Federalism

T U N AY N A PA G B A B A G O

History: Philippine Constitutions

and Presidents
333 years of Spanish Rule

Emilio Aguinaldo

Roosevelt signing
Tydings-McDuffie
law

Manuel Quezon

Commonwealth Government

1st Philippine Republic

Malolos Constitution (1899-1901)

1935 Constitution

History: Philippine Constitutions

and Presidents
2nd Philippine Republic
1943 Constitution

Jose P. Laurel

Sergio Osmea Sr.

Restoration of the
1935 Constitution

History: Philippine Constitutions

and Presidents
3rd Philippine Republic
1935 Constitution

Roxas

Quirino

Magsaysay

Garcia

Macapagal

Marcos

4th Philippine Republic

1973 Constitution, Marcos Regime

History: Philippine Constitutions

and Presidents
1983 Assassination of
Ninoy Aquino

1986 1st EDSA Revolution and

Revolutionary Government

History: Philippine Constitutions

and Presidents
5th Philippine Republic
1987 Constitution

Cory Aquino (1986-1992)

Fidel Ramos (1992-1998)

Joseph Estrada (19982001)

History: Philippine Constitutions

and Presidents
2001 2nd EDSA
Revolution

Gloria Arroyo (20012010)

Noynoy Aquino (20102016)

History: Philippine Constitutions

and Presidents
Rodrigo Duterte wins on
promise of real change

Philippine Government always Unitary

(except pre-Spanish time)
Period

Type of Government

Head

Constitution

Pre-Spanish (prior 1565)

Autonomous

Local Chieftains

Common customs and

traditions

Spanish Regime (15651898)

Colonial-Unitary

Spanish GovernadorGeneral

Royal decrees and

orders

1st Philippine Republic

(1899-1901)

Revolutionary-Unitary

President

1899 Malolos
Constitution

American Regime (19011935)

Colonial-Unitary

Governor-General

US Constitution and
local decrees

Commonwealth (19351946)

Colonial-Unitary
(Pre-Independence)

President

1935 Constitution

WW2 (1941-1945)
2nd Philippine Republic

Japanese puppet
government
(Military Dictatorship)

President

Japanese-imposed 1943
Constitution

3rd Philippine Republic

(1946-1972)

President-Unitary

President

1935 Constitution

4th Philippine Republic

(1973-1986)

President-Unitary

President

1973 Constitution

5th Republic (1987 to

present)

President-Unitary

President

1987 Constitution

Problems of A Unitary Government

Too much power in the hands of Imperial Manila

Problems of A Unitary Government

Delayed Response

Delayed repairs

Budget dictated by
national government

President controls most of government resources

and bureaucracy

Problems of A Unitary Government

Uneven development and distribution of resources

to the provinces and regions

Problems of A Unitary Government

Insurgency
Moro Rebellion
Social Unrest (due to injustice, poverty, corruption, political warlords and dynasties and failed agrarian reform)

Problems of A Unitary Government

Ranking based on ease of doing
business

Other Asian countries have progressed steadily, the

Philippines still beset by cycles of boom and mostly bust.

Problems of A Unitary Government

Philippines

47

Local Autonomy: A Good Start

Aquilino Nene Pimentel,

Jr.

The 1991 Local Government Code devolved little

powers (health, social welfare, agriculture,
environment) to the local government.

What is Federalism?
A form of government where
sovereignty is constitutionally
shared between central authority
and states or regions
National government focuses on
nationwide interests such as foreign
relations, national security, and
monetary policies
Autonomous regions or states will be
responsible for local development

Unitary vs Federal

Malacaan decides how much to

give local governments.

In Federalism, states can make

decisions with little or no interference
from national government

Advantages of Federalism

Faster Decision Making

More power over

funds and resources

Promotes Specialization

Advantages of Federalism

Decongest Metro Manila

More Political
Stability

Government closer to the

people

Encourages competition

Crucial Advantage

An Honest &
Competent
Leader Can Do
A Lot of Good

A Bad
Leader
Cannot Do
Much
Harm

Challenges of Federalism

Ilocanos

Maranao

Igorot

Ivatan

Bicolanos

Tagalog

Possibly Divisive

Challenges of Federalism

Uneven Development Among States

Financial Cost of Transition

Challenges of Federalism
May not satisfy separatists in Mindanao

Top government leaders to unify the country

Federalism Models

Presidential vs Parliamentary

Chamber

Chambers

Unicameral vs Bicameral

Federalized countries

Modes of Charter Change

Peoples Initiative

Constitutional Convention

Constituent Assembly

For change to be permanent,

it must start with us and in
us.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte