MAYOR Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said she will respect the decision of Congress on whether to postpone the mid-term elections in 2019 to pave way for the federal form of government as pursued by the Duterte administration.
Salazar issued the statement when asked for comments on the possibility of a deferment of the mid-term elections if Congress succeeds in changing the charter allowing a shift to federalism.
“Let us give Congress the prerogative, as we respect the decision of Congress on the holding of elections and its postponement,” she said.
She stressed that President Rodrigo Duterte is determined to shift the present unilateral form of government to federalism during his six-year term and to implement the same after the end of his stint in Malacañang.
“It will the act of the President and we will abide accordingly,” she added.
She said the issue on federalism is something that will have to be comprehensively and intelligently discussed.
The draft federalism model should be crafted and approved by Congress for it to become the basis of consultations on the ground, she added. (Bong Garcia/VoxPop Philippines)