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Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Editorials: Tuburan’s plea
If the resolution of the Municipal Council of Tuburan, Cebu were passed in another time and a different setting, it would have gone the way of many town measures sent to the Provincial Board: noted, but not noticed.
The Tuburan resolution requests district Rep. Antonio Yapha to consider an alternative to the bill he has filed.
Yapha, with colleagues Rep. Clavel Martinez and Simeon Kintanar, want to carve out territories and assets for three new Cebus: Cebu Occidental, Cebu del Norte and Cebu del Sur.
What is Tuburan's alternative? Abolish the province. The present setup with one province is "duplicitous, superfluous and ruinous."
By duplicitous, the Tuburan councilors probably mean Capitol duplicates functions of towns and component cities, not "cunning, deceptive, or double dealing" which duplicity conveys, unless they refer to Capitol's alleged discrimination in dividing bounty.
Whatever their reasons, they ask for something Yapha and fellow legislators may not validly do without amending the Constitution.
Congress can create new provinces but can it abolish an existing province and set component units free on their own?
The Constitution provides that provinces with respect to component cities and municipalities (and cities and municipalities with respect to component barangays) shall "ensure that the acts of their component units are within the scope of their prescribed powers and functions."
Tuburan in effect suggests amending the Constitution, which is a lot tougher to do than butchering Cebu and slicing off territories for each of the three House members whose terms expire before the next elections.
Had Tuburan made the plea when there was no furor over the cut-up Cebu plan, its resolution would have gone quietly to the archives, noted but not noticed.
What they want
What do the Tuburan councilors want? Not really to scrap the existing province. They just want a bigger share of Capitol resources.
They allege that Capitol has neither maintained the provincial road in Tuburan nor opened roads in the town's barangays.
Not that Capitol hasn't served a purpose. Capitol just has not served Tuburan's purpose.
Tuburan councilors say the town has been shut out by Capitol "since time immemorial." Note a hint of desperation in the cliche, the kind that compels people to join even "yabag" causes like the butcher-Cebu plan.
(March 2, 2005 issue)
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