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การประชุมวิชาการสถาบันพระปกเกล้า 115
ครั้งที่ 20 ประจำาปี 2561
ประชาธิปไตยไทย: ก้าวย่างเพื่อการพัฒนา

This is where the discussion of federalism comes in.

Federalism in the Philippines: State and Directions of

the Discourse

To reiterate, the discourse on federalism in not new. As early as 1978, professors at

the National College of Public Administration led by Professor Gabriel U. Iglesias already had
discussions on federalism. Professor Jose V. Abueva, former President of the University of the
Philippines, has been central in the academic discourse on federalism in the Philippines having

led many study groups on the matter (Abueva 2002). In 1982, the Partido Democratico ng

Pilipinas, founded by Senator Aquilino Pimentel included federalism in its platform of its
government. Various moves to adopt federalism continued to emerge from various sectors,
including the Lihok Pideral, the Citizens’ Movement for a Federal Philippines, among others.

Towards the end of her term, President Gloria Arroyo herself ordered a study on the proposed

adoption of a federal form of government for the Philippines. It was within this historical
context that when President Rodrigo Duterte run for the presidency in 2016, he campaigned
on the platform to adopt federalism as a means to deepen decentralization and thus reform

governance in the country. This early on in his term, in 2018, President Duterte convened

a Consultative Committee to draft a constitution adopting a federal form of government.

After the submission by the Consultative Committee of the proposed draft constitu-
tion to the President and to Congress proposing the adoption of a federal form of government
toward the third quarter of 2018, we have seen a frenzy of discussions and debates at all levels

and in many sectors about the so called “pros and cons” of federalism. This is a healthy

sign for a country that continues to seek appropriate politico-administrative structures and
institutions suitable to us at this particular historical moment. One thing is clear: considering
the enormous problems and challenges we encounter as a nation – ranging from poverty and

inequity to social injustice and corruption – we all agree that the status quo is not acceptable

and that fundamental reforms are imperative.

Among the fundamental reforms that generated much discussion in the proposal

to amend the constitution and adopt a federal form of government as an alternative to the
unitary system that we have today. It is important to unpack the debate and begin with what

we are familiar with and then proceed with the nuts and bolts of the project.