.“Napakaliit po. Walang one-fourth sa pinapadala ko. Davao is I think remitting P5 billion* a month. Pagdating sa amin, suwerte ako kung makakuha ako ng P2 [billion] or P3 billion a month. Pero ang balik sa akin kaunti lang,” Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said during his campaign rally in front of the people in Dagupan City, Pangasinan.
He emphasized that the centralized form of government defective and that the regions get an insufficient amount from their Internal Revenue Alltment (IRA) coming from the national government.
Duterte asserted that the he money that regions remit to the national government appears to line the pockets of corrupt politicians in Metro Manila.
“Federalism will pave the way for competition. They can invite foreign investors directly. It will eliminate bureaucratic greed. Manila gets everything so regions are forced to beg. The benefit of federalism, you can go directly. They won’t have to go through departments like DOTC [Department of Transportation and Communications], NEDA [National Economic Development Authority],” Duterte said.
His proposal of federalism, he told reporters, will address the gap between congested Metro Manila and the rest of the country.
This is because federalism will allow regions to take the lead in developing their economy instead of the national government based in Metro Manila.
What’s your views on this?
