A handful of lawmakers only showed up in yesterday’s legislative forum on federalism but despite this, House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez called on his colleagues to “restructure” the current government setup by amending the 1987 Constitution and push for a federal form of government.
The House started its discussions on the “Dual Executive and Semi-Presidentialism” with members of the academe and leaders of civil society organizations as resource persons. More than 12 congressmen attended the round-table discussion.
In his remarks read for him by House Deputy Speaker and South Cotabato Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez, Alvarez asked anew his colleagues to prioritize amending the Constitution, which structures the executive into a single entity in the form of the President who serves as both the head of state and the head of government.
“This kind of setup has failed to respond effectively and efficiently to the recurring issues that have continuously plagued our nation. It has also adversely affected the needs and collective aspirations of our people. We have to consider the possibility that the structure we have now is no longer fit for the pressing needs of today and it is not compatible with meeting the challenges that tomorrow will bring,” he said.
Alvarez noted that amending the Constitution to pave way for a federal form of government is an “ambitious” but a doable task.
“Indeed, restructuring the setup of our government is an ambitious task. Difficult, however, is different from impossible. Further, the question we should ask is not whether it is difficult. Instead, what we should ask is whether what we will do is important. If yes, we have to do it,” he said. (CHARISSA M. LUCI)