VideosForum on Federalism, Autonomy, and Mindanao Peace Process | December 15, 2016, Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan City

The Forum on Federalism, Autonomy, and Mindanao Peace Process was convened in order to gather stand and responses from the Bangsamoro diaspora regarding the present call of the government to shift into federalism as form of government. It was well-attended by members of the Bangsamoro diaspora who are also leaders of the media, the academe, The Armed Forces, business, and politics.

The keynote speaker, Former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. stressed on the current situation that most of the powers of the government are concentrated in Metro Manila, or as he called it, imperial Manila, despite having passed the Local Government Code. The fact that only the collections of the BIR are subject to sharing arrangement is a clear reluctance of the central government of Manila to let go of the powers it is hanging on to. With this observation, he suggested in creating 12 federal states—5 in Luzon, 4 in Visayas, and 3 in Mindanao.