I think I have to explain my obsession for local autonomy. Suggestions that require a cha-cha are at best amusing; at worst, fearsome. Let us not forget that a cha-cha may not necessarily turn out to be of our liking. All other proposals to improve our lot such as cooperatives, food production and livelihood programs may be addressed by local autonomy. Electoral reforms and good governance will strengthen it.
If it’s a meaningful change we want, we must start with education. For instance, do local government officials know the extent of their powers? If they knew, they could and would stop licking Gloria’s heels and demand the release of the money due them. If they don’t protect their rights, who will? How can they ask for more powers when they can’t even use what they already have? Why entrust Gloria with anti-poverty programs when they can do it more effectively?
A million thanks to Ed Aurelio 'Dng' Reyes, for bringing up one very important point – the Local Government Code is not being fully implemented. PGMA withholds LGU’s IRA share; its release is supposed to be automatic. Congress all but ignored the Code; they are mandated to visit it every five years to keep it dynamic. I also agree with the examples he cited.
Let us first make local autonomy work before talking of federalism. How? I cannot be too emphatic about this: education. Let the people know what local autonomy is. I’m sure they would go for it if they knew. I tried to contact Senator Pimentel about this long before he went crazy about federalism but his email address yielded nothing.
I searched for arguments in favor of federalism, and did not find a single claim that cannot be addressed by local autonomy. While there may be a debate between pros and cons on federalism, I see a no contest between federalism and local autonomy. While others may view federalism as the solution to the ills of our country, I see local autonomy as federalism, without its costs.
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