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Saturday, June 04, 2005
Senate okay on bill for province eyed
By Ben Serrano
SURIGAO CITY -- The Surigao del Norte Provincial Board urged the Senate to approve House Bill 874 or an "Act creating Dinagat Island into a Province" authored by 2nd District Surigao del Norte Representative Glenda Ecleo.
The bill, which also seeks the creation of Dinagat province into a lone congressional district of Dinagat, is now on second reading at the Senate.
Surigao del Norte officials headed by Governor Robert Lyndon Barbers hope the Senate will finally approve the bill making it into law after President Arroyo herself has certified the bill as urgent.
The young governor and almost all local officials of the province are expecting the Ecleo Bill to be enacted into law before the 2007 local elections.
If approved, the mineral- and coastal resources- rich Dinagat Island will be the fifth province and eighth congressional district of the Caraga Region.
This after its more than 370,000 population, the second largest island of Surigao del Norte, unanimously endorsed for its separation from its mother province, Surigao del Norte.
The Dinagat Island Mayor's League has unanimously passed a resolution supporting the move for the Dinagat province bill with the town of San Jose as its provincial capital.
The island has seven municipalities, namely, San Jose known to be the home of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA), Dinagat, Libjo, Cagdianao, Basilisa, Loreto and Tubajon.
The island is host to the many nickel, copper and chromite mining companies willing to develop the total 80,205 hectares island into a "tourist destination."
More than 54,443 hectares of Dinagat Island are mineral lands, with 62,544 hectares declared as "Public Forest".
Dinagat Island is more than two-hour motorboat ride from Surigao City.
Thirty days after the law is passed, a plebiscite that will determine the island's fate will be held with expenses to be borne out by the Surigao del Norte Provincial Government.
Vice Governor Rodolfo Navarro said the conversion of Dinagat Island into a province is the answer to the people's desire to make it a separate province from Surigao del Norte.
"We are expecting economic growth to double as more and more foreign and local mining firms have shown interest to invest likewise Dinagat residents can now course their destiny into brighter future ahead of them," Navarro said.
Former Senator Robert Zabala Barbers said he is throwing his moral support for the island folk's aspiration to make Dinagat a separate province from Surigao del Norte.
Barber's son, 1st District Surigao del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers (Lakas-CMD), also showed all-out support for the initiative.
(June 4, 2005 issue)
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