Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) peace panel has only 12 months to finish the talks and come to an agreement with Communist Party of the Philippines – National Democratic Front (CPP-NDFP).

Davao City business leaders and some political parties gather in Davao City for a conference entitled, "Pursuing Federalism: A Shift from Unitary-Presidential to Federal-Parliamentary Government" organized by the Centrist Democracy Political Institute (CDPI) in collaboration with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), Inc on the Proposed Revision of the 1987 Constitution by the 2005 Consultative Commission to support and promote the initiatives of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte's Administration.

Benjamin Franklin, in 1789, once famously said: “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

This article will ponder upon the question of death and federalism; taxes will be taken up in later articles.

It is going to happen. The constitutional order will be reformed.

Preliminary meetings were held over the weekend involving individuals and groups who want a shift to a parliamentary and federal form of government. The mood was upbeat.

The most important idea that gelled the last weekend is that this should be done quickly. If we tarry, if we hew and haw, if we drag our feet this thing will never get done.

DAVAO - Philippine President-elect Rodrigo Duterte's new economic team on Monday promised sweeping changes to boost infrastructure, fix traffic woes, improve investment frameworks and maintain the country's robust economic growth.

Third among 22 most crony-ridden economies, Philippine GDP went four-fifths to firms owned or favored by the ruling party.

Crony capitalism is under attack globally, but worsened in the Philippines in the past two years, The Economist magazine reports. India and Brazil have jailed billionaires who made piles from repeated sleazy government contracts.

Davao City — President-elect Rodrigo R. Duterte and his economic team will present the country’s economic situation and the incoming administration’s 10-point socio-economic agenda in the “Sulong Pilipinas” economic forum that opens here today at the SMX Convention Center.

Rodrigo Duterte won the Philippine presidency in a blaze of hard-line rhetoric -- an outsider who will stamp out crime and corruption. But his power base is tied to the nation's oldest political camps, including that of ex-dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

MANILA, Philippines – In his proposal for a federal Republic of the Philippines, former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr is eyeing the creation of 11 federal states, while keeping a presidential form of government and increasing the number of elected senators.

A Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) may be less expensive and time-consuming but President-elect Rodrigo Duterte prefers a Constitutional Convention (Con-Con) to frame a new charter and to convert the country’s unitary government to a federal one, according to Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.