The concept of a federal government for the Philippines was first suggested by Jose Rizal. He outlined his vision of federalist governance on his essay Filipinas dentro de cien anos ("The Philippines a Century Hence") that was published by the Barcelona-based propaganda paper La Solidaridad in 1889.[1]

In 1899, Filipino revolutionaries Emilio Aguinaldo and Apolinario Mabini also suggested dividing the islands into three federal states.[2]

One of the first proponents of federalism in the Philippines in the 21st century is professor Jose Abueva from the University of the Philippines who argued that a federal form of government is necessary to more efficiently cater to the needs of the country despite its diversity.[3] The primary goals of a constitutional amendment is to increase decentralization, greater local power and access to resources most especially among regions outside Metro Manila which has long been dubbed as rather imperial.[4]

Aside from Abueva, senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. was a prominent supporter of federalism who, beginning in 2001, advocated for federalism. He saw the proposed system as a key component in alleviating the Mindanao crisis and appeasing Moro insurgents. According to Pimentel, even though federalism was never intended to appease any followers of any specific ideology of religion, it will also hasten economic development, since resource and financial mobilization is upon each state's or province's discretion without significant constraint from the central government.[5]

However, in 2009, after Senate and House resolutions supporting charter change were released, an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 people gathered in Makati to protest against these executive department-deriving proposals for constitutional reform. This was due to speculations that Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would use such amendments to extend her hold in office.[6] In addition, Pulse Asia published in the same year t

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