BACOLOD City – The local governments of two provinces in Negros Island held a symposium on federalization yesterday at Sugarland Hotel in this city.
Negros Occidental governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. and Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo jointly spearheaded the event, which pushes for the creation of the Negrosanon Federated Region (NFR).
Five members of the 19-man Charter Change consultative committee were present at the symposium.
They were Julio Teehankee, Edmund Tayao, Susan Ordinario, Eddie Alih, and Arthur Aguilar.
Teehankee presented the proposed structure of the federal republic and its political reforms while Tayao, the federated regions and their powers.
Moreover, Ordinario discussed the roles of the judiciary and constitutional bodies in a federal republic while Alih, the Bill of Rights and the Bangsamoro region.
Aguilar, meanwhile, discussed the economic provisions under a federal republic and its effect to the NFR.
Aguilar said the NFR is a “standalone federated region viable in all respects,” which makes it ready for launching if the federal shift is approved.
There are currently 17 proposed federated regions, excluding the National Capital Region, according to Ordinario.
“We are very optimistic that the NFR will push through,” she added.
Ordinario also said they are considering an “opt in, opt out” provision under the proposed federal republic.
“When the time comes, the [current] regions may decide to either opt in or opt out with [other federated regions],” Ordinario said.
Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental vice governors Eugenio Jose Lacson and Edward Mark Macias, respectively, also attended the event./PN
