Professor Edmund Tayao (2nd from right) explains the benefits of federalism to Cebu officials. (left to right) Also in the photo are lawyers Laurence Wacnang and Randolph Parcasio and Professor Eddie Mapag Alih.
Cebu will surely reap the benefits of a federal form of government.
This was the promise made by members of the Consultative Committee (Concom) who met with Cebu officials on Friday to solicit their support on the proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution.
Senior Technical Officer Wendell Adrian Tamayo of the ConCom said that federal states are expected to receive bigger revenue shares and more independence from the national government.
Under the federal government proposal, Cebu and Bohol provinces will consist the Central Visayas federal state and will get two representatives each in the Senate.
They will also get seats in Congress that will correspond to the number of districts that will be created in the federal state of Central Visayas.
Siquijor and Negros Oriental will form part of another federal state that is Negros Island.
Tamayo said that under a federal government, Central Visayas is expected to get around P60.3 billion in annual share from the national government coffers that can be spent on infrastructure, social services, tourism, and economic development.
At present, Region 7 that consist of the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Negros Oriental is only getting an accumulated Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share of P29.7 billion from the national government.
Tamayo said that under a federal government, the Central Visayas federal state that will consist of Cebu and Bohol provinces is expected to get an additional revenue share of P30.6 billion.
“Region 7, without Negros (Oriental), will get a minimum P60-billion that you will control,” he said.
Tamayo added that aside from getting a bigger allocation, the budget release will no longer require the approval of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Finance (DOF).