Prime Minister is head of government in proposed federal charter

If the proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution of a House of Representatives' subcommittee is approved, the Philippine government will be headed by a Prime Minister instead of a President.

This was part of the outputs of the Subcommittee 1 of the House committee on constitutional amendments, tasked to review several provisions of the 1987 Constitution and come up with new Articles on Federal and Regional Powers and Number of States.

Under the subcommittee's proposal, the Prime Minister will be the head of the government. Along with the Cabinet, the Prime Minister will constitute the government and exercise executive power.

The Prime Minister will be elected by a majority of all members of the proposed Parliament, which is composed of the Federal Assembly and the Senate.

The Federal Assembly is similar to the current House of Representatives, while the Senate will consist of representatives from each region.

The President, who will remain as the head of state, will proclaim the election of the Prime Minister.

Under the proposal, the functions of the Prime Minister include the preparation of the program of the government, prepare the annual budget of the Federal Republic, execute all laws, lawful orders and decisions of the Federal Supreme Court, and enter into contracts, including loans, on the government's behalf.

The Prime Minister will also appoint all heads of executive offices, including Cabinet members and police officials from the rank of Police Director.

The Prime Minister may also remove members of the Cabinet at his or her discretion.

The Prime Minister or any members of the Cabinet may likewise resign for any cause without vacating his seat in the parliamentary.

The Duterte administration is pushing for a shift to a federal form of government as a means to address issues particularly in strife-torn Mindanao.

In an earlier interview, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said if Congress decides to convene in a constituent assembly this month, the proposed new federal charter may be submitted for a referendum simultaneously with the scheduled Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in May. —ALG, GMA News