ASOG, KAS, and UP Visayas Hold "Alternatives to Federalism" Forum in Iloilo City
15 Oct 2019
Last 12 October 2019, the Ateneo School of Government through the Ateneo Policy Center held a public forum titled “Alternatives to Federalism: Maximum Decentralization and Mandanas” at the Little Theatre, UP Visayas Iloilo City Campus, Iloilo, Philippines. With the support of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Philippines and in partnership with the Division of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, the forum was attended by more than 150 participants coming from local government, civil society organizations, academics, students, and media.
During the opening remarks, Prof. Ma. Severa Fe Katalbas, Dean of the UP Visayas College of Arts Sciences, emphasized the importance of a federalism discourse that is informed and evidence-based.
For his discussion, APC senior research fellow Atty. Michael Henry LL. Yusingco presented the ways that the Philippines can achieve maximum decentralization. He emphasized the importance of creating a new local autonomy framework with three essential qualities: (1) a regional governance framework, (2) clear power sharing between local and national government, and (3) intergovernmental relations mechanisms.
Ms. Ma. Emmylou Magno, Regional Project Officer of the Center for Federalism and Constitutional Reform – Department of Interior and Local Government Region VI, shared the legislative reforms proposed by the agency such as increasing the IRA share of LGUs to increase accountability, enhancing the regional development councils, and even regionalizing the senate and modification of term limits.
Finally, Mr. Jan Carlo Punongbayan from the UP School of Economics tackled decentralization from a fiscal and economic perspective. With an analysis of the Mandanas Case, he emphasized that fiscal decentralization with specific focus on tax and expenditure assignments is a viable alternative to charter change.
During the closing remarks, Ms. Tonette de Jesus, Senior Program Manager of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Philippines, noted that while decentralization is not a cure for all the ills within public service, “it can be the environment where good politics and good economics work wonderfully together.”
[Photos] ASOG, KAS, and UP Visayas Hold Alternatives to Federalism Forum in Iloilo City
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