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Duterte to discuss federalism with senators, DILG exec says


President Rodrigo Duterte will hold a dialogue with senators in order to convince them to support the government's proposed shift to federalism, an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Friday.

Interior Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya made the statement after some senators including Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Charter change is not among the legislative chamber's priorities for the meantime.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said on August 2 that charter change was "just waiting to be cremated" in the Senate despite the assurance of Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that the two houses of Congress should vote separately in proposing amendments to the 1987 Constitution. 

"We're positive that we can convince the senators," Malaya, the federalism campaign administrator, said at a press briefing in Malacañang.

"The final decision of the Senate has not yet been made so that gives advocates of federalism the time to talk to our senators and begin the process of dialogue and the President will be the one leading that process of dialogue," he added.

The federalism initiative remains pending at the Senate constitutional amendments committee that is chaired by opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan.

Duterte has been pushing for a shift to a federal form of government as a means to address national economic and power imbalances.

The President has said that he would quit his post as early as next year once the proposed federal charter is ratified by the public, insisting that the current unitary system of government has failed the people by keeping resources and power centralized.

Malacañang announced last week that it would get the sentiment of the public on the proposed federal charter crafted by the Consultative Committee (ConCom).

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the concerns of economic managers about the draft charter's possible negative impact on the country's economy and fiscal position prompted Duterte to solicit public feedback.

Roque made it clear that Duterte was "fully satisfied" and has "fully endorsed" the ConCom output but said the President "will consider the comments of the people and improve the draft accordingly before officially transmitting it to Congress."

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