The country representative of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Philippines,

Mr. Benedikt Seemann, delivered the welcome remarks and discussed briefly on the emergence of Social Market Economy in Germany. The overview of the conference was given by the executive director of the Centrist Democracy Political Institute (CDPI), Mr. Jordan Jay Antolin.

Common Messages

The afternoon was profuse with discussion pertinent to the call for federalism, and a revolution of the economic climate through Social Market Economy model. The SME is the intermarriage of two dominant traditional economic models, mainly, capitalism and socialism. Contrary to the economic model being used by the previous administrations which is the top-to-bottom approach or “pinatulo”, SME plants the seed of progress from the grounds, that is from the local level. The reason behind the term “pinatubo”.

The essence of the SME model anchored strongly on the virtues of Christian doctrine of human dignity and the preferential option for the common good.

SME creates demands from the ground through establishing foreign and local investments. By creating opportunities at the regional level, industries and programs tailored fit on the capacity, resources and skills of the community, more sustainable jobs are created. And because opportunities for economic mobility are already proliferating in the other regions, this will disperse population at the capital region.

The role of a strong state is to protect the entrepreneurs and allow the free and safe ingress and exit of players in the market arena.

Aside from discussing the grounds for an SME model, participants brainstormed some themes and catch phrases they may use in the campaign and message dissemination activities, such as, “Pinatubo Kontra Pinatulo: Countryside development through Federalism”, and “Local Economy for Local People through Federalism”.

Target Audience and Future Collaborators

The target audience and future partners were also discussed during the workshop. The “millenials” are a vital audience as they composed a considerable portion of the population. They are also the descendants of federalism and SME model. The following target audience and partners were also mentioned such as the business groups, LPP/LCL/LMP, legislators, and the media. The media, being the fourth element of the society, is pivotal in shaping the consciousness of the people.

Plan of Action

Several plan of action were stipulated at the near end of the workshop which included forging partnership with several groups who are deeply involved in the call for federalism, such as the PDU30-Core. The participants have considered creating a template for SME-Federalism Workshop Conference to be organized by members of the SME-Federalism Core Group. They have also seen the possibility of forging alliance with the Department of Internal and Local Government or DILG especially at the upcoming Summit on Road Map for Federalism scheduled this December 2016.