Negros Island State pushed by 2 Governors
During a meeting held in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental last Saturday, two governors of Negros Island agreed in supporting the creation of Negros Island Federal State. Alfredo Marañon Jr. of Negros Occidental and Roel Degamo of Negros Oriental have both pledged their support on the matter.
Negros Island State
The said meeting was initiated by Arthur Aguilar, lone Negrense member of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Consultative Committee (ConCom) and chairman of the Economic Sector. With this, the committee is tasked to review the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Aguilar pledged he will do everything that Negros Island Federal State would be realized in the federal form of government.
Never again that the two Negros provinces would be separated under federalism,” Arthur Aguilar said.
The Negros Island Region (NIR) was formed by former president Benigno Aquino III,but was then dissolved by current president Rodrigo Duterte due to no budget for NIR. Marañon said that the Negros Island belonging to one federal state is very “viable and advantageous” to the two provinces.
Based on the Commission on Audit’s Financial Report in 2015, both Negros provinces were listed as among the richest in the country, so even with the composition of just two provinces, the Negros Island Federal State can stand on its own because Negros Island is also the center of renewable energy and within five years, it can provide power to the whole Visayas,” he said.
Negros Island Region – short lived
Although the Negros Island Region (NIR) was “short-lived” it was very successful in creating different combining offices in a limited amount of time.
Both provinces have done so much in just so little time,” Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. of Negros Occidental pointed out.
