100 House members to campaign vs antifederalism senators—Veloso

Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso (File photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

About 100 members of the House of Representatives have signified their intention to campaign against reelectionist senators in the 2019 midterm elections who oppose the shift to a federal form of government, according to Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso.

At a press briefing on Monday, Veloso echoed the proponents of federalism who said that abandoning the presidential system of government would usher in economic development in all regions of the country.

“Since the Senate has refused to cooperate with us, we will be really campaigning against these (reelectionist) senators who, in effect, are saying that ‘you will be poorer than the poorest regions in the Philippines,’” Veloso said.

No resolution

Asked if the lawmakers would pass a resolution expressing their position, he said: “There’s none.”

The former Court of Appeals justice also slammed the economic managers of President Rodrigo Duterte for insisting that turning the Philippines into a federal state would be too costly.

“The economic managers do not have the monopoly of common sense,” Veloso said. —MARLON RAMOS