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Sunday, March 07, 2004
Micame: Leyte’s geography
By Rel P. Micame
LEYTE. Hindang is not in Southern Leyte. It is part of Leyte. If there is a Province of Southern Leyte, there should also be a Northern Leyte. But this is not the case. The remaining part is simply called “Province of Leyte.” Why is this so?
In the original plan, when then Leyte’s 3rd district congressman Nicanor Yniguez filed a bill with Congress in the late ‘50s for the division of Leyte Province, Hindang, a town within the fourth congressional district, was supposed to be part of the proposed Leyte del Sur. At that time, there were five congressional districts in Leyte. The plan of then Rep. Iniguez was to divide Leyte into two provinces—Leyte del Norte, comprising the first, second, and fifth districts with Tacloban City as the capital or seat of the provincial government, and Leyte del Sur to comprise the third district from Maasin following the coast to Silago, the islands of Limasawa and Panaon, and the fourth district comprising the Municipalities of Matalom, Bato, Hilongos, Hindang, Inopacan and Baybay, Ormoc City and Kananga town. But Yni-guez and 4th district Rep Dominador Tan could not agree on where to locate the capital or seat of the provincial government of Leyte del Sur. Yniguez was amenable to make Hilo-ngos as the capital, but Tan was insistent that the seat of the provincial government should be Ormoc City. Yniguez argued that Ormoc would be too far for his constituents from Silago, Hinundayan, Hinu-nangan and other Pacific towns. Tan was adamant and firm.
SOUTHERN LEYTE. Frustrated, Rep. Yniguez who was very close to then president Carlos P. Garcia, worked for the enactment of a law creating the Province of Southern Leyte out of the third district, with then municipality now City of Maasin as capital. President Garcia signed the law, and on July 1, 1960, the Province of Southern Leyte was formally inaugurated at Maasin town square.
IRREGULAR. If one looks at the present map of Leyte, one can call the division of Leyte irregular. The remaining part is so big, while Southern Leyte is small. Leyte was re-districted into five congressional divisions.
While Maasin has grown so fast since it became a provincial capital in 1960, the towns from Matalom to Baybay, which now belongs to Leyte’s fifth congressional, have been left behind in economic development. The slow economic growth in the area is attributed primarily to its far distance from the capital Tacloban, the seat of the provincial government. That’s why most municipalities in the fifth district like Matalom, Bato, Hilongos, Hindang, Inopacan and probably Baybay want to be part of or merge with Southern Leyte. As a matter of fact, most government employees in the fifth district transact business at the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) in Maasin City because it is nearer. Members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and public school officials and teachers also want to transact business in Maasin if only the PNP provincial headquarters and the Division Superintendent’s Office are located in this capital city. But right now, policemen and public school teachers from Matalom to Hindang have to travel more than 100 kilometers to Tacloban where the offices of their superiors are located.
NOT TOO LATE. But, it’s not too late yet. The representative of the fifth congressional district can still make amends for the indiscretion of his or her predecessor by working for the passage of a law merging the district with Southern Leye. The representative of Southern Leyte’s lone congressional district and the provincial governor and other officials won’t object to such merger. The congressman of the fifth district would be happy with the merger because aside from retaining his congressional representation, he will be doing a great service to his constituents who will be nearer to the provincial capital. By that time, we, in Cebu, will already be right in saying “Hindang, Southern Leyte.”
SCRIPTURE READING. Suggested reading of the Holy Bible for today is found in the Gospel according to St. Luke 9:28-36 and Phil. 3:17-4:1; March 8—St. Luke 6:36-38; and for March 9—St. Matthew 23:1-12.
Address any comments or reactions to relmicame@yahoo.com or call (6332) 423-9956, fax (6332) 423-9815, cell# 0918-4435044.
(March 7, 2004 issue)
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