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ROUTE OF FEDERALISM. The secretary of the Center for Federalism and Constitutional Reform, Gary Olivar, explained at a press conference on federalism held in Cotabato City on Monday, October 22, that Bangsamoro's organic law and federalism were consistent. The Ministry of the Interior and Local Government – Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao began the same day its series of forums on federalism for ARMM in the coming days. (Photo provided by BPI-ARMM)
COTABATO – The Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday launched a series of public forums in the Muslim Mindanao Autonomous Region (ARMM) with the aim of raising public awareness of the plan to move from the system of government to federalism.
On Monday, the DILG-ARMM convened information officers from various line agencies in the region as well as media professionals at the Shariff Kabunsuan Complex, a temporary headquarters of the ARMM in that city, as part of the roadshow on federalism.
The roadshow, whose theme is "The Federalism of Peace", points out that the transition to a form of federal government is perfectly in line with the hope of local autonomy in Bangsamoro.
In his address, DILG deputy secretary Jonathan Malaya assured that federalism would not defeat Bangsamoro's organic law developments, but served as an essential motivation and support to the people of Bangsamoro for autonomy for which he fights.
For its part, Sec. Gary Olivar of the Center for Federalism and Constitutional Reform explained that the principles and benefits of the proposed system – vis-à-vis BOL and President Rodrigo Duterte's policy on the transition to federalism – are coherent.
He urged the voters of the ARMM to participate in the BOL plebiscite scheduled early next year.
Professor Eddie Alih, a member of the Advisory Committee (ConCom), dispelled public fears about federalism, highlighting the need for such a tour of information for a broad and thorough knowledge of the federal system.
"If federalism is not a panacea to all the problems of the Filipino people, it is a step forward in our journey towards better governance and the progressive Philippines," he said.
As stated in Article XI of the Committee's proposal, the Federal Republic will have 18 regions, of which 16 will be symmetrical.
The Bangsamoro and Cordilleras will have asymmetrical configurations because of the provisions of their autonomy, which recognize ethnicity, culture, customs, traditions, language and distinct identities.
In the case of Bangsamoro, BOL expects the new region to hold a 75% share of the net income in the exploration, development and use of its own natural resources.
On Tuesday, a convention on federalism began in the province of Maguindanao. In addition to Maguindanao, the ARMM also includes the cities of Marawi and Lamitan, as well as the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi. (PNA)
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