Marañon hits back at Degamo, won't issue public apology

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – The word war between the two governors over the One Negros Island Region plan is now getting worse.

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. slammed Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo after the latter reportedly wrote to President Benigno Aquino III to express dismay and indignation over the statement of the former on the proposed region.

Degamo also demanded for a public apology from Marañon, apparently irked on the latter's statement declaring that Aquino will have the last say on the bid and not Degamo.

Marañon replied: "This is sad but there's nothing to apologize. It was simply a statement of fact. Only the president, aside from Congress, has the authority to create a new region." He asked why Degamo would be insulted since it's the president who will issue the executive order creating the new region. "Is he (Degamo) the one who will issue the EO?"

Degamo, however, insisted that the plan to merge the two Negros provinces into one region needs a feasibility study, and that Marañon's sweeping and presumptuous statement was a grave insult to his office.

Further, Degamo asked Aquino for assurance and protection that his people will not be denied of their right to choose, adding that Marañon should apologize for his blatant arrogance and disregard for the sentiment of the Oriental Negrenses.

Marañon said opinion should have no place in this discussion, referring to Degamo's statement that he is arrogant. "We want to stay focused on our advocacy to unify the two Negros provinces; it would be counter-productive to digress from the main issue which is the creation of the Negros Island Region, a dream started more than 20 years ago by previous Negros leaders," he said.

The Oriental Negrenses were consulted and that their sentiments were respected, said Marañon. "The process has already been started. And anywhere we go---from Bacolod City, Kabankalan City, Dumaguete City, Mabinay town and Guihulngan City---where his (Degamo) constituents were in attendance, there was overwhelming support to establish the Negros Island Region from the Oriental officials."

Marañon said that "going through the process of consultation and series of dialogs, including the one attended by Interior Secretary Mar Roxas in Bacolod City, is the highest form of respect we accorded to our brothers from the Oriental."

The Occidental governor said there have been no shortcuts. "In these dialogs, it often comes out-as shared by the business community and researches done by the academe-that both Oriental and Occidental are currently at a disadvantage under the present set up where Occidental is attached to Region 6 and Oriental to Region 7.

Degamo only attended two of five consultation meetings, of which Marañon assailed such non-attendance on the dialogs. "He should attend the consultation so he can hear the real sentiments of his constituents."

The Occidental governor noted there was a big turnout in attendance in the last two consultations-Mabinay and Guihulngan-adding that no opposition was expressed during those gatherings. He said the last consultation meeting will be held in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental on January 27.