Direly needed change

By Jose C. Sison (The Philippine Star), Aug 4, 2017

It is really hard to simply brush aside the day-to-day killings taking place in our country now. These killings may really be unavoidable particularly in the on-going war against the IS backed Maute terrorist group in Marawi City and the long drawn out war against the New Peoples’ Army (NPA) in several areas of the Philippines. But with regard to the war against prohibited drugs actively started when the current administration assumed power, the growing number of deaths are already quite alarming because the killings are invariably carried out under suspicious and questionable circumstances by our law enforcers themselves who are primarily tasked with protecting lives of citizens and maintenance of peace and order.

The latest among these controversial deaths is of course the killing of Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog, Sr. his wife Susan, his brother and sister along with eleven (11) of their men during a police raid last Sunday while the PNP was serving search warrants for illegal drugs and unlicensed firearms. Mayor Parojinog has been known as a narco politician involved not only in smuggling and drug trafficking but in the “kuratong baleleng” crimes. Although PRRD and even Senator Panfilo Lacson see nothing wrong with the raid and killings, it is really premature to say at this time that they are done according to the rule of law and due process until a thorough probe has established what actually happened. At this stage, one thing clear and undisputable is that the raid and the killings have once again raised so many questions and suspicions that necessitate another investigation akin to the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, another politician supposedly involved in illegal drugs.

With these latest developments, it is hoped that PRRD will finally realize that the “wars” now taking place in our country will not be really won by too much violence and killings. Maybe it is about time for him to accept the fact that under our present unitary system of government, where power is over-centralized, it is really quite difficult to have supervision and control of the different local government units in the entire country.

PRRD should now actively pursue one of his commitments when he ran and won in the last election to change our system of government into federalism. It is about time that he asks his allies in Congress to meet in joint session either for the purpose revising the charter as constituent assembly or of calling a constitutional convention to revise the same.

The current war particularly against drugs can be won earlier and more decisively if the power, functions and responsibility of the government are devolved, decentralized and localized into a more manageable, more compact and controllable area. PRRD should know this because he was able to achieve a lot of his plans and projects when he was Mayor of Davao City.

Basically, under the Federal system of government, the 12 regions of the Philippines will be converted into autonomous and quasi sovereign states that will administer their purely local concerns. Then these states will be confederated and united into another true state or nation possessing sovereignty both internal and external, with the administration of the Federal government officials directed and its efforts felt by people of all states in their collective capacity as citizens of the nation rather than by the different states deliberating as local government units.

Fundamentally therefore, the Philippines will become a State formed by means of confederating or banding the twelve (12) regions presently composed of several Provinces and Cities which are converted into separate states with autonomous or quasi sovereign powers for the administration of their respective purely local concerns.

The 12 “States” will also have three branches of government with independent and separate powers like the federal government except that only the federal government will handle the foreign relations with the other countries in the international community.

The new charter that will be drawn up must provide the more detailed changes based on the fundamental concept of the federal system of government. Most important in this connection is that the 12 “states” will also have the branches or departments of government with separate and independent powers like the federal government. Hence each of the 12 states will likewise have an Executive, Legislative and Judicial Department that will strictly observe the principle of separation of powers.

They can pattern the new federal government system after that of the United States of America with a President as Chief Executive and head of the federal state, a bicameral legislative body and a hierarchy of judicial courts. Or they can adopt the federal set-up of the German Republic where the President is more of a nominal and ceremonial head of state and where the affairs of the state is actually handled by a Prime Minister of a unicameral parliament wherein the officials of the executive department are also members.

With the separate and independent branches of government strictly observing the principle of checks and balances under a new federal system of government, the elimination of the political dynasties now existing in several municipalities, cities and/or provinces will become more feasible and doable. But most importantly, narco-politics will most likely be eliminated especially because there will be no political dynasties anymore. As the present situation in our provinces and cities have shown, the political dynasties lording it over their respective domains are also the very drug lords engaged in the sale and distribution of prohibited drugs.

Indeed even the administration of justice may improve and be more expeditious as each of the state will have its own hierarchy of courts interpreting and applying the laws. So it is therefore quite clear that the change in our system of government will improve the peace and order condition in our country.