Political scientist: no proof that federalism won't work in PH

De La Salle University's Professor of Political Science, Antonio Contreras said that while there is no scientific proof to support that federalism will work in the Philippines, there is also no proof that it will not.

Photo from ABS-CBN

Contreras questioned the reliability of the existing studies on the matter.

"All these studies being brandished are either studies done in other countries, in which case one has to be cautious in considering difference in historical, socio-cultural, political, economic and psychological contexts; or they are studies based on case studies that are not generalizable, or are based on unrealistic assumptions." he said.

He said it is a problem in political science that there is no empirical warrant to political options.

He said testing an alternative will be challenging.

He said that identifying whether one should support federalism cannot be supported by science but will boil down to ideology and politics.

"It is in the same vein when political scientists express our positions for or against issues such as the Marcos Burial. It is not about science. It is simply about politics and doing our civic duty as citizens," he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte has consistently been expressing his intent to introduce federalism into the country.


SOURCE: Antonio Contreras

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