BEN KRITZ
AT 114 pages in length, the draft charter intended to replace the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines appears to have been developed to make up for in volume what it lacks in imagination. While it does correct some of the more problematic provisions of the earlier charter, it largely provides a “federal” system in name only; it proposes a top down organization of the country that on paper appears more efficient than what it currently is, but may not practically balance power between the regions and the central government.