The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) conducted a federalism dialogue at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena on December 1, 2017.
Barangay, municipal and provincial officials including different government agencies; and representatives from the religious sector, academe, and private sector participated in the said dialogue.
According to Atty. Joseph Apolonio, DILG Regional Office 1 legal officer, in a federal system, about 70-80% of the collected funds becomes the share of the region; with the remaining 20-30% becomes the share of the national government.
He added that projects implementation will likewise become easier since there will no longer be necessary to wait for national government approval.
Mr. Apolonio, however, stressed that a federalism system will not erase graft and corruption. He added that administrative and criminal cases can and will still be a feature of a federal government.
Meanwhile, Laoag City local government officer Roger Daquioag said to become a federal government, we need to change the constitution.
He disclosed that the national government is soliciting the opinion of the Filipino people through a series of consultations nationwide. He emphasized that it will be the people who will decide whether we will have a shift to a federal system of government.
For his part, Ilocos Norte vice governor Eugenio Angelo M. Barba said he assumes that it will be a “long and painful” process to change the form of government. He also pointed out that soliciting the stand of the Filipino people is an “indispensable requirement” both in changing the constitution and the form of government (Frances Alegre)