Tambuling Batangas Publication March 21-27, 2018 Issue | Page 6

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Federalism and its challenges and
opportunities to higher education
Marso 21-27, 2018
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
FOURTH JUDICIAL REGION
REGIONAL TRIAL COURT
BRANCH 5
LEMERY, BATANGAS
IN MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR THE
CORRECTION OF ENTRIES IN THE RECORD OF
BIRTH IN THE CIVIL REGISTRY OF LEMERY,
BATANGAS AND THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICS
AUTHORITY
SP. PROC. NO. 03-2018
NORMELITA VILLALOBOS BENDAÑA,
Petitioner,
-versus-
THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF LEMERY,
BATANGAS and THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICS
AUTHORITY,
Respondents.
x------------------------------------------------------------x
ORDER

Petitioner filed the instant petition, praying
that after due notice, publication and hearing in
accordance with Rule 108 of the Rules of Court
as contemplated and authorized by Article 412 of
the Civil Code of the Philippines, this Honorable
Court adjudge that the date of birth of the petitioner
be changed to JANUARY 12, 1960, her surname
be changed to VILLALOBOS and likewise, her
mother’s surname be changed to BENDAÑA .

Finding the said petition to be sufficient
in form and substance, let the initial hearing of the
petition be set on April 26, 2018 at 8:30 o’clock in
the morning at which time and place and date any
interested party may appear, oppose and show cause
why the same should not be granted.
Danilo Doguiles
CALAMBA CITY, Laguna, (PIA)-- “There is no one
model of Federalism, there is no one shape of Federalism,
there is no one way of going Federal,” Commission on
Higher Education (CHED) Officer-In-Charge (OIC) and
Commissioner Dr. J Prospero E. De Vera said was the
first lesson he wants to impart to the audience during a
Symposium.

To gain thorough understanding on what
Federalism is and what education would look like in a
Federalist Government, the University of the Philippines
Los Banos (UPLB) College of Public Affairs and
Development Center for Strategic Planning and Policy
Studies, in partnership with the UPLB Graduate School,
organized a symposium titled, “Prospects of Education in
a Federal Government,” held last March 12.

Federalism, in the most generic term as
Commissioner expressed, comes from the word ‘foedus’
which means a covenant between two co-equal partners
comprised of the Federal Government, at one hand, and
the State Regional and Local Government, on the other.

He stressed, “It can co-exist only if there is a
partnership of equals, it is a covenant that essentially
means that both parties have to agree to work together to
make the system work.”

There is no superior-subordinate relationship
and there exists an agreement between two co-equals
that are committed to retain their own identity but, at
the same time, agree that their identity being together is
equally important.

He underscored the need for Filipinos to assess
if the concept of this kind of agreement is existent in
our country, where there is commitment to a long term
inseparable relationship that one’s interest is as important
as the interest of the rest.

The question that a lot of people fear is “If
you give substantial power in the Federal States in the
Philippines, what will stop them from going on their
own?” he figured. For instance, in a place like Mindanao
there is fear that it might secede and create its own entity.

Federalism is basically a system where powers
in the constitution are divided between the Federal
Government and the States and Local Government,
explained the Commissioner.

Since the powers are constitutionally divided
and written in this form of government, constitutional
change is needed to rearrange the power distribution
between the Federal Government and the States and
Local Governments.

Let a copy of this Order be published in the
newspaper of general circulation in the Province
of Batangas including the cities of Batangas, Lipa
and Tanauan once a week for three (3) consecutive
weeks at the expense of the petitioner, Let the copy
of the order and petition be furnished the Local
Civil Registrar of Lemery, Batangas, The Philippine
Statistics Authority and the office of the Solicitor
Government Systems
General for their comment/opposition thereto.
SO ORDERED,
In chambers, Lemery, Batangas, February 21, 2018.
MARY JANE B. VALEZA-MARANAN
Executive Judge
MJVM/mcd:
1.
The Public Prosecutor by pd.
2.
The petitioner by rm.
3.
Atty. Genaro S. Cabral by rm.
4.
OSG by rm.
5.
PSA by rm.
6.
LCR, Lemery, Bats. By rm.
Tambuling Batangas
March 7, 14 & 21, 2018
EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the
late BENJAMIN P SANCHEZ, who died on March
01, 2015 and ADELINA C. SANCHEZ, who died
on September 11, 2017 both at Los Baños Laguna
leaving a parcel of land covered by Transfer
Certificate of Title No. T-34151 located at Barrios
of Bucal and Lecheria, Municipality of Calamba,
Laguna and Transfer Certificate of Title No.
T-30902 located at Barrio of Anos, Municipality of
Los Baños, Laguna has been extrajudicially settled
by their heirs as per Doc. No. 205; Page No. 42;
Book No. 167; Series of 2018, Notary Public ATTY.
CEASAR M. ANGELES.
Tambuling Batangas
March 21, 28 & April 04, 2018
Aside from the introduction of what Federalism is, he
also enlightened his audience on the different systems of
leadership to which many confuse on.

He clarified, “Federalism talks about the
distribution of power from the top to the bottom.” While,
it is called Unitary if more power is concentrated to the
top where almost if not all the power is constituted in
the national government. This is a vertical distribution of
power.

On the other hand, he explicated that the
horizontal distribution of power comprises the
Presidential and Parliamentary.

“In the Presidential System, the powers are
equally divided in the Executive Branch, the Legislative
Branch and the Judiciary,” he continued. Contrary, in
the Parliamentary System, the Executive and Legislative
powers are fused together and the Judiciary is separated.
There is a horizontal distribution of power.

These systems can be mixed and matched,
he said as example, “In the US, you have Federal-
Presidential, but you go at the border to Canada what you
have is a Federal-Parliamentary System.” Philippines’
system is Unitary-Presidential, while, there is Unitary-
Parliamentary in the United Kingdom and Singapore, he
added.

Commissioner de Vera pointed out that a clearing
up of perspective and understanding among Filipinos is
necessary because the Presidential-Parliamentary debate
is getting confused with the Unitary-Federal debate.

“When you talk of Presidential versus
Parliamentary you talk of separation of powers across
branches of government, and Unitary versus Federal (is)
across levels of government,” he reiterated.

The control that must remain to the hands of the
Federal Government includes currency, national defense,
foreign affairs, customs, immigration, civil political
human rights and citizenship. “These are the powers that
can only remain with the Federal Government all over
the world,” stated Commissioner.

He said that apart from the aforementioned, all
the other powers could be mixed in any way. The key
elements that Filipinos must be talking about is which
powers will be exclusive to the Federal Government or
the Federal State and which ones shall be shared.

“We get excessively captured by the political
aspects of Charter Change, (but) we are forgetting
that what will matter in lives of every Filipino are the
substantive aspects on where power will go and why,”
he pronounced.
Higher Education in Federalism

“On the one hand, you can say it is good
because education becomes more responsive to local
conditions,” he said pertaining to the possible implication
of Federalism to education in the country. As he stated as
example, through this it can be ensured that the students
in Mindanao will be able to read Philippine History with
a flavor of Mindanao.

Muslims are rarely included in the Philippine
history as if they have no history at all and have no
contribution to the development of the country, and this
is because History Books were written primarily by the
Tagalogs who are in power, he said. “Those who are in
power tend to write history to glorify themselves,” said
the Commissioner.

He pointed out that if history shall be tailored
based on a locality’s own accounts, the students therein
will have their own identity, thereby, shall essentially
take pride of being Filipinos.

This is one of the advantages of going Federal,
“You’re sure that history will be more responsive to the
conditions on the ground.”

The downside, however, is if we give history
exclusively to the locals we might develop ethnicity
more than national character.

“We might be more Ilocanos than Filipinos, we
might be more Muslims than Filipinos,” he says.

Mentioning what is happening in the US
and Canada as an example on how possibly a Federal
Government appear in terms of education, he explained,
“They (the States) set educational standards, mandate
standardized tests, supervise state colleges and
universities’ funding coming from local state and federal
government, and education follows the contours of State
socio-economic and political conditions.”

If the Higher Education is given fully to the
States and Local Governments, the bad side is there will
be no National Standards and there will be disparities
across jurisdictions, and the Federal Government will not
be in a position to adjust and address these disparities,
noted Commissioner.

“Second, ethnicity may be emphasized at the
expense of national identity, and access and equity may
suffer in poorer regions,” he said, citing further that there
might be a conflict if a licensure exam is not prescribed
in the National level and it shall pose a bigger problem
because there is already an existing competition in the
ASEAN field.

Wherever the power goes that is where the
money should go. “The resources must follow the
power because if there is no money then the Federal or
the State Government will not be able to implement its
constitutional tasks,” de Vera said.

He said this is an important concept to scrutinize
because the development pattern in the Philippines is
uneven across regions. We will need in the Philippines
significant subsidies and transfers from the Federal
Government to the poorer States and transfers across
richer States going to the poorer States.

This discourse must be raised and talked about
according to de Vera because, economically, right now
only about three States in the Philippines can survive on
its own.

“If the Federal Government gives the power
with no additional resources the Federal State of Easter
Visayas will fall behind, the Federal State of the ARMM
will fall behind, especially in education because it
requires huge resources throughout the educational
system,” he said.

It had become more problematic now because
free tuition and miscellaneous will now be given to
higher education in which money would come from
the Federal Government. The question that must be
pondered upon and analyzed as he pointed out is, “If you
give higher education to the State Governments, what
happens to the subsidy of the Federal Government for
free tuition?”

As he framed, if higher education is given to the
Federal State then the State Universities and Colleges
(SUCs) should perform the critical role of producing the
manpower needed in the Federal State and their programs
should contribute to its economic development.

“My general idea for higher ed is this: governance
of SUCs you give that to State and Local Governments,
the day to day operation but national standards, licensure
exams must remain with the Federal Government,” he
stated, referring to it as a happy mix that the Philippines
could have. (GG/Joy Gabrido, PIA4A)