Bong Go admits federalism a ‘long shot’

CATBALOGAN CITY — Take it from President Rodrigo Duterte’s most trusted aide and confidant: Federalism is a “long shot.”

Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go admitted that the move to shift to a federal form of government appeared to be a “long shot.”

Administration ally Sen. Cynthia Villar seemed to agree with Go, saying fellow senators were not too keen on Charter change (Cha-cha) that would allow a shift to a federal form of government.

Both Villar and Go were in Catbalogan on Saturday to grace the 177th Samar Day together with another administration ally, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos.

In a speech before local officials, Go said the move to toward federalism appeared to be a long shot since most Filipinos were not aware of the issue and its potential benefits to the country.

He later said in an interview that the people were more concerned about peace and order and issues concerning the President’s statements than federalism.

Go, however, downplayed the statements issued by some Cabinet secretaries warning about the adverse effects of federalism on the economy.

“They are entitled to their opinion. Kanya-kanya tayo ng opinion at nire-respeto ang opinion ng bawat isa (We have individual opinions and we respect each other),” he said.

Go said there is a need to intensify the campaign on federalism since Filipinos were not very knowledgeable about it.

“Ako mismo kakampanya rin para sa pederalismo. Dapat i-explain para itatak sa utak sa mga tao ano ang pakinabang po sa kanyang-kanyang region or state (I will personally campaign for federalism. It should be explained properly so the people would know how each region or state would benefit from it),” he said.

Data from the Social Weather Station (SWS) showed that only 25 percent of Filipinos were aware of federalism while the rest learned about it only in the survey.

READ: Federal system what? 75% of Filipinos not aware – SWS survey

Despite the low awareness, the survey conducted in March found that 37 percent of respondents agree with the federal system of government.

Villar, on the other hand, said she noticed that most senators were lukewarm on the moves to amend the Charter.

“Hindi ako sure kung makakaya na i-tackle (yung Charter Change).The filing (of certificates of candidacy) is in October,” she said.

She, however, stressed that while a majority of the senators appeared to oppose Charter change, they have yet to discuss and tackle the issue.

“Hini-hear naman kaya lang talagang mahirap yung Charter change (We are going to tackle the issue but Charter change is difficult) So I am not confident if we can finish it on time,” Villar said. /ee

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