Decentralization, A Way Out. Part 2

Senator Nene Pimentel must be kidding. Yes, that’s precisely what I mean, giving birth to a goat. He could lessen the birth pains and come up with something better than an animal if, for now, he sticks to his Local Government Code of 1991. Yes, we can reap the benefits of federalism without its costs. All that was needed was to follow the Code. The guidelines are all spelled out there.

Suddenly Congress is agog with decentralization after sitting on it for at least 12 long years. That was the time when they should have visited the LGC, as provided for therein. The Code provides for dynamism, but Congress or even Senator Pimentel himself was never up to the challenge. They had other things in mind. They had no time for the very formula that could have averted our present political and economic crisis.

Maybe we are going to fast. Let’s slow down a bit. PGMA was able to do what she did because she had too much freedom and power. Local autonomy seeks to devolve some of such powers, as federalism would. For this we need not amend the Constitution. Congress merely has to pass enabling provisions or amendments.