IT SEEMS President Rodrigo Duterte’s much-vaunted push for federalism has reached a dead end. Even the PDP-Laban, the party that leads the ruling coalition and chief advocate for federalism is observing the sacrament of silence.
It is not surprising why Duterte and his minions have appeared to have lost interest in their pursuit for federalism. It was not long ago that the propaganda machine of the regime was mobilized to extol the merits of charter change for a parliamentary federal system as the only means to solve our national problems.
Millions were spent by the Duterte government to create the “Consultative Committee” headed by retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno. Millions were spent for the per diem and other emoluments for the chairman and several members of the consultative committee. “Consultations” were made nationwide to make it appear that there was a snow-balling move for Charter change. But it was a waste of taxpayers’ money and the move came to a halt.
Duterte’s back-pedalling on his push for federalism may have been prompted by the advice of his financial experts. As early as August 2018 Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III told the Senate Finance Committee that the shift to federalism involves “uncertainty” and “political risk.” Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said that the shift to federalism would cost the taxpayers billions of pesos which the country can ill afford.
The draft Constitution on Federalism adopted by the PDP-Laban gives the incumbent President an extension of five years, with a fresh election under a new Charter and with a right to re-election for a term of five years. The people historically abhor term extensions of incumbent presidents so that all previous attempts of past presidents (except Benigno Aquino III) to amend the Charter to give them term extensions met disastrous results. This is the reason 70 percent of the people reject Charter change.
But let us not put our guard down. The House under the leadership of a Duterte puppet, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, has given the green light to Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Chair of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments to float the idea of term extensions for congressmen.
I suspect that the term extensions will not only apply to congressmen, but also to the incumbent president. Despite his failing health, Duterte is not keen on stepping down because of his pending case in the International Criminal Court and his vulnerability to criminal prosecutions to be initiated by the families of thousands of victims of extra judicial killings once he is no longer in power.
We must oppose and expose any attempt of any public official to stay in power indefinitely. We must mobilize the citizens to speak up and be counted. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “In the end, what matters most is not the word of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” (By Democrito C. Barcenas)