At long last both Houses of the Congress agreed to start the movement to change the charter from the unitary system of government to a federal one. This would mean decentralization of power. A federal unit would now have a bigger say on the direction of their progress and development instead of waiting for Imperial Manila to decide its fate. This should have been done a long time ago.

When the islands were sold to the United States of America by Spain, we numbered some twelve million. The Philippines was made a member of the federal government of the United States. We were a commonwealth, had our own constitution and a government complete with an executive, legislative and judiciary branches. We were under an American Governor General, one of which became a President of the United States.

We retained the same form of government when we were granted independence.

At present when we are almost ninety million though we have been granted a measure of autonomy through devolution of powers, we still have to go to Manila to transact important matters. This form of government is no longer responsive to the problems of the locals. Centralization of governmental powers led to centralization of industries, which in turn led to urban migration. Only the problem of insurgency made the central government took notice of those in the boondocks.

Federalization would mean decentralization and it would certainly allow each federal unit to determine its destiny. However, if we are to pattern our federalism on the United States, we have a long ways to go. The Philippines would be divided into federal units. A federal unit in the US is a State, in Switzerland, a Canton and in Canada a Province. Central and South American federal governments call their federal units by other names. Ours would be a Region. Our development would follow the Canadian line as the US and Switzerland was formed by independent states while the former Dominion of Canada was divided into provinces. Anyway relationships between the central and local governments are the same.

A federal unit is a sovereign state, with its own constitution, which may differ from other federal units; complete with and administrative, legislative and judiciary branches. It is concerned with its industrial interests of a localized character, education, a large part of taxation and summary justice. The governor, and department heads act as the president and members of the cabinet of the federal unit. Its armed force is called the National Guard and has also a local police force.

The judiciary is composed of a state Supreme Court down to the lower courts.

Only the governor can pardon those who are sentenced with capital punishment.

The state legislative has it congressmen and senators although the state may elect a number of congressmen and senators to the federal legislature. The state Electoral College composed of high elective officials will choose the president and vice president of the nation. They would be choosing those with the interest of the Region at heart

The central government is concerned with foreign policy, basic administration of justice, currency and communications. It is the federal government, which can declare war or peace. It maintains armed forces, which draw manpower from allover the nation, a police force concerned with crimes, which is national in nature. In short, the central government has certain regulatory powers over the federal units but such powers are limited in some way by interests of a federal unit.

If a federal unit in the Philippines were a Region, Bohol would be a member of Region VII. We would be charting our own destiny. We have ample resources, we have enough skilled manpower, and we could draw power for our industries from within the Region from Palinpinon or Togonan. Or both. Urban migrations may be lessened once industrialization comes down to Region VII. However, Boholanos must install safeguards. We might be exchanging Imperial Cebu for Imperial Manila.