Proposed federal states of the Philippines
The following is a list of proposed subdivisions of the Philippines under a federal form of government.
This list includes nation-wide scale proposals as well as localized proposals for the formation of a federal state.
Country-wide proposals
| Year proposed | Proponent/s | Proposed subdivisions | Map | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 | Emilio Aguinaldo Apolinario Mabini |
|
No demarcation of proposed states available | Filipino revolutionaries Emilio Aguinaldo and Apolinario Mabini also suggested dividing the islands into three federal states patterned after the Philippines three main island groups.[1] |
| 1972 | Salvador Araneta |
|
No demarcation of proposed states available | Under Salvador Araneta's proposal during the 1972 Constitutional Convention, the Philippines was proposed to be divided in five states. His proposal was recorded in a document dubbed as the "Bayanikasan Constitution", a portmanteau of "Lakas" and "Bayan".[2]
A distinct feature of Araneta's proposal was the troika – the federal government is to be governed equally by three parties; the President, the Prime Minister, and the Speaker of Parliament. A similar setup is also to be implemented in the regional states level.[3] |
| 2000 | José Abueva[4] |
|
This proposal was touted as a potential solution to the ongoing separatist conflict in Mindanao. In November 2000 a variation which added Manila as a federal district was supported by 22 of the country's 24 senators.[5] This would create nine majority-Catholic states, and one majority-Muslim state, a situation compared to the English and French division among the Provinces of Canada.[6] Other later variations adjusted the proposed states[7] and increased the number of states to 11.[8] | |
| 2008 | Aquilino Pimentel Jr. |
|
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Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. proposed Joint Resolution No. 10, which would revise the current 1987 constitution and have created eleven autonomous regions out of the Philippine Republic, establishing eleven centers of finance and development in the archipelago.[9]
The proposal would result in the creation of eleven "states" and one federal administrative region.[10][11] Pimentel later made revisions to his proposal in 2017.[12] |
| 2017 | Pantaleon Alvarez |
|
No demarcation of proposed states available | House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez's vision for a federal Philippines called for 14 states: 7 in Luzon, 2 in Visayas and 5 in Mindanao. He also proposed that the capital of the Philippines under a federal government should be somewhere in Negros Island saying that it would be accessible to all people from the three island groups while he added that the state's territory does not have to be contiguous.[13] In February 2018, Alvarez reiterated that he shall input an indigenous state in the Cordilleras in Luzon and an indigenous state in Mindanao, whatever federal set-up is approved by the President.[14] |
| 2018 | Consultative Committee Body created by President Rodrigo Duterte through Executive Order No. 10 |
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President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order No. 10 which mandates for the creation of a 25-member Consultative Committee (ConCom) on December 7, 2016 for the review of the 1987 Constitution. Duterte appointed the first 22 members of the committee in January 24, 2018. As part of the Duterte administration's proposed shift of the country to a federal form of government; the ConCom came up with a proposal to divide the Philippines into 18 subdivisions from existing administrative regions of the country (plus Bangsamoro which superseded the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in 2019, and a Negrosanon Region) in their draft charter.[15][16][17]
Aquilino Pimentel Jr. who was a member of the committee also suggested including the Malaysia-administered Sabah (see North Borneo dispute), as one of the Philippines' federal state.[18] |
| League of Provinces of the Philippines | Existing 81 provinces as federal states | 
|
The League of Provinces of the Philippines proposed the retention of provinces as "autonomous sub-national level or independent ‘states’ under the general supervision of the duly-elected president of the federal government" which is a departure from common proposals at that time which calls for subdivisions based on regions.[19] | |
| House of Representatives Sub-Committee 1 |
|
No demarcation of proposed states available | The Sub-Committee 1 of the House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Amendments proposed that a federal Philippines would comprise five states. Each states to be led by a premiere as its executive head will have a State Assembly according to the proposal.[20][21] |
Local state proposals
The following includes proposals which are forwarded by inhabitants and/or local officials in the area of the proposed federal state. These proposals may or may not be included in the listed country-wide proposals mentioned above.
- Bansa Sug / Zambasulta – At the Bangsa Sug Summit in 2018, participants of the convention including claimants of the Sultanate of Sulu, called for the creation of a Bansa Sug federal state consisting of the Sulu archipelago provinces and Zamboanga Peninsula. They also campaigned for the option to "opt-out" from the then-proposed Bangsamoro autonomous region.[22][23]
- Negros Island – Following the abolition of the Negros Island Region in 2017 and the ongoing campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte for a shift of the Philippines's form of government to federalism, there are calls for the Negros island, consisting of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental provinces, to be made into a single federal state or at least integrate the whole island in a larger single state if a federal form of government is adopted for the country. Negros Occidental 2nd District representative Rafael Leo Cueva said that the proposal is in line with the "One Island, One Region" movement which calls for the unification of the two provinces under a single region which began in the 1980s[24][25]
References
- ^ "The debate on federalism". New Straits Times. May 28, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- ^ Cureg, Elyzabeth; Matunding, Jennifer. Federalism Initiatives in the Philippines (PDF). Center for Local and Regional Governance. p. 180. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ Galvez, Virgilio (October 30, 2016). "The federalist papers". Manila Standard. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ Jose V. Abueva (October 2000). "Transforming our Unitary System to a Federal System: A Pragmatic, Developmental Approach" (PDF). p. 6.
- ^ "A separatist threat and presidential crisis fuel federalism in Philippines". Forum of Federations. January 2001. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
- ^ Quimpo, Nathan Gilbert (2001). "Options in the Pursuit of a Just, Comprehensive, and Stable Peace in the Southern Philippines". Asian Survey. 41 (2): 280. doi:10.1525/as.2001.41.2.271. ISSN 0004-4687. JSTOR 10.1525/as.2001.41.2.271.
- ^ "CMFP Draft Constitution for a Federal Republic of the Philippines with a Parliamentary Government". Citizens' Movement for a Federal Philippines (CMFP). February 2005. p. 37. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
- ^ "Some Advantages of Federalism and Parliamentary Government for the Philippines" (PDF). June 29, 2005. p. 5. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
- ^ Joint Resolution to Convene the Congress into a Constituent Assembly for the Purpose of Revising the Constitution to Establish a Federal System of Government (PDF), Senate of the Republic of the Philippines, April 23, 2008, retrieved June 27, 2008
- ^ Eleven senators endorse federal system of govt.
- ^ "Federalism in the Philippines?". Pilipino Express. December 16, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- ^ ABS-CBN News. "Nene Pimentel gives details on proposal for federalist government" – via YouTube.
- ^ Arguilas, Carolyn (March 28, 2017). "Alvarez' federal Philippines: 14 states, Negros as seat of central gov't". MindaNews. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- ^ "Alvarez wants separate state for indigenous peoples".
- ^ "The state of the regions by stats: Unpacking the federalism gambit". Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. February 19, 2019. Archived from the original on February 24, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ^ Power to the People Bayanihan Federalism: Power to the Regions - Draft Constitution for a Strong, Indissoluble Republic (Final Copy ed.). Consultative Committee to Review the 1987 Constitution, Bureau of Communications Services. 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ Parrocha, Azer (June 6, 2019). "PRRD won't insist on federalism but still wants Cha-cha". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ "Proposed federal gov't set-up wants Sabah included in Philippine territory". philstar.com.
- ^ Esguerra, Christian (February 16, 2018). "Group wants 81 states under federalism". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ Cervantes, Filane Mikee (January 16, 2018). "5 states in proposed PH federal charter". Philippine News Agency. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- ^ Colcol, Erwin (January 16, 2018). "Proposed federal charter divides PHL into 5 states". GMA News. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- ^ Carreon, Frencie (May 9, 2018). "Federal state pushed for Zambo Peninsula, Sulu Archipelago". MindaNews. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ^ "Muslims push for federal state". The Manila Times. May 19, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ^ Bayoran, Gilbert P. (August 18, 2017). "Negros pushed as 'federal state'". The Philippine Star.
- ^ Gomez, Carla P. (August 15, 2017). "Cueva pushes for 1-Negros federal state". The Visayan Daily Star. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017.