Debate on federal Philippines : a citizen's handbook / Eduardo Araral Jr. [and five others]

Includes bibliographical references.

About the Authors -- Introduction -- Definition of Terms -- Chapter 1. Background: Decentralization and the Local Government Code -- What is Republic Act 7160 (Local Government Code of 1991) and what is motivation behind Decentralization? -- Has fiscal Decentralization succeeded or failed? What have we learned from over 25 years of Decentralization? -- How is federalism linked to Decentralization? -- Chapter 2. Rationale and Features of Federalism -- Why Pursue federalism? Why not just amend the local government code? -- What are the different model of federalism extant in the world today? -- How do Federal models differ? -- What lessons can learned from the American, Canadian, and German federal Models? -- Which models of federalism fits the Philippines? Is federalism in the Philippines a “a new” idea? -- Which form of government fits the Philippines best: presidential, parliamentary, or hybrid? -- What are the Perils of the Presidential system? -- What are the advantages of the parliamentary system? -- What are the possible weaknesses of the parliamentary system? -- The hybrid model with a strong presidency-was that not what Marcos wanted? -- Chapter 3. Federalism Risks and Opportunities -- Could federalism lead to a break-up of the Country? -- Will Federalism lead to more capture by political dynasties? Will Dynasties proliferate even more under federalism? -- Will federalism lead to more corruption among local officials as what happened in ARMM in the 1990s? -- What are the Specific risks of unintended consequences arising from federalism? -- How can poorer states support themselves? – How could we improve on the IRA under a new a federal system? -- Chapter 4. Evidence for and Experience with Federalism that Works -- What are the conditions for federalism to succeed? -- Chapter 5 – Day-to-Day Governance with Federalism that Works -- Where will sovereignty reside: federal or state governments? Will there be state constitutions and flags? -- Who will control the police force? Can state or local governments set up their own police force? -- How will taxes be collected and divided? -- What about the powers of cities? -- Should there be more independent cities under federalism? -- What is the relationship between the regional governments and cities? -- Which functions of the national government will be devolved? -- Which Functions will be retained and why? -- How will national elections be conducted? -- Who will preside over the conservation and preservation of tangible and intangible legacies and heritage? -- Is the Bangasamoro Basic Law (BBL) subsumed intact under federalism? -- What are the possible political divisions of the country under a federal system? What factors could guide the formation of these divisions? -- Chapter 6. Federalism in Context: Laying the Foundations for a Problem-Driven Process of Political Reform -- What are the Three major types of reform commonly considered by those who are seeking to change a country’s political system? -- Based on comparative experience, what major principles are important to consider before embarking on processes of political reform? -- How is one to define whether-in comparative perspective-a country is relatively more centralized or decentralized? – Ipot is commonly asserted that the Philippines has long been a highly centralized country. It is really True, based on the historical record? -- How does the Philippines compare with its neighbours in its degree of centralization or decentralization? -- If the Ultimate goal is to give more authority and responsibility to lower levels of government, why is there a need for central steering? -- Isn’t that contradictory? -- If federalism requires strong institutional capacity at national level in order to ensure effective central steering, what are the institutional requirements of federalism at the subnational level? -- “If federalism is the answer, what is the questions?”