By Recto Mercene & Danielle Gabriel
THE United Kingdom believes that a change in the Philippine form of government must result in lasting peace and improved service to the people.
British Ambassador Asif Ahmad said not one form of government is better than the other but whatever changes happen should impact people’s lives for the better.
“It is up to the Philippine constitutional experts and the government of the day to shape the changes. We do not think anyone version is better than the other,” Ahmad said.
Ahmad then cited his concerns on the situation in Mindanao and how the Philippine government has reacted in the past to natural calamities.
“Already, successive administrations have promised these regions some form of devolved government. Federalism is one potential answer to what was proposed under the comprehensive agreement on the Bangsamoro,” he said.
Ahmad followed up by saying that if there is a change in the form of government, senators should be elected into office under a different set of criteria.
“One of my observations here is while congressmen, barangay captains and provincial governors and mayors are connected directly to the people they are serving, the senators are disconnected.”
He thinks there is compelling argument that perhaps a Philippine senator should be elected exclusively for a certain area, “so that when Supertyphoon Yolanda strikes, you do not go to the government relentlessly until the last person in the bunkhouse is rehoused.”
Citing as examples Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the UK, Ahmad said other forms of government can also work.
“We have a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. So, we got a hybrid. I am not saying that one system is better than the other,” he said.
Recently, in a BusinessMirror and European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines-organized forum on federalism, German, Canadian and French experts discussed how their governments function.
German political party foundation Konrad Adenauer Foundation Head Benedikt Seemann said revisions in a country’s constitution should be deemed normal, comparing it to a computer operating system that needs to be updated to avoid crashes.
According to Seemann, the Philippines must not be afraid of acknowledging the identities of its different regions, adding that the 16 German states are similar to the country’s setup of having different cultures, identities and dialects.
Likewise, Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines President Julian Payne said federalism is ideal for countries with many tribal and ethnic groups, as it allows policy-making to better suit a particular state.
“There was no one point where the parliament sat down and designed the system as it is. It grew and evolved over time, and took into account linguistic, religious and cultural characteristics of the various regions. It allows programs and policies to be customized for different regions based on geography, on culture on linguistic. It’s fundamentally important the customization of national policies, it provides a level of government institutions that are closer to the people and are more in tune with their different interests,” Payne said.
Despite France practicing a unitary form of government, Embassy of France to the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires Laurent Le Godec said decentralization has been the go-to solution for countries that eye inclusive growth to seep down to all sectors and classes of society.
With a semipresidential, semi-parliamentary system in France, Le Godec said the people must be open to “flexible” options that can work in various situations and the changing of times.
“The constitutional system has to be designed to suit countries’ characteristics and conditions that are prevailing in the current time; they crash because they are not able to evolve enough and adapt to the needs of the society of the current time,” Le Godec said.
Meanwhile, Ahmad also expressed his admiration for the work being done by Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay Jr.
“He is very articulate, have a great deal of personal charm, and a real thirst for leaning about issues. He is not the only person who becomes secretary of foreign affairs without previous experience. Many of our foreign secretaries came in brand new to the job,” he said.
Ahmad believes handling a country’s foreign affairs is a job where the head learns as he or she goes along. He sees the Department of Foreign Affairs as having some of the most skilled and seasoned diplomats internationally.
“I have met some of them over my 12 to 14 years that I have been dealing with the Philippines. I have met some very formidable people representing your country,” Ahmad said.
He said Yasay can look to the talent available in the DFA, including those looking at regional security issues, terrorism and representatives to the United Nations.
Image credits: Roy Domingo