Alvarez: Federalism gov’t’s top priority for 2018

FILE: House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. (Photo: Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez/Facebook)

Speaker of the House of Representatives Pantaleon Alvarez said on Wednesday that prioritizing the government’s shift to federalism may cancel out elections in 2019.

As Alvarez cites the Duterte Administration’s accomplishments in 2017, he laid out the things that the government needs to sort out as they welcome 2018.

“Number one is the convening of Congress into a constituent assembly (Con-Ass) and in revising the constitution – a shift from a unitary to federal form of government,” he said in an interview with ANC.

“Para sa akin (For me) if we can convene by January, pwede natin ‘yan i-submit (we can submit it) for referendum sa (in the) barangay elections ng (in) May,” Alvarez added.

According to the House Speaker, as long as people will work hard for it, it is possible to be done in a short time.

When asked about the possibility of not having elections this 2019 because of the shift, the House Speaker said that “anything is possible.”

“Let’s be practical. ‘Pag nag-shift ka (If you shift) into a different form of government, unitary to federal, you need a transition government,” he said.

“Yung senators kasi, ‘yung termino nila, ‘di ba hindi ‘yan sabay-sabay na nag-e-expire. May mag-e-expire sa 2019, may mag-e-expire sa 2022. In fairness, maganda siguro kung ipa-expire mo lahat sa 2022 para wala ka nang utang (The expiration of the terms of the senators are the not the same for all. Some will expire on 2019, while some in 2022. In fairness, it is probably good to expire all on 2022 so there are no more debts),” Alvarez explained.

He, however, mentioned that all of this is still dependent on the “transitory provision” that will be decided by the constituent assembly.

On the subject of no senator showing an open support for the President’s proposal to a federalism shift, though he did not choose to reveal and specify, Alvarez said that there are ways to convince the lawmakers of the upper house. He also noted that the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan’s (PDP-Laban’s) advocacy includes federalism that is why he sees no reason for co-party member Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel to not support the shift.

“This is a question of patriotism, kung ano ‘yung tama at ano ang kailangan sa bayan (whatever is right and whatever the country needs),” Alvarez further said in the same interview.