President Rodrigo Duterte’s proposed shift to a federal form of government after passing the 2019 national budget.
Senate leaders do not share with the House of Representatives the same sense of urgency with regard to the planned federalism.
Their priority is the passage of the 2019 General Appropriations Act and discussions on Charter change may take a back seat, according to Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had said they will concentrate this week on tackling the proposed Charter change.
“The disposition of the Senate with respect to this proposal should be understood along with its current and tight situation of addressing the 2019 budget, with not too ample time to spare,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement released Sunday.
“We thus expect the Senate to support the President’s desire for a federal form of government thereafter, and see the wisdom of changing the system of government as part of society’s transformation for the betterment of all the Filipinos,” Panelo said.
In August Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the proposed federal form of government lacked support from the Upper House and was just “waiting to be cremated.”
The president spokesman at the time, Harry Roque, said there are ways to convince the senators to change their minds on the Malacañang-backed Charter change.
“I think there is no alternative to convincing them by showing them the merits of the proposed amendments,” Roque had said.
“We prefer to deal with the merits of the proposal to amend the Constitution toward a federal form of government and we will pursue that course of action,” he added.
On Thursday last week the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Presidential Communications Operations Office completed their regional campaign sorties for federalism with a convention rally in San Juan City.
Members of the Consultative Committee (ConCom) that Duterte tasked to review the 1987 Constitution and prepare the draft federal charter have been helping these two agencies in explaining to the public the advantages of a federal government over the current unitary form.
After the regional level, the Interior department will hold federalism roadshows in provinces, municipalities and, probably, barangays next year, said Gary Olivar of the Center for Federalism and Constitutional Reform.
The DILG and the ConCom have trained local speakers who can explain the federal system of government well, said Olivar.
Federalism roadshows were held in various regions as part of the government’s information drive. (With a report from Philippine News Agency/PN)
