To engage the people in the national discussions on constitutional change, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will be launching the first in a series of regional roadshows on federalism on June 17, 2018 in Dumaguete City.
Taking off from the three-day launch in Dumaguete, the DILG will then conduct simultaneous rallies and trainings in the cities of Butuan and Legazpi on June 21-23, then Baguio and Tacloban on June 25-27.
“Federalism is about empowering the regions. This roadshow is a way of giving the regions importance by bringing the consultations and rallies closer to their homes,” says DILG Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Jonathan E. Malaya.
One of the highlights of the roadshow is the regional consultation to be spearheaded by the Consultative Committee (Concom) where the committee will present its initial draft and gather inputs from the regions.
The Concom tasked to review the 1987 Constitution is rushing to complete the initial draft of the proposed model for federalism before the roadshow begins.
“This is an opportunity for us to conduct an interactive campaign in the regions about the true nature of federalism. Once the people hear about the benefits, we at DILG are sure that support will surge,” says Malaya.
Also part of the roadshow is the training for accredited civil society organizations, national and local government partners, members of the regional project management team, and representatives of local government units.
Besides the initial five areas, the DILG plans to conduct its roadshow in all 17 regions of the country to gather support for federalism.
After the public awareness campaign, the Department will then shift its advocacy to an information drive wherein the deeper details of Concom’s proposed model for federalism will be shared to the public.
Concom will be submitting the draft federalism model to President Rodrigo R. Duterte before his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 23, 2018.
It will be during his 2018 SONA that the President will be presenting the proposed model to the public.
Malaya earlier called on the public to be patient and reserve judgment until after Concom releases its model for federalism.
Federalism forum
Prior to the roadshow, international experts are flying in for a second time to talk about how the different countries transitioned to a federal system.
This is the second of a series of forums on the different facets of federalism that the DILG is jointly conducting with the Forum of Federations.
The first forum last month centered on intergovernmental relations or the communication among the different levels of government. This time, the topic will center on transition.
“As the Department in charge of the advocacy for federalism, the DILG would like to help spread knowledge on implementing the transition stage,” says Malaya.
Topics to be discussed are the political processes, features, practices and challenges of decentralization.