BACOLOD City – The campaign for a shift to a federal form of government may have “somehow stalled” but it is “still on the go,” said Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo.
Degamo said the inflation has caused the campaign’s delay.
“The inflation rate, it has to be addressed first. But the shift to federalism will continue,” Degamo said.
The governor believes a federal shift will be approved before President Rodrigo Duterte’s term ends.
He added that the campaign needs to intensify its information dissemination, and people must understand what federalism is all about.
As a supporter, Degamo said his administration has maximized efforts in spreading relevant information about federalism in Negros Oriental.
He stressed that the proposed governmental shift is “good” for Negros Island.
“We are an agricultural province. We are more in the position to come up with policies on agriculture than those people in Manila,” said Degamo.
A unified Negros Island region dubbed as Negrosanon Federated Region (NFR) was included in the list of 18 proposed federal states made by the Consultative Committee tasked to review the 1987 Constitution.
Arthur Aguilar, a member of the Consultative Committee, said the NFR is a “standalone federated region viable in all respects,” which makes it ready for launching should the federal shift is approved./PN
