For the umpteenth time renowned political figures of the Philippine Islands have revived the partially buried issue of charter change detailing the very sensitive and contentious plan for a federal form of government. The government and charter change proponents were surprised when majority of opposition senators signed and endorsed a new proposal for a plan of action to finally put a device mechanism to realize federalism.
According to the senators, federalism is the only way for the country to finally end decades of rule by the central government based in imperial Manila. Under federalism, all established federal states will have their own representatives in congress. Equal distributions of wealth and resources would no longer be the sole responsibility of central authority, thereby making it easy for federal authorities to address with enough mandates, all problems of their respective territories
The Philippines is composed of 7,100 islands with different cultures and traditions and the people speak different regional languages. The people are ethnically different with distinct qualities and characteristics which make the country divided in all aspect of social, economic and political principles or doctrines.
Regional biases dominate everything from the government down to the ordinary people. In the government, cabinet appointments and close associations always dominated by fellow province mates of the president, vice president and other high officials of the land. The same thing happens in the bureaucracy, military and police organizations where ethnic majority always rules depending on who wields power in government.
A paradigm shift is needed so as to change the rotten system of government. A federal form of government is long overdue. The Filipino people need change and that change would someday bring the nation to a unified and strong federal republic sans regional biases and ethnic dominance.