PCOO Asec: Federalism suited for the country

By Ma. Joreina Therese A. Blanco

LAOAG CITY (PIA) – Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Gerard Salapantan said that the federal system of government will be the most suited for the country.

He said this opinion during the launching of Provincial Communication Officers Network (PCO Net) in Ilocos Norte held on January 24.

The PCOO Asec talked about the advantages of federalism before the group of local government information officers and scribes of national government agencies based in the province.

Under federalism, he said that the locals will have representation in the national assembly depending on how many senators for every province will be voted.

He also discussed fiscal autonomy which is a salient feature of the federal government.

“The state parliament will decide how the money will be spent. The LGUs will have more budgeting power,” he added.

Salapantan said the federal system’s implementing rules are expected to be finished within this year before it’s submitted to a plebiscite by 2019.

“We just have to have both Houses of Congress agree on the contentious issues and I think there are enough time and a lot of levelheaded people in both Houses who can create opportunities for us to be able to bring about constitutional change,” he explained.

In Ilocos Norte, the Department of the Interior and Local Government provincial office had launched a massive information dissemination awareness campaign about federalism among local officials, NGOs, and other multi-sectors through the conduct of symposia and distribution of brochures. (Ma. Joreina Therese A. Blanco/PIA1-I.Norte)