15-year transition urged

buildings to house agencies.

This was denied on Friday by a member of the consultative committee (con-com) that has formulated a draft federal constitution, who said the total cost would only be P13-29 billion.

con-com member Edmund Tayao said the House of Representatives would have to shoulder an additional P4.6 billion for 108 new representatives while the Senate, with 12 new senators, will have to secure an extra P2.9 billion.

A total of 450 new regional assemblymen will require an incremental P1.08 billion, while the additional budget for 18 federated regions’ personnel services and maintenance and other operating expenses, excluding the Bangsamoro, will mean an extra P3.4 billion.

Capex and contingencies for the regions will require P850 million while an intergovernmental commission will need P1 billion, Tayao said.

Local governments department spokesman Jonathan Malaya said the NEDA and Department of Finance (DoF), whose chiefs have criticized the draft charter, had not consulted the con-com when they estimated the cost of federalism.

“Wrong assumptions were made when the budget was made by DoF and NEDA. They never came to concom to ask about the details of the [draft] constitution,” Malaya said.

Edillon, meanwhile, said the proposed transition roadmap had already been submitted to the constitutional review committee.

last for a year, should be devoted to doing spatial analysis of the federated regions and their socioeconomic

workforces and functions and mapping of existing laws, regulations, and policies.

The second phase, with a five- year period, will lay the foundation for federalism. It must include preparing the regions and rationalizing government structures and functions, and should extend to a review and amendments of the Local Government Code and the Administrative Code.

A transitional period charter should be adopted and a federal transition commission established during this period.

The third phase, lasting three years, is when a transitional government can be activated and prepared for genuine devolution.

The NEDA proposed the opera-

regions, based on readiness and will-

- ernment should be deactivated and

noted that “a major change that needs serious consideration is the relocation of the country’s capital outside Metro Manila.”