Duterte may visit Negros Occidental on May 20

IS President Rodrigo Duterte coming to Negros Occidental on May 20?

Yves Akol, secretary-general of Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas Ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) in Negros, said yesterday, May 14, he also heard the president will visit the province on that date.

"I still do not know if it is official or not. If it is official, the Presidential Management Staff should have informed us but as of this time, they have not," Akol said.

In the past months, Duterte made a surprise visit to the province for personal reason.

His first visit was in February.

He dined at the house of the Yanson family in Talisay.

Just last month, on April 19, he also had dinner with the Yanson family in their home.

Duterte was with Special Assistant Christopher “Bong” Go during his two visits in the province.

Meanwhile, Akol said that the people who criticize Duterte over the ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno as chief justice of the Supreme Court (SC) through a quo warranto petition are “still they are the same faces.”

"These are the people who cannot sleep over the fact that they lost the election. They are still the same people, but unfortunately, they are given space by media so they are being heard. Even in Manila, only a few of them are holding rallies with less than 1,000. Whether they like it or not, even if they say that the case of Sereno is different from the case of the late justice Renato Corona, but you know what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. I think the quo warranto is justified but there are so many factors and supposedly if we respect the three branches of government, the SC is the final arbiter, but now that it made the interpretation, they would say that it erred," Akol said.

In another development, Akol said that the PDP-Laban in the province is waiting for the final draft of the Consultative Committee (ConCom) about federalism.

He pointed out that since this is a political exercise, the president will listen to those who are in favor and against federalism before he gives imprimatur to the final draft submitted by the ConCom.