ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Alliance of Advocates of Federalism in the Philippines Inc. announced on Sunday that it has received a positive response from the people in central Mindanao after learning the advantages of the federal form of government.
This, as AAFP president Atty. Nazir Ynawat recently conducted a forum in Digos City in Davao del Sur province, explaining to them the advantages when the country decides to shift its form from Presidential to Federal form.
Under the presidential form of government, the power is equally divided among its three branches of government — executive, legislative and judicial — while in Federalism mode of government, it combines a general government with regional governments in a single political system.”
Ynawat said he received a positive response from officials and the academe, adding that a similar reception was also demonstrated by the town grassroot sector and officials of academe in the towns of Goma, Tuban, Padada, Sinawilan, Malinao, Tacub, Sulop and the adjacent towns of Digos City.
“I find the audience to the forum very receptive to my explanation about the federal form of government,” Ynawat said.
During the forums he conducted in central Mindanao, about 90 percent of those who attended signed a membership form attesting their desire to join the AAFP and a total of 9,875 people coming from all sectors of the community have signed a membership form.
He also disclosed that some local government officials of towns and cities in central Mindanao are discreetly supporting the AAFP movement, claiming that it is time for Filipinos to adopt a new form of government system to advance the nation and the region.
In other developments, the Moro National Liberation Front on Sunday branded the recent statement of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that he is gearing towards a federal form of government as “mere propaganda.”
MNLF political director Gafur Hajirul told DAILY TRIBUNE in a telephone interview that Marcos allegedly only floated the federalism issue to gain support for administration candidates in the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections this October.
Harijul stressed that if the President is really serious about federalism, he should have included it among his prioritized legislative agenda, adding that Marcos can also use emergency powers to declare shift of form of government.
The MNLF had earlier back tracked on its earlier move to seek independence of Mindanao to campaign support to the shift from Unitary to Federal system which coincided with the group political objective of self-rule.
With Perseus Echeminada