Governors back shift in gov’t form to federal from unitary

MANILA, Philippines - Provincial governors have supported the proposed shift in the form of government to a federal from unitary system to propel countryside development. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. said in a statement Sunday that the present highly centralized government system tends to create a disparity among richer and poorer regions in the country. "We are for federalism. We want to chart our destiny. We want to stand by our own feet. We want to do our journey ... give us that chance and the tools and the map," Misamis Occidental Governor Loreto Leo Ocampos, national president of the League of Provinces, was quoted as saying in the statement. Under Joint Resolution 10 introduced by Mr. Pimentel, Congress will be convened into a Constituent Assembly to amend the Constitution. The proposal aims to disperse wealth to poorer regions by establishing 11 federal states and giving them autonomy to control and use their resources. Eighty percent of the national income shall be appropriated, while the remaining 20% shall be given to the central federal state. Mr. Pimentel has initiated provincial road shows, which started on June 3 and recently launched a 494-page book entitled Federalizing the Philippines: A Journey to explain the benefits of federalism. "We believe this idea of federalism must be discussed in the presence of the people so that they will understand what it is that we are espousing," said Mr. Pimentel. - BusinessWorld