Ateneo de Davao University

School of Nursing
Would Rizal have chosen federalism?
By: Randy David, June 19th, 2016, Philippine Daily Inquirer
(http://opinion.inquirer.net/95272/would-rizal-have-chosenfederalism#ixzz4ElDo5yeA)

Submitted by: Dango, Jaye Marie

July 19, 2016

Would Rizal Have Chosen

Federalism?
There are suggestions that,
recognizing the archipelagic nature
of the country and the disparate
cultures that thrived in it, Jose Rizal
would have proposed a federal
system of government for an
independent Filipino nation.
Indeed, federalism might have
appealed to those who, in the
closing years of Spanish rule, were
eager to kick out the foreigners but
did not necessarily wish to come
under the control of a dominant
ethnic group.
Rizal was certainly aware of the
persistence of strong regional
identities in the country. But,
instead of building a political
system along the existing fault
lines of ethnic segmentation, he
was more concerned with unit[ing]
the whole Archipelago into one
compact,
vigorous,
and
homogenous body. This is the first
line under statement of purpose in
the draft constitution he wrote for
the Liga Filipina, a political
organization that anticipated the
broad structures of a Filipino
government.
The Liga, a cross between a
political party and a self-help
cooperative, was overtly reformist
in vision, but the organizational
infrastructure it laid out could as
easily have served as the vehicle

for revolution. Its ultimate purpose

was clearly to prepare the Filipino
people for active citizenship in the
modern project of self-government.
This meant, in the first instance,
cultivating in the people a capacity
to differentiate political roles from
ethnolinguistic loyalties, and to
perform duties and rights in a
political organization independently
of
the
diffused
norms
and
obligations that bound them to a
feudal social order.
Rizal was a modern thinker. The
draft constitution of the Liga
contained provisions that might
have initially appeared strange to
those to whom he presented it. The
seventh paragraph on organization
embodied an emphatic wish for
members to rise above their ethnic
or tribal identities: Each provincial
council and popular council should
adopt a name different from that of
the locality or region. It was a first
step toward building a homogenous
nation, rather than a federation of
tribes.
Rizal was quite open about the
formation of the Liga. It may be
assumed that he was aware that
the Spaniards knew what he was
up to, since he was recruiting
influential
people
into
the
organization. In other words, the
Liga was not supposed to be an
illegal or underground association.
And yet, interestingly, its activities
were supposed to be kept secret.

Every member was required to

adopt a new name, while keeping
his true name hidden and known
only to the secretary of his council.
The adoption of an alias might
have been rationalized as a
security measure. But its latent
function, it seems to me, must
have been to encourage members
to value their political identity and
to
keep
this
separate
and
autonomous from their other
affiliations in everyday life.
The Liga constitution provided for
three such levels of authority: the
popular councils, the provincial
councils, and a Supreme Council.
The Supreme Council is composed
of all the chiefs of the provincial
councils, while the provincial
council is made up of all the chiefs
of the popular or town councils.
The Supreme Council controls the
whole Liga and communicates
directly with the chiefs of the
provincial councils and the popular
councils.
The provincial council
controls the chiefs of the popular
councils. The popular council alone
has control over its members.
More than independence from
Spain, the basic impulse that
animated the establishment of the
Liga had to do with the protection

of the ordinary citizen from

arbitrary poweri.e., from violence
and injustice. Rizal would have
resolutely
opposed
political
dynasties and warlords. At the
same time, he intended the
organization to be a laboratory for
the emancipation of Filipinos from
the scourge of poverty, illiteracy,
and economic stagnation. These
were
the
values
that
were
uppermost in his mind when he
drew the constitution of the Liga.
The unitary nation-state that arose
from
the
dissolution
of
the
monarchical empires was a fresh
idea in Rizals time. Today, it has
lost much of its sheen.
In a
globalized world where the levers
of meaningful economic power and
initiative lie outside the reach of
national
governments,
it
has
become fashionable to talk of
subnational states improving their
lot by linking up directly with the
global system. It is an illusion.
Federalism will not solve poverty
and inequality, simply because it
does not touch the real center. It
only redraws the periphery.

Summary:
The article states that after one hundred and 24 years, Rizal
envisioned the nation that would be built on the foundations of the Liga, it
states the country will be nowhere near the democratic and prosperous
society that he imagined the country could be. It has to do with the form of
government and also with the feudal social structure, at the root of which is a
property system that has consigned more than half of the population to a life
of perpetual deprivation, dependence, and ignorance.
The author then, in the later part of the essay, verbalized his
dissatisfaction about federalism as a solution to poverty and inequality.

Reaction:
Federalism is defined as the allocation of power between the national
government and regional government. A system of government in which the
power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units.
Is it advisable for a country like us to adapt this kind of government? Would
Rizal have proposed a federal system of government for an independent
Filipino nation? Although Im not sure if Rizal was really a federalist since
nothing in his writings suggests that he believed in complicating the task of
building a unified and strong nation by making space for the creation of
autonomous regional governments.

He was wary that other big powers

could easily take over the islands by exploiting internal dissensions, once

Spain relinquished control over them. However, he appeared to subscribe to

the principle of subsidiaritythe notion that decisions should be made as
much as possible at the level closest to the citizens, and that only those that
the local level cannot meaningfully carry out on its own should be entrusted
to the higher levels.
In my opinion, upon seeing and experiencing my countrys economic
status, I would disagree with this articles claim as to Federalism being an
illusion, and not solving poverty and inequality. Firstly, it ensures that
government remains close to the people because the state government
argue that they are more in tune with the daily needs and aspirations of
people especially relevant to small and isolated places, next, it encourages
development of the nation in a decentralized and regional manner and allows
for unique and innovative methods for attacking social, economic and
political problems and lastly, it provides a barrier to the dominance of the
majority.
We presently have a unitary form of government. Most administrative
powers and resources are with the national government based in Metro
Manila. It's Malacaang that decides how much to give local government
units. The process is prone to abuse, with governors and mayors sometimes
having to beg Malacaang for projects they believe their communities need.
Rizal did not leave detailed reasons for his call for a federal republic
but based on the advantages of Federalism mentioned, all of which coincides

with Rizals idea of a unified, independent nation, which can be summarized

as a fundamental, to establish unity without destroying diversity. Doctor Jose
Rizal had foreseen the possible shift in the country's form of government.
Now, the newly elect President Duterte has strongly brought forward
Rizals vision of a Philippine federal republic. His call for its favorable
consideration will bring the nation from a unitary form of government born
from the roiling blood of a colonial past to a federal form of government
unfolding a future from an ancient heart. Rizal's writings about it might sit
well with the incoming administration.