CEBU CITY — Nine governors from the Visayas have proposed the establishment of the "One Visayas Bloc" with Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia as its unanimous leader.

The governors unveiled the proposal during the opening salvo of the 455th founding anniversary celebration of Cebu province on Monday.

The governors in attendance at the program include Arthur Defensor Jr. of Iloilo, Damian Mercado of Southern Leyte, Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar, Jake Villa of Siquijor, Joaquin Carlos Nava of Guimaras, Jose Enrique Miraflores of Aklan, Eugenio Jose Lacson of Negros Occidental, Erico Aristotle Aumentado of Bohol, and Garcia.

Evardone said that Garcia will be the unanimous and unopposed leader of the group, based on a report by Sugbo News, the social media arm of the provincial capitol of Cebu.

Garcia, on Monday, clarified that she does not plan to seek higher office in the May 2025 elections and intends to pursue a third and final term as governor of Cebu.

The One Visayas Bloc aims to unify the 16 provinces in the Visayas to address regional priorities such as infrastructure development, economic growth, and disaster preparedness. The group intends to ensure that the region's needs and concerns receive proper representation at the national level.

The governors also discussed the initiative during a lunch meeting at the Capitol Social Hall, marking the formal opening of the monthlong celebration of Cebu's founding anniversary.

Aside from discussing the One Visayas Bloc, the governors signed the manifesto of support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration and his "Bagong Pilipinas" campaign.

Garcia urged her peers to rally their provinces in support of the President, to which they responded with a resounding, "Challenge accepted."

First lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, the event's guest of honor, witnessed the signing of the manifesto and the turnover of mobile clinics aimed at enhancing health care services in the Visayas. The Bagong Pilipinas initiative's mobile clinics come equipped with modern medical equipment, including X-ray, ultrasound, and blood screening tools.

In a separate press conference on Wednesday, Garcia said the establishment of the One Visayas Bloc can present a strong and united front for the 16 provinces.

"If you go through the entire 16 provinces, though we may have Waray-waray, Ilonggo, Cebuano ... but I do believe that if we were to come together and speak in each of our languages we would more or less understand each other," she said.

She said that the proposed One Visayas Bloc signifies a historic step towards regional solidarity, aiming to foster a stronger, more united Visayas region capable of advocating for its collective interests on the national stage.

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