Saturday, July 16, 2005
Visayas Republic draws potshots
CEBU CITY -- Local leaders and businessmen in Cebu are wary of the proposal of Visayas governors to create the Visayas Republic if President Arroyo is overthrown through extra-constitutional means.
Representative Antonio Yapha (Cebu, 3rd district) even criticized Friday Governor Gwendolyn Garcia for supporting the move when she is opposed to the creation of three new provinces out of Cebu.
Yapha, proponent of the province of Occidental Cebu, said Garcia is being ironic with her stand.
"Nitun siya sa butang nga di niya gustong tunlon (It seems to me she is being inconsistent)," he said over radio dyLA Friday.
But Garcia said the premise of the two proposals is different.
"The republic moves for integration of all provinces in the Visayas to make one strong force, while the other proposal is for the dismemberment of Cebu Province," governor said.
Representative Antonio Cuenco, for his part, said he is open to the proposal if it will not mean the country will be divided further.
"If it can be done without bloodshed, why not? Di lang magkawatas-watas ang Pilipinas ngadto-ngadto," said Cuenco (Cebu City, south).
Visayas governors, who said they have had enough of "opposition, elitist and leftist" schemes that affect the whole country, announced their plans to secede if Arroyo will be ousted illegally.
Cebu Archdiocesan Media Liaison Officer Monsignor Achilles Dakay said the Cebu Archdiocese is not keen on supporting the creation of a Visayas Republic. He is yet to meet with Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal regarding this matter, though, but he said Vidal is likely to oppose it.
The cardinal has asked Cebuanos to pray for national unity.
Dakay also questioned the proposal to break up the Philippines because this is not the answer to the country's problem.
Besides, he said, the creation of a separate republic is a long and tedious process.
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Visayas chapter vice president Carlos Co said, "We should stay as one because in the long run, we will be weaker (if we separate)."
Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Robert Go said it is because of this reason that they opposed the disintegration of Cebu with the creation of three new provinces.
"It's a similar hypothesis. Integration is more productive than disintegration," he said Friday.
However, they are for a federal system of government since bureaucracy is lessened and local government units are given more autonomy, allowing them to move and develop faster, he said.
"We will not carry the load of underdeveloped provinces and there will be more economic growth since the fruits of the labor here will be given back to the citizenry," Go pointed out.
But he will reserve the group's comments on the proposed Visayas Republic during the Visayas leaders and businessmen's socio-economic and political summit tentatively scheduled on August 11.
Oriental Negros Governor George Arnaiz, who will head the team that will study the creation of the republic, said he is also for a parliamentary and federal form of government for the Visayas. He believes it will "give each province authority to do what's good for it."
In an interview after their meeting at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel last Thursday, the group's spokesperson, League of Provinces of the Philippines national president and Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado said that if Arroyo will "resign, which is very remote, we will respect and support the (Vice President) Noli (de Castro) presidency."
Aumentado, Garcia and 11 other governors, two vice governors, two board members and a mayor agreed to form two teams to assess the country's situation and to study the legal, economic and political aspects of creating the Visayas Republic.
A technical working group, which includes Arnaiz, former Cebu governor Pablo Garcia, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone, will start next week studying the different forms of government that the Visayas provinces might adopt.
Governor Garcia said last Thursday that aside from consulting legal personalities and constitutional experts, they would also hire financial advisers to study the overall picture of the region's economic situation. (With JPM of Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
(July 16, 2005 issue)
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