Gov’t shift to federalism up to the public, says Nene Pimentel

Former Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. AFP FILE PHOTO

It would be up to the people to decide on the fate of the proposed federal form of government, former Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. said on Tuesday.

“Kung ano ang gusto ng taong bayan, yun ang masusunod. Ayaw nila, then period; tapos na,” Pimentel said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer 990AM when asked if there was an alternative in case the public would not embrace the federal government.

(Whatever the public wants will be followed. If they don’t want it, then period; that’s it.)

“Kasama sa plebiscito yun eh. Tatanungin sila. Siyempre demokrasya,” said the former senator, who has been vocally supportive of federalism since he was mayor of Cagayan de Oro in 1980.

(It’s part of the plebiscite. We’ll ask them. Of course, it’s a democracy.)

But Pimentel noted that for the first time in history, the proposal got the backing of a president.

“Ang adbokasiya na iyon ay nabigyan ng malakas na dating dahil sa for the first time sa kasaysayan ng ating bansa mayroon tayong Pangulo na nag endorse ng idea — hindi lang sa kanyang plataporma noong kandidato siya pero ngayong presidente na siya, gusto niya na din maimplement na yan,” he said.

(That advocacy was given much attention because for the first time in history, we have a President who endorsed the idea – not only in his platform when he was campaigning as a candidate, but also even now as a President, he wants to implement it.)

President Rodrigo Duterte has been strongly pushing for the shift to a federal form of government since during the campaign period. /je