We have been hearing about him and the sorties he has been doing around the country.

There are rumors that he is running for the Presidency next year. I didn’t know much about Mayor Duterte except that he is doing a good job as a mayor of Davao. In my own personal opinion, I like his style of leadership even if it is a little unconventional and dictatorial. As what I have said in my previous articles, democracy is only good for the mature.

Last Saturday, I was able to sit beside Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and had a chance to hear what was on his mind. He talked about so many things, but what caught my attention was this: He said his current advocacy was to push for Federalism. He was not in favor of the BBL because this was not beneficial for the Republic of the Philippines. Federalism, on the other hand, can benefit both the interest of the Filipino Muslims and the rest of the people of the Philippines. He says we have to drop the BBL, and in order to do this without triggering an all out war was to push for Federalism.

Federalism is already practiced by our neighboring countries like New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Japan and Korea. In a nut shell, Federalism is a form of government in which a region benefits from its own resources, and does not have to wait for the national government for its share. This is not the first time that Federalism was discussed. This has been on the table before, but has never progressed.

I am not sure what is beyond this agenda, but I agree with Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Federalism does not only benefit the Muslims in Mindanao, but will also benefit the rest of the other regions in the Philippines. I had the chance to get to know Mayor Duterte and he is not all iron fist; he is also a very smart leader with a vision not just for Davao City, Mindanao, but the rest of the country. Will I vote for him if he runs for Presidency? Well, that’s another story. He will have to prove to me a lot more than that.