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SAMBAYANAN A One-Hour Crash Course on Federalism NEW YEAR 2003
Naimbita ako minsan sa isang pinaghalong klase ng mga college students bilang resource person sa talakayan nila ng Federalism. Tuwang-tuwa ako kasi mukhang ganadong-ganado ang mga ito sa diskusyon. O baka naman nakakita lang ng sikat at gwapong artista kaya ganun, hehe. Para mag level-off, pinataas ko ng kamay nang sabay ang ‘agree’ at ‘disagree’ sa federalism. Sa klase ng mga 40, mga 35 ang nagtaas ng kamay. Tapos tinanong ko naman kung sino sa kanila ang kayang magpaliwanag kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng federalism. Dalawa naman ang pakimi na nagtaas ng kamay. Kalahating taas pa yun!
Tsk tsk.. Ito na ang pinakamasakit na katotohanan sa ating demokrasya. Mabilis tayong pumanig o tumutol sa isang isyu kahit sa totoo lang hindi naman talaga natin naiintindihan nang husto. Too quick to take sides, too lazy to study. Sa klase ng 40, ang pag-asa ng ating bayan ay nandun sa pitong estudyante - doon sa 2 na nauunawaan ang isyu kaya sila may posisyon sa isyu, at doon sa 5 na hindi talaga nagtaas ng kamay dahil aminado silang hindi pa nila ito totoong naiintindihan.
Ibig kong ialay ang maikling babasahing ito doon sa mga matatapang na 33.
At kay Ajin, kasandalan at kasabwat.
NOTES ON THE FEDERAL CAMPAIGN SONG
While the song Sambayanan is meant to be an emotional supplement to the federalist cause (to inspire ek), it is also structured as a concise and systematic presentation of the federalist agenda. In other words, it is an overly ambitious attempt to winzip a multi-tiered crisscrossing discourse into a nice and painless four-minute piece. Oh ‘popular education’, how many sensible souls have turned fools in thy name!
But really really, the song just might work as an outline that maps out the pangarap (vision), paraan/proseso (strategy/process), panawagan (call), prinsipyo (principles) and porma (structure) of federalism. Really now! So brace yourselves, boys and girls. Here we go. This is Speed Fed 101, a one-hour hypercrash course on Federalism. As the good book says, a good education - minus the tuition.
Kaytagal na nating nangangarap
The federalist vision is not a federalist vision! (How’s that for a complete confusion for an introduction.) The federalists have no monopoly over the concern for the wellbeing of society or the safekeeping of the universe. A better world is most definitely not an original federalist idea. Rather, for the longest time, it is a vision shared by Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Communists, Capitalists, atheists, anarchists and beauty contestants. It is the hope of social movements, of the Philippine Revolution, of the Protestant Reformation, of the Crusaders, of the Greeks and of Marxists who are convinced that quantum mechanics and lovemaking obey the laws of political economy. As a matter of fact, it’s a dream that is as old as human civilization itself. So let us make one thing crystal clear at the outset: Don’t expect that after six thousand years of strife and suffering among the species of homo sapiens sapiens, federalism will instantly end hunger, wars and the Filipinos’ penchant for electing toilet comedians and B-moviestars to public office.
On the other hand, it is also our desperate hope and ardent wish that, precisely because kaytagal na!, may we be impatient enough to say enough is enough and act decisively. And, if it is any consolation, be inspired that history appears to be on our side. Judging from the framework of the Local Government Code of 1991, it does look like federalization is the next logical step, unless you have a major quarrel with devolution, decentralization and other similar sounding long words.
And so without apologies, we proceed to motherhood statements. And what exactly are these ideals that practically all of humanity presumably share?
Ng isang bansa na mapayapa’t maunlad
Why, of course, peace and prosperity! Can you think of anything more corny? But wait, flip the coin and it sure doesn’t look too good on the other side - war and want. Armed conflict and poverty. Most ironic in Mindanao. How can such fate befall a hardworking people in an abundant land? And why are some groups vigorously pushing for federalism as a solution to the Moro secessionist question and the devastation of the ‘land of promise’? Far from being an isolated case, in varying degrees, unpeace and maldevelopment haunt the whole nation like a recurring bad dream. Why?? These are serious questions that we cannot and we don’t intend to take lightly.
And as if that’s not formidable enough, our vision doesn’t end there. Somebody happened to invent the phrase ‘meaningful life’ and tormented whole batches of college students with more units of Philosophy. And so we oblige and add,
Masigasig, masisikap Kahusayan ay laganap
A classroom full of well-motivated, industrious and excellent students. Meron ba nun? Initiative, industry, excellence.. Sounds like items listed at the back of a high school report card. Surely you don’t expect the increasingly cynical Filipinos who sleep on their jobs to just wake up one fine afternoon and see the light! Well, in this case, Darwin is right on the money. Organisms do change their behavior (as a matter of fact, even their anatomy) if conditions are compelling enough.
And you’re on... Family Feud! Question: What do women who are happy, inspired, hardworking and are very good at what they do have in common? Top two answers: a new boyfriend and a very good job. Sadness of all sadness, the boyfriend part can’t be helped by legislation. But we surely can do something about the good job part. And it fits perfectly into our equation too: a meaningful life is a rewarding life. Turn the cup upside down and you get the exact reverse formula. People who don’t get to enjoy the fruits of their labor are bound to be unhappy, resentful and unproductive. Why, understandably!
Now, try the same costume on our national model for size, and tadaann! We can hear the chorus from Maguindanao all the way to Cordillera: We give more, we get less! We turn over the revenues we generate to the national government and literally beg for money that rightfully belongs to us! Down with Imperial Manila!
The regions are clamoring for justice. After all, what is justice but simply putting things back in their proper places. Which takes us to an important federalist proposition: That the regions, especially those farther away from Manila, will never get the chance fo fully develop given our unitary and rigidly centralized political design. What do you think?
Ngunit paano at kailan matutupad?
When oh when do we get to see this better world? Just like what time do NGO workers go to work, this question has no answer. So take it from the singing cooks and waiters, just sing along and feel good and don’t ask.
But the paano matutupad part, the how how the carabao, ahh! that’s a different matter altogether. In fact, to many, it is the most important of things. Remember how your Algebra teacher loved to torture you with ‘But how did you arrive at that answer, Miss Nostradamus?’ That is, the means of getting there, the process, the paraan, is perhaps even more crucial to us now and here than the getting there itself. A correct solution will eventually give you a correct answer. In much the same way, democracy cannot be achieved by undemocratic means. Coup attempts, anyone? And if the goal of our political project is to empower the people, then the process itself will have to be people-empowering. And that is why we say,
Sambayanan ang maghahatid sa atin
And this is where you come in. There are two ways of reorganizing the system - either by manipulation or through participation. You can either leave everything to Congress for trapos to mangle the Constitution to suit their shameless agenda, or get organized and assert the people’s rightful place as principal agents and stakeholders in the reordering of our political institutions. Your choice entirely.
Our attention to the process doesn’t end there though. It may be that the same set of genes produce both parasites and undersecretaries, but there is no such thing as an international standard evolutionary mold for federalism. We could say it is ‘history- and culture-specific’. And that is why we are concerned not just with the mechanical workings of consultative and electoral democracy. We are also mindful of the cultural texture of our little homegrown revolution. We give it a distinct Filipino ‘look’, so to speak.
Sambayanang ating ipupundar
Culture - the way we imagine ourselves, ‘the way we do things around here’, the way we hope to be remembered. And in and around the fabric of participatory democracy, we weave the finest strands of our deeply valued traditions. Spontaneity, faith, resourcefulness, persistence, adaptability and a nurturing, caregiving, resilient spirit - the rich intersubjective hues that lend character to our cause.
Sambayanan ang magbubuklod sa atin
Those opposed to it fear that federalism could encourage regionalism and thus undermine our national identity. Well, guess what, those in favor say federalism will indeed encourage regionalism and thus enhance our national identity! Whoa!. Well, that’s life - one wingding’s agony is another wingding’s bliss. Like truth, beauty and valor, it’s all perspective, perspective, perspective. One person says you can’t be a true Boholano and at the same time be a true Filipino. Another says, the better a Boholano you become, the better a Filipino you will be. Which one are you?
Federalists would rather like to imagine that identity is an intricate blend of unities and diversities. Sambayanan itself can mean the citizens of a town, the population of a province or a country, a barangay, a religious community, a people and its culture, the public in general. And that is just what people are in real time - different and the same. We prefer to view the dynamics of this diversity not as an unsettling source of contention but a happy cause for celebration.
Sambayanang malaya’t marangal
That is to say that furthermore, identity is not just a matter of consequence but also of preference. Federalism can’t help much in terms of freely choosing the face you are born with, but it does hold civil liberties and human and development rights high in its commitments list. Autonomy and self-rule are but societal amplifications of good old ‘freedom and dignity’, the two non-negotiable values enshrined in the idealisms of the human project throughout history.
Speaking of history, Rothman wrote : To be behind one’s time is permanent death; to be ahead of one’s time is temporary death. Confucius says dead is dead. Did he really say that?? Alright, if you say so. But who the shrek is Rothman?! Never mind. The important thing is, Evangelist Rey Teves says: Federalism is an idea whose time has come!
Panahon nang mailuwal
And timing is said to be everything. But Einstein insists that time is space and space is time and spacetime or timespace is a continuum. Whatever! All we are saying is, timing is not just a question of when, but also of what comes before and what comes after. And for the Sambayanang Federal to thrive sustainably on Philippine soil, we believe that the correct federal DNA sequence is mailuwal - maitatag - maitanghal. Birthing, laying down of sturdy foundations, and only then can we meaningfully talk of formal declaration. Consultation - continuing education - formalization.
Reverse the sequence, manufacture a constitutional quick-fix, hush-hush a rush-rush consensus over the weekend, and force the issue (just like Martial Law and the assimilationist approach to the Mindanao dilemma), and the artificial makeshift cardboard structure hastily put up by plunderers disguised as lawmakers is bound to implode on the weight of its own folly.
Which brings us to the convoluted issue of charter change and the federalists’ call. Of course you need to change the Constitution to change the system from unitary to federal. But charter change is a double-bladed balisong. It can protect you from thugs or, if you are not careful enough, you could end up harming yourself. Or worse, you earn the ire of bigger thugs with bigger balisongs. The trick obviously is to keep the political thugs out of the fray and rid the exercise of partisan and parochial motives. Fat chance! Federalists generally agree that it makes sense to do the chacha to the rhythm of the terms of office of public officials such that no one’s watch is unduly extended or shortened as a result of amending the Constitution. Hence the resistance to a one-night-stand constituent assembly, and the preference for a Constitutional Convention, with the view of pegging its timeframe to the cycle of Presidential elections to facilitate an orderly transition.
But change per se is not necessarily a virtue. It can lead to better things, it can lead to worse. Change your socks is good, change your wife is war. And that is why the call is not simply pagbabago but rather,
Pagtitika at pananagutan
Of course, as everybody doesn’t know, pagtitika means amendment. It is not the variant normally used when referring to constitutional amendment (susog is) but you get the drift. Check it out, however (in the Tagalog-English Dictionary by the irrepressible and maverick Redemptorist scholar Father Leo English who was actually an Australian, huh??), and you will see that pagtitika is not just mere intent, but resolve and determination. Political will, if you may. It is more often used in a religious sense, as in pagtitika na di na muling magkasala. It is change alright, but change with an orientation. Like the all-important difference between speed (80kph) and velocity (80kph North).
From where to where, that is the question. And our answer is, from hindi klaro ang pananagutan to klarong-klaro ang pananagutan. In our present political system, there are two ways of skirting accountability. One is by passing the buck up and down the ‘vertical’ unitary political ladder. The President of the Republic quarreling with a provincial governor!! Test your public sector IQ: Who’s in charge of squatter communities - city hall or national housing? Instead of fixing the problem, local and national officials aggravate it by blaming each other. It gets even uglier when party loyalty takes over. But if we isolate the biases and examine it objectively, it all boils down to a cumbersome political configuration that makes it impossible to determine which level is in charge of which function or situation.
Its ‘horizontal’ counterpart operates along a different axis but cause the same debilitating effect on public service. It is typified by the paralyzing chronic problem of gridlock between Congress and Malacañang. The story was, somebody came up with a wise idea: separate the role of lawmaking and the role of administration, and assign them to two mutually independent agencies that ‘check and balance’ each other. But the devil was wiser, and so we now have two contending branches of government that hold each other hostage over pork barrel and unholy political compromises. Throw in turncoatism and party politics that run on personalities rather than platform, and we get what we all deserve.
Now this is the sweet part where proponents of Federalism and proponents of the Parliamentary system see eye to eye, feel their knees wobble, smell the wet garden (fade in theme from Godfather), and get swept off their feet by a giant ipuipo that scoops them up and sends them all the way to Cloud 9 (fireworks, now! now!). They can’t help it, they’re hopelessly compatible. Parliamentarists drone about ‘horizontal restructuring’ while federalists harp on ‘vertical restructuring’. Two naggers under one roof. Compatibility can’t get any better than that.
They are looking at two distinct angles of the same inefficient and ineffective unitary-presidential composite malpractice of governance. They’re not saying you can’t have a parliamentary government without federalism and vice versa. What they are saying is, a parliamentary system works better in a federal context and vice versa. And that’s because, like most of us, both camps want a professional and publicly accountable government. Some free-riding politicians even swear that’s all they really want, for the sake of the country. Nakakatawa na nakakaiyak.
Unfortunately, this is not a song about the parliamentary system. So we set that topic aside for your homework. Meanwhile, we are now about to take on the toughest section of our syllabus, no kidding. This is going to be a little tricky and a bit difficult, so pay attention.
But first, a quick quick review. So far we have said we have long been dreaming of a peaceful and prosperous country inhabited by a motivated, industrious and excellent people. A people who choose a democratic way of attaining their ideals, ever spontaneous, ever prayerful, ever persevering, ever nurturing. A united, free and dignified people who take it upon themselves to bear forth, build and proclaim a thriving new dispensation, and with vigilant resolve are determined to put in place an accountable government.
Now this is the tricky part. The summary you just read, yes, the previous paragraph. That - is not federalism. Whattt?! Those are ideals espoused by federalism but by no means are they exclusive properties of federalists. Check your History. Many women and men of goodwill - activists, reformers, freedom fighters - have embraced those very same ideals, lived by those ideals, and fought and died for the same ideals, yet have never even heard of the word federalism. So what on Engelbert Humperdinck’s middle name is federalism??
Let’s say you’re a cattle-worshipping dingbat (no offense meant to true-to-life cattle worshippers). You see a poster of Michael Jordan in his old Chicago uniform and you exclaim, Holy Cow! You want to cut out the image of your fuming angry god and hang it on your wall to constantly remind you to think twice before indulging in your favorite sin. (You now think twice, but do it anyway.) But how do you cut it out? Well, you can use either your fingernails, or better yet, the tip of your ballpen, or better yet, a knife, or better yet, a thin blade, or even better yet, a pair of scissors. And federalism is exactly that - a better tool to cut the bull! Ox ba? hahaha
A means to achieve those ideals, a catalyst, a political technology, a management tool. That is what federalism is. Federalism is not good governance; federalism is a means to facilitate good governance. Federalism is not democracy; federalism is a better way of doing democracy. Federalism is not peace in diversity; it is a device to attain peace in diversity. Federalism is not productivity and creativity; it is a catalytic incentive that helps stimulate and enable people to be productive and creative. Get it? That’s the tricky part. Which isn’t really so tricky, is it?
Bahaginan, paghaya’t pagdadamayan
And this is the difficult part. So focus and concentrate. If we are saying that federalism is some kind of a new social technology, how does it work? No, we never said federalism is a new invention. In fact, many countries all over the world adopt some model of federal arrangement including Germany, Australia, South Africa, India, Malaysia, Canada, Brazil, Spain, United Arab Emirates and our very own favorite tyrant, United States of America. Variations and types and subtypes abound in the federal spectrum (unions, federations, confederations, federacies, associated states, condominiums, leagues) but the fundamental mechanics follow the same basic principles. How does it work? It works like a pair of scissors.
But before we go on, a word of caution: The monotonous road to the barren desert is crowded with people who memorize; the scenic way to the nude beach is traveled by people who understand. So unless you’re a happy-go-lucky plankton, don’t memorize, understand.
Like a gunting, federalism works around three interlocking political mechanisms: Mutualism, Subsidiarity, Alliance. But if you ask ten federalists how federalism works, there’s a pretty good chance you’d get ten different formulations. That’s why you are being sternly admonished not to memorize but to understand what we mean by these strange sounding words. Bahaginan, Paghaya, Pagdadamayan.
Once upon a time in the near future, Mother Federal monkey and her twelve daughter State monkeys live in the fabled queendom of Queena Lee. They are a closely-knit family and even have an old and well-known family name, namely Government. The Governments live on a beautiful tangerine tree house that has twelve rather long beautiful branches which the twelve daughter State monkeys respectively occupy. We say respectively because they respect each other’s space (he he) and keep to their branches most of the time as they go about their, well what else, monkey business. Meanwhile, Mrs. Federal Government built her headquarters around the trunk near the spot where the twelve branches intersect.
See-thru ants, cross-dressing chameleons, nine-legged spiders and all kinds of swingers swarm the groovy tree which is quite well-known for its great nightlife. They particularly appreciate the cool, freewheeling and yet secure environment which guarantees their rights to life, liberty and having a good time. During office hours, speculator snakes and investor vultures hang around the shady tree ever looking for shady deals to exploit and develop the tree’s natural resources, which are mainly flowers, fruits, fresh and dry leaves and exotic nooks for picture-taking. The tree kinda smells mapanghi though. By some force of habit, the Governments often piss on their constituents to mark their territory. Thankfully, the practice is being challenged by green peace loving snobbish intellectual civil society crickets who complain that the offensive odor makes them croak instead of chirp. The lowly frogs feel slighted by the speciesist remark, but what can they do.
- Mutualism -
Let’s see.. Since Mrs. Federal Government is stationed around the trunk, which the mutant monkey-eating mojacko chickens sometimes attempt to climb, the Federal List includes National Defense. On the other hand, regulating the artsy fartsy worms that feed on yummy gummy leaves is clearly better left to the State monkeys. Hence the State List includes Taxation of Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises.
(The worms are elated because they don’t have to crawl all the way to the trunk to process permits and pay taxes at the Federal headquarters and then crawl back again to the ends of the branches where they set up their stylish vegetarian psychedelicatessen. Mrs. Federal is happy too that she doesn’t have to overextend her staff to collect taxes nationwide. And the daughter State monkeys are happiest since they have a steady source of income so direly needed to fund their projects.)
Finally, there’s this annoying matter of notorious termite gangs that prey on tourist bugs and embarrass the Governments. They strike on certain branches but their underwood tunnels extend all the way to the roots of the plant. And that’s why the Concurrent List (areas where Federal and State Governments closely cooperate and exercise concurrent authority) includes Inter-State Criminal Syndicates. Neat!
When people are not clear about their assignments, they end up either not doing their work or redundantly doing somebody else’s job, thus wasting precious time and scarce resources. They may even be honest and hardworking, but the sheer confusion in the system makes the whole operation inefficient. But once the areas of jurisdiction and responsibilities are sharply defined, it is now easy to see who is and who is not doing his job. And that is exactly how federalism, via the principle of mutualism, can better facilitate efficiency and accountability.
In contrast, one glaring problem in our centralized unitary system is the grave and disastrous imbalance between ‘who does what’ and ‘who gets how much’. The national bureaucracy gets the lion’s share of the budget while the regional governments get the lion’s share of the burden. Here’s a little illustration of how that goes. A mining corporation, for instance, blasts a whole section of a mountain in, ‘say Compostela Valley, maintains a state-of-the-art head office in Makati, and submits grossly understated tax returns directly to the national treasury. The national government, for its part, keeps as much as 80% of their collection and grudgingly channels the measly remainder back to the regions which, after pocketing their share, pass it on to the provinces which, after pocketing their share, pass it on to the towns which, after pocketing their share, pass it on to the barangays. Well, you know how it is when public funds change hands. It takes a major miracle before the last remaining trickles finally reach the mining community - in a tampered envelope, as usual. The Visayans have a little pocket phrase for it: salin sa nahurot. What’s left of what’s gone.
Believe it or not, that little illustration is no fiction. And true to Murphy’s Law, disaster struck. A large flotation tank burst. No funds earmarked for public safety, precautionary measures or emergency contingency plans. Several persons died. The town is Maco. The year was 1981.
- Subsidiarity -
In the case of subsidiarity, the usage is universal. In fact, it is not uncommon to hear political scientists say that the central principle of federalism is the praxis of subsidiarity. The word sure looks and sounds intimidating, but it simply means: the lowest level or smallest unit of government sufficiently able to carry out a project or resolve a problem should be allowed and encouraged to call the shots. Paghaya. Paghahayaan. Kung kaya nila, hayaan sila.
Of course, it follows that the higher agencies, while generally following a hands-off policy, are nonetheless prepared to provide local units ample support when necessary. Support, help, from the Latin subsidium, subsidy, hence subsidiarity. But we hasten to add that it is the kind of help that has to be consistent with the principle of subsidiarity itself - one that does not cultivate dependency, but help that enables them to eventually not need help anymore.
Management science practitioners, industrial engineers and operations research majors have a word for it: Optimization - the science of getting the most out of the least. John Nash (yes, beautiful mind) won a Nobel Prize for pioneering the math of it. But nothing beats the resourcefulness of single parents when it comes to it.
Optimization, subsidiarity, same difference. Whether trying against all odds to stretch the meager family budget to the limit, or maximizing the finances and energies of a whole country, the same tenets of modern management apply: deconstruct, define, devolve. Rationalize, as many love to say.
And why not? Think, if the barangay council can handle it, why trek two days on foot just to secure the approval of the mayor? And if the provincial health office can handle it, why fly to all the way to Manila to seek clearance from the Surgeon General? And it works both ways too. Why send the National Public Works Secretary to a groundbreaking ceremony in far Zamboanga? If government really truly seriously wants to cut costs and for once be efficient in carrying out its programs, it has only two choices: localize or localize.
And since it is the lower layers of government that ‘have a face’ and are closest to the community, they are easily held responsible by the people. And curiously, we arrive at the same conclusion that federalism, via the principle of subsidiarity this time, enhances efficiency and accountability.
Ahh, but if we look closely, we can actually see a couple of subtle but crucial transformations happening. From above, the upper agencies begin to realize the futility of maintaining an arbitrary, interventionist and steeply hierarchic bureaucracy. And slowly but surely their perspectives are broadened as new mouthful compounds are added to their vocabulary. Management by motivation, enabling environment, facilitative leadership, communitarian democracy, consultation and transparency, synergy and synchronicity, hahaha and hehehe. Most of them barely understand half of it, of course, and many still use the word ‘irregardless’ which is not a word. But the important thing is, as they begin to see the ‘big picture’, they like what they see, and they see what they don’t like! Lalim noh? hehehe
The view from below is even more dramatic! Because the lower units are now allowed and even encouraged to work things out on their own, a new atmosphere develops. Pride in the work they can call their own, room for experimenting with the organizational chart, for tinkering with standard procedures, for new means of sourcing funds, for tapping the social capital of the community, for engaging the private sector and civil society, for reconstructing and popularizing their local history, for developing direct trade and cultural links with other cities and towns and provinces and regions in other countries. For the challenge to prove one’s self, and for the sheer exhilarating feeling that comes with taking charge!
We can see why its supporters are convinced to the max that federalism could be just what we need to stimulate creativity and excellence. And in fairness to them, though many devoted and bright militant activists scoff at it, the principle of subsidiarity is really not such a bad way of running an organization.
The principle of subsidiarity is also understood to define the role of government vis-a-vis the private sector and vice versa. In this case, both sides recognize each other’s respective fields of specialization and competencies. It follows then, as a rule of thumb, that as long as it does not jeopardize public interest, private entities (business, church, media, private schools, civic groups) are allowed and even encouraged to freely do what they do best for the welfare of the larger society.
- Alliance -
Foedus in Latin, from which the word federalism is derived. Pagdadamayan needs no lengthy elaboration as it is the natural disposition of Filipinos to go out of their way para mangdamay ng iba! hehehe, kidding.
Two dingbats drinking in a dingbar.
This is one of those arguments that go on and on and ends nowhere. How so? Because the dispute is silly. It is like a Zambaleño claiming that Zambales mangoes are definitely better than Cebu’s when in fact he has yet to taste the latter. There is simply no foolproof way of knowing who is right and who is wrong because we haven’t tried federalism yet in the first place. The federalist doesn’t give up easy. He insists that studies show that federal systems are more successful worldwide. The unitarian shrugs it off and argues that what works for them will not necessarily work for us. Well, let’s face it fair and square. As good as it may sound, we have not even conducted a thorough assessment yet of the impact of the Local Government Code after more than a decade of its implementation! The federalist gets pissed and could not resist a dig, ‘Look at the mess that the unitary system has gotten us into!’ And the unitarian digs even deeper, ‘Which could have been worse had we federalized!’
But seriously, let’s try to sift through the tit for tat. The two issues are equitable development and national development. And the question is: Which can better facilitate both, a unitary or a federal system? We know we can’t say for sure from experience but at least we can try to understand why we think so either way.
Again, we’re down to a matter of development perspectives. Of mindsets, if you will. Unitarians think that the way to equalize is to centralize, that is, first you centralize the wealth, and then allocate it equitably. The principle is actually both Christian and Communist. It says somewhere in the Bible, ‘He who gathered much had not too much, and he who gathered little had no lack.’ The Communist version says, ‘From each according to his capacity, to each according to his need.’ (Pareho sila sexist noh?, panay ‘he’ tsaka ‘his’ hehe)
The federalists absolutely agree with the noble altruisms of the Christians and the Communists, but beg to differ with the unitarians in their approach. They think, as we have seen earlier, that the way to equalize is to localize. Meaning, that the principal equalizing mechanism must be generated from within the weaker regions themselves - by enabling them to self-develop.
Admittedly, even highly developed federal systems have their share of relatively less developed territories due to their natural lack of potential. And the federal government assumes the responsibility of providing grants and development assistance to disadvantaged communities. That way of pagdadamayan, federalists say, we can always adopt.
On the issue of national development, it goes without saying that the whole and its parts are inextricably twined. An upbeat region hastens everyone’s pace, while a sluggish one slows everybody down. If you pluck your sinful eyes out, your feet can still run as fast as ever. But because you can’t see anymore, you don’t run anymore. And although the economy of your feet region is healthy, your whole national body can’t take full advantage of it. And the pragmatics of it tells us that for the sake of everybody, we simply have no other alternative but to help one another. Of course it also helps if we don’t get too sinful, hehheh.
And speaking of not sinning too much, pagdadamayan is its own reason. And we are a good people. When we were all young, we did say to ourselves we want to be rich so that we can help the poor. Goodness graciousness! Some psychologists even suspect that Filipinos have a philanthropic complex. The ate who stops schooling in order to work to send her younger brother to school. The nanay who barely earns enough to feed her own children and yet works as a volunteer at the feeding center. The saleslady who can’t bear the sight of old ailing beggars. The activist who goes to the picket line to bring food to striking workers. If there is anything that we truly understand and live by as a people, it would be just that. Pagdadamayan runs in our veins along with the other good corpuscles that come with it. Kawanggawa, pagpapatawad, pasasalamat, pagtitiwala, pakikidiwang, pagpapahalaga sa pinanggalingan..
Kung saan ang karamihan
Speaking of pinanggalingan, we go back to the monkeys.. Outside the circle of tabako-toting kapres that live on ancient avocado trees and love to dangle and kuyakuy their feet during angelus, little did the rest of the inhabitants know that Joyce Kilmer happened to be a good friend of Queen Queena Lee!
(The real Queena Lee, yes, the brilliant, creative, witty Math teachwhiz and columnist, is in fact quite a fine writer in her own right. And not just on math but on a myriad of life interest subjects. My apologies, Queena. The real Joyce Kilmer, on the other hand, was a he hehe.)
One fine day in Baghdad (By the way, did you know that the original Garden of Eden is believed to be located in Iraq? Ahah! This is a war of biblical proportions! Bush is dreaming of hanging Saddam right in his own backyard, on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Saddam is imagining he is Moses, and can’t wait to see the burning Bush. Nyah nyah), Joyce decided to surprise her colleague with an unannounced visit. But alas! the surprise was on her when she saw the tree house of the Governments. The enchantment gripped her profoundly. And she couldn’t help but wonder. Is it now time to amend the constitution of her classic poem? And amend it she did, by adding a postscript and renamed it ‘The Tree, as Amended’. And she wrote,
Passersby can clearly see
And so without meaning to, the environmentalist came up with a smooth functional description of a smoothly functioning democracy. Indeed, because the agencies of governments are near the karamihang people, everybody gets politically excited and involved not just during elections but even more so in the day-to-day business of good governance and social administration.
The schoolers are particularly participative and a bit noisy, frequently marching on the stems to ‘arouse, mobilize and organize!’ and to look for suitable dates. And it actually works! They don’t anymore need to text Mrs. Federal to air their demands for lower tuition, higher subsidy and fewer schooldays. Their issues are debated on and addressed in record speeds right there in their neighborhood.
The monkeys themselves came up with their own colloquial version which the silkworms silkscreened on the bright silk streamer which hangs upon the highest bough when it’s not Christmas season. Unfortunately, the font is antiquated alibata which only the very serious-looking visual artists from U.P. seem to understand.
Happily, it is subtitled in several languages for the sake of the French nationals who refuse to speak English even if they can, as well as for Filipinos who, for reasons beyond comprehension, prefer to speak and write in English even if they cannot. And it says: A DAILY DEMOCRACY KEEPS THE DICTATOR AWAY. And so far, they lived happily ever after.
Gampan ang kanikaniyang kakanyahan
And speaking of French and Filipino, meanwhile in the Caribbean, Bob Marley made reggae a global tradition, not by aping American Michael Jackson, but by being very good at being Bob Marley of Jamaica. We risk losing our identity and self-respect, and be left with nothing to contribute to the legacy of human culture if we continue to fool ourselves into thinking that to look, and sound and move and talk and taste ‘foreign’ is being truly ‘worldclass’.
Our native instincts and reflexes have suffered unspeakably from decades of colonial brainwashing and self-inflicted shame. We will do well to redeem the integrity of our diverse cultures by reclaiming and fulfilling our honorable calling as talebearers and storytellers of our authentic and self-determined histories.
Bayan ng mga Bayan, Lahi ng mga Lahi
And then perhaps we can once again proudly spread our wings and soar to high heavens to get a good view of the remodeled structure of our shiny and new, factory-upgraded archipelago! A Republic of States, A Nation of Peoples! Palakpakan naman jan! Yehheyyy! Oh, what a breathtaking sight! Hehehe
Kami ay patnubayan sa iisang mithi
Okay, we’re almost there. Just this one more tiny little dangling detail and then we’re done. Speaking of structures, here’s a friendly reminder from National Geographic: Trail maps can’t tell you if there’s a ten-foot melonphilic snake hanging right above your melon-looking head. Working your way through the lifesize dangers and complexities in the woods of the real world is still all up to you. Conversely, social models and political systems, including federalism, defeat their purpose whenever they pack and seal and store and stifle our individual and collective imagination. Every time the structure hardens and becomes inflexible and legalistic, we go back to the dark ages.
Centuries of harsh and cruel governments have numbed the hearts and dampened the spirits of many of us. No wonder many of us instinctively resent authority, resist even the most reasonable of regulations, and are color-blind to traffic lights. That is why we need to relearn the art of civility and reinvent our social institutions so that they may continually evolve and take our shape. Therefore let us regard the skeleton of this new model of democracy not as a rigid and stagnant set of rules but as pointers and markers, bilang patnubay, as we go about our highly demanding but immensely rewarding task of building together a hopefully far better social order. And everybody says, Amen!
Well, that’s about it. You may play the song again, and sing along again. This time around, with feeling! One hour, as promised. No sweat! Class dismissed.
Gary Granada
P.S. You want a warp-speed one-minute ‘codigo edition’ of what you’ve just read? Here it goes:
We have long been dreaming of a peaceful (mapayapa) and prosperous (maunlad) country inhabited by a motivated (masigasig), industrious (masisikap) and excellent (kahusayan) people. A people who choose a democratic way (Sambayanan ang maghahatid) of attaining their ideals; ever spontaneous (kusa), ever prayerful (dasal), ever persevering (tiyaga), ever nurturing (pagmamahal). A united (magbubuklod), free (malaya) and dignified (marangal) people who take it upon themselves to bear forth (mailuwal), build (maitatag) and proclaim (maitanghal) a thriving (Mabuhay!) new (Federal) dispensation; and with vigilant resolve (pagtitika) are determined to put in place an accountable (pananagutan) government. A governance according to the principles of mutualism (bahaginan), subsidiarity (paghaya) and alliance (pagdadamayan); sustained by daily democracy (karamihan), thus enabling its peoples (may kapangyarihan) to determine for themselves (kanikaniyang) and fulfill (gampan) their destiny, and to celebrate their diversity (kakanyahan). A Republic of States (Bayan ng mga Bayan), a Nation of Peoples (Lahi ng mga Lahi) that points the way (patnubayan) towards their shared vision (iisang mithi) of a far better social order.
Suggested Readings
Towards a Federal Republic of the Philippines
Instant Physics |