Senators Aqulino Pimentel, Jr.,
Her Excellency Lise Favre,
Professor Dr. Thomas Fleiner,
Ambassador Rora Navarro-Tolentino,
Dean Alex Brillantes,
Colleagues in government,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:

On behalf of Secretary Alberto G. Romulo, it is with pleasure that I welcome you all to this High-Level International Workshop on Federalism and Multiculturalism. The Department of Foreign Affairs is pleased to be a partner in organizing this gathering of minds from the academe, government and civil society to exchange views on an issue that has assumed prominence in debates relating to the life of our nation.

We are honored to have Switzerland as partner in this activity. Aside from being one of the oldest democracies, Switzerland is the oldest existing federal state in the world today. This collaboration adds to an already long roster of joint activities and undertakings between our two countries in all fields, whether political, economic or cultural. Our cooperation in all areas of our relations is founded upon the friendly ties between our two countries, which were forged long before the formal establishment of diplomatic relations forty years ago. I am confident that our fruitful partnerships will continue to flourish in the future.

The workshop was the brainchild of my dynamic colleague, Ambassador Rora Navarro-Tolentino. It was one of the highlights of my discussions with Ambassador Blaise Godet, Head of the Political Department of the Swiss Federal Department or Foreign Affairs, during the second round of the Philippines-Switzerland Bilateral Political Consultations last 18 October 2004 in Manila. The project was brought to fruition by the University of the Philippines' Center of Local and regional Governance, under Dean Alex Brillantes, in partnership with the Institute of Federalism of the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, headed by Dr. Thomas Fleiner. Financial support was provided by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) as well from generous benefactors in the Philippines led by the Honorable Senator Aquilino Pimentel. Serving as the nexus of all these efforts was the Embassy of Switzerland in Manila, under the active leadership of Her Excellency Lise Favre.

The interest in shifting to a federal system of government is shared by several sectors in the Philippines, and no less than President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo herself has articulated her advocacy for it. In response to this interest, Switzerland last year invited a team of government officials and educators to study their federal system. This workshop which we open today should add voices of scholarship and experience to the current discussion on federalism.

Advocates of federalism claim that our presidential form of government is not responsive to the needs of the country, given its ethnic and linguistic diversity and geographic make-up. They argue that the present centralized government has failed to address the problems of inequitable distribution of wealth, the slow pace of development in the countryside, and the long-standing conflict in Mindanao. They submit that federalism can more effectively address these concerns because it allows the local governments to have a direct hand in determining their future.

It is argued that a federal set-up will hasten the country's development since the critical functions of planning and policy decision-making will be entrusted to the federal states, effectively lessening the bureaucratic obstacles for the implementation of economic programs and projects. More importantly, it promotes a more equitable distribution of resources among the provinces and regions since government revenues will be devolved to the local governments. Consequently, local leaders, having a greater awareness of their communities' ethnic and religious diversity, will assume greater responsibility for leadership and the delivery of essential services as they will now be directly accountable to their constituents in addressing problems.

Opposing views to federalism argue that, given the social and economic disparity among the classes and the lack of political maturity among the masses, the system will only fortify political dynasties and perpetuate feudalism in the provinces. This will strengthen even further the tight hold of entrenched political leaders in their respective turfs, which in the end would actually hinder development in the countryside. Critics of federalism fear that the federal government will eventually lose control over the federal states or local governments.

These are just some of the views that will be brought to fore in this workshop. I look forward to listening to the lively discussions and debates, which would serve as valuable reference material for our policy makers.

On behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs, I wish to congratulate all of you for this endeavor, and I wish you  great success.

Thank you very much. END