BAGUIO CITY February 09 – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan wants that the election of senators in a federal form of government once the present administration will not succeed in creating a unicameral form should be done by region to allow the government’s resources to be distributed to the countryside and achieve the goal of inclusive growth.
The local chief executive pointed out under the present situation where senators are elected at large, communities with smaller population are deprived of access to government resources to spur economic activities in their places because the senators usually put their projects in heavily populated cities and provinces to guarantee their stay in power due to the voters from the said areas.
He opined senators will surely oppose the move to abolish the Senate in the shift to a federal form of government because they will no longer have their place in politics, except to go to the federal states and aspire for whatever available position where they will encounter stiff opposition from local officials, also aspiring for the same positions.
If the upper chamber of Congress will be retained in the proposed federal form of government, Domogan underscored the inclusion of a provision that will state that the election of senators should be done by region to allow the equitable distribution of the country’s meager resources that will eventually contribute to the development of remote communities which have been deprived of access to development because of the serious negative impact of the presidential bicameral form of government.
To date, he emphasized urban areas with large populations are the ones being pampered with numerous development projects even if these are already over-developed.
According to him, senators could not be blamed if they continue to provide funds to over-developed and heavily populated areas for political survival but its negative effect is the deprivation of rural areas of development funds.
He said even if local officials of small local governments lobby for the allocation of funds for the benefit of their constituents, they end up empty handed most of the time because senators claim that their development funds are already used up when in fact, the funds were already committed to vote-rich areas.
He called on local government officials to support the proposed election of senators by region to make sure that the government’s resources will be equitably shared by developed and less developed communities and for smaller communities to be guaranteed increased development opportunities and eventually achieve their overall goal of inclusive growth.
Domogan is also supportive of the national government’s quest for the shift to a federal form to ensure that there will be autonomy in the management of local resources.**By Dexter A. See
