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Saturday, September 09, 2006
Editorials: Losers, winners in Sugbuak war
The push to split the island of Cebu into four smaller provinces through the so-called Sugbuak bills is again catching people’s attention, thanks to the new round of maneuvering by the pros and the antis in Congress.
While there are views that the measures hatched by Reps. Clavel Asas-Martinez, Antonio Yapha and Simeon Kintanar are already doomed considering the processes these bills still have to go through and the lack of time, the proponents are undeterred.
They are pouncing on every available advantage, like prodding an obviously sympathetic House committee chairman to act on the measures when the antis like Reps. Antonio Cuenco, Raul del Mar and Eduardo Gullas were distracted by other concerns.
The result is that opponents of the Sugbuak bills have been reduced in the past few days to merely reacting to the proponents’ offensives, which gives the wrong impression that the lobby for the measures is succeeding.
Battle outside
But while Martinez, Yapha and Kintanar are actively pursuing their cause in the House of Representatives, they have been unable to argue their case outside of it, probably for lack of machinery or a weakness in strategy.
While the three lawmakers are one in their opposition to Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, they have not been able to set up a province-wide structure or linkage akin to the “Group of 4” formation of old that defeated the machinery of former governor Emilio Osmeña.
They seem to be relying solely on the leadership provided by former senator John Osmeña who, unfortunately for them, may not run for governor against Garcia because he is currently angling for a slot in the opposition’s senatorial slate next year.
Reaping dividends
In the meantime, the governor and her tacticians, seeing in the opposition to Sugbuak bills a unifying political platform, have seized the initiative.
They are noisily portraying themselves as champions of “one Cebu,” giving their opponents no other option but to take the contrary view, which means defend the Sugbuak idea---an apparently unpopular stance province-wide at this stage.
Thus, while the effort of the Sugbuak bills sponsors in Congress looks doomed, the initiative of those opposing the measures outside of Congress are expected to reap dividends come the 2007 gubernatorial elections.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (September 9, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here.
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