Why federating ourselves would benefit External Powers like China

Our Constitution defines the Philippine state as democratic and republican. There is a reason why we are a unitary state, and that is, we are an archipelago, peopled by individuals of different ethnicities. When you have islands which are near each other yet under different ethnicities, the possibility of conflict exists.

Who benefits from a disunited Philippines--who else but our enemies, especially China?

For decades we, alongside our forebears, had tried our darnest best trying to instill a unique Filipino identity in the consciousness of the peoples of this archipelago. My estimation is, we have been successful in doing such. From the peoples of the farthest islands of Batanes in the North, to the great peoples of the Southern Islands of Tawi-Tawi, the term "Filipino" had been embraced, accepted and associated as an identity inseparable to the Self. Ask the 101 million souls living in this country and they'll shout "Filipino" not only as an expression of their citizenship but as their identity.

Yes, we still group ourselves into Ilocanos, Bulakenyos, Davao-enos, Cebuanons, Pangasinenses, Cagayanons, yet the groupings are merely socials not as seriously as how the Cordillera peoples or the Bangsamoro do their own distinct groupings. I don't see Bulakenyos erupting into revolts or even Zamboangenos asking for autonomy? Then, why undo a good thing?

The minute we federate ourselves, we actually ignite the very problem which our former colonial masters faced when they tried to expand governmental power in this archipelago--ethic-based conflicts.

Competition under capitalism is a good thing, but competition in the political arena is bad. Remember that in federating ourselves, we are not changing the economic structure--we are engineering a new governmental structure. Federalism is not about economic change-- it is about how do we distribute power. It is political rather than an economic solution, if you could call that a solution.

We have to be very clear that Federalism talks about governmental structures, not changes in the economic system. The minute we federate, we will still be under a capitalist system. Do we instantaneously create economic opportunities for the poor? We don't. Why? Because even if we change the system of government, those in control of capital will still be the very same people who controls them now.

Federalists believe that the solution against widespread poverty is increasing economic opportunities, which is an accurate solution. That solution requires not a political one but an economic change. Do we change how capital flows in this country by changing the political landscape? IN the minimum, yes. On the other hand, by expanding the distribution of political power, you also allow more economic players to participate in the political dynamics, thereupon, perpetuating these economic elites into power instead of discouraging them or limiting their political participation!

The problem really of poverty in this country lies on the way we manage capital. Capital here lies in the hands of a distinct few. It is highly monopolized. Can politics break the monopoly? No. Can governance break the monopoly? Yes thru regulation and enactment of policies that promote fair economic play. Do we need to federalize to do just that? No. The fact is, we can very well be more effective if we are under a unitary government because these policies will be implemented at all levels and across all regions. Under a federated setup, regulatory policies which affect economic activities are expected to differ among federated regions, so much so that we expect again, to see varying types and levels of economic development. There will be poor and highly rich regions, the very same thing we are seeing today!

The solution to the breakage of monopoly capital lies on strengthening the state, and turning it into the biggest economic player. The state should take part in economic activities. By weaponizing the state, we then break these monopolies that impede the free flow of capital, enabling or creating the very economic opportunities our people need for them to improve their lives.

The principle that lies behind federalism is the dispersal of public capital from government hands to private hands. Federalist arguments rest on the management of public funds. They blame government for its unequal or unjust use of accumulated public revenues. They use the argument that the reason why many provinces are poor and underdeveloped is because LGU's lack the funds to build infrastructure and to support economic activities of peoples living in their respective territories.

Bull. crap.

The real reason why provinces remain poor is due to the political elites who are also economic elites. They don't build infrastructures because these elites fear competition! They do cosmetic development in their territories just to show the people they have achieved much. However, they don't enact substantive legislation because by changing the status quo in their respective territories, they risk affecting their economic interests!

You see this everywhere, most especially in Mindanao. Why is Mindanao poor despite it being rich in natural resources? Mindanao is poor not because it does not have the capabilities of self-generating its own resources-- resources or the flow of it is highly monopolized by a few! Ask me who owns the lands, who monopolize distribution networks and who dabbles in regional banking there and you'll be surprised to find out that it is only a few. This will simply not change when we federate Mindanao.

The solution to the problem of Mindanao is really not even political inclusion, but economic liberation. Government must build relevant infrastructures to allow investments to flow. The more investments, the more jobs. The more jobs means more economic opportunities for people. More economic activity attracts more capital. More capital and dispensing capital even to the farthest places in Mindanao means more people's lives improved.

Problems occur when the unequal distribution of power creates conflict. It is not the political system that is to blame for Mindanao's economic woes--it is how the Mindanao elites view the distribution of power. The elites here are like dogs--they are extremely territorial because of the very nature of the existing economic system which retains hallmarks of neo-feudalism. Mindanao is obviously, an agricultural resource hub, and land is the basis of wealth. Mindanao's economic problems may be solved by effecting an honest to goodness land reform there. Widen the participation of the poor farmers in the economy by distributing them land for them to generate wealth. Government should assist these farmers in developing their lands. By transforming farmers as distributors as well, we eliminate traders in the equation. This can only be done thru infrastructure development--- assist farmer entrepreneurs by increasing access to markets thru development of roads and infrastructure necessary for the transportation of harvests to markets. Do we need to federate to do just that? NO!

When we are federating Mindanao, we are creating conflict. Imagine a Federated Mindanao along the lines of ethnicity and you'll see federated regions competing and in conflict with each other. This is so because we are actually limiting the flow of capital from one federated region to another thru the differing regulatory policies. There will be a situation where two federated regions differ from their trading policies--one liberal, the other restrictive. How then do we secure economic development equally? We simply cannot assure that.

Federation will only allow external powers to silently, annex us into their own. Those who lust for the Philippines are waiting for us to federate because it will allow them to penetrate, own properties and control the economic system simply by transacting with regional powers instead of just one. The danger of this is, we cannot simply assure the protection of our patrimony because there will be federated regions which will be liberal in terms of foreign entry of capital and there will be those which will not. I bet you that the minute we federate that side of Pampanga-Bataan and Zambales, we will see China's presence there. That's exactly why those who are pushing for Federalism wants--they want to see more Chinese presence in the Philippines. The accusation that the Philippines will be a province of China the minute we federate is not an empty one or fake news.