Monday, April 28, 2008 Tomas will not lobby for change in Senate proposal for new state capital
MAYOR Tomas Osmeña will not lobby for senators to make Cebu City the capital of the proposed Federal State of Central Visayas, saying the city will not be affected if Toledo City is declared the seat of government.
What is important, he said, is that the proposed federal system of government would create smaller governments and give more attention to the countryside.
“It’s not that alarming to move the capital somewhere else. The people in the city should not worry because Cebu City is very well entrenched. They can move the capital to Siquijor and it will not affect us,” Osmeña told Sun.Star Cebu.
Cebu City will continue to progress even if it is no longer the capital, he said.
The mayor cited as examples the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, which he considers more developed and progressive than California’s capital, Sacramento. Vancouver and Toronto, he said, are also more progressive than Ottawa, Canada’s capital.
But Rep. Pablo John Garcia (Cebu Province, 3rd district) and Toledo City Mayor Arlene Zambo are both “flattered” by the proposal, which seeks to make Toledo City the seat of government of the proposed state.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. filed Senate Resolution 10, which seeks to convene the Congress into a Constituent Assembly to revise the 1987 Constitution and establish a federal system of government.
The presidential form of government will be retained under the proposal to federalize the country. This move is supported by 11 other senators.
They proposed to create 11 federal states, including the State of Central Visayas, with Toledo City as capital and Tagbilaran City in Bohol as the seat of the state legislature.
“It’s flattering because it’s in my district. It may have something to do with the fact that geographically, Toledo City is right smack in the center of the proposed state,” Pablo John said.
Zambo said she was shocked but “really happy” that Toledo City has been considered and recognized.
“I’m happy that they did not forget about us. The purpose might have been to bring progress to the countryside and balance development, and Toledo is the true
countryside,” said Zambo.
She said she would not be surprised, though, if Cebu City’s congressmen would want to amend the provisions when the House takes up its version of the Senate bill.
In a statement, Pimentel said that what the federal system seeks to replace is the existing unitary system characterized by the “over-concentration of powers” in the National Government.
“But I think what should be done is they should abolish Congress, both the Senate and the (Lower) House, and just have a unicameral system. They should focus on how to have smaller, more efficient and responsive government and do away with another layer of bureaucracy... Right now, most of the senators are elected from Manila and we don’t get enough attention in the countryside,” Osmeña said in an interview yesterday.
He said that if the senators want to decentralize planning and funding of national programs and bring more development projects outside of Manila, they should do away with Congress.
Senators should be elected at-large from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, with 24 senators each, and 12 more elected from Manila.
Osmeña said the senators should pass bills of local application, depending on what issues concern the areas they represent.
He also said he is opposed to amending the Constitution through a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass), saying that a Constitutional Convention (Con-Con) is the better option.
It should be done through Con-Con because a Con-Ass will not work. The personal agenda of the senators and congressmen will be there,” the mayor said. Through a Con-Con, citizens will have the chance to indirectly participate in the process of amending the Constitution by choosing the delegates who will introduce changes to the law.
A Con-Ass, on the other hand, will have the congressmen themselves amending the Constitution.
For Rep. Pablo Garcia (Cebu, 2nd) and Pablo John, the Senate resolution is worth studying and they are for the giving of more autonomy to the provinces.
“It has its pros and its cons,” Rep. Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, 1st), for his part, said.
They all agree that the proposal should be studied and debated over to get the public’s consensus.
“The pro here is that autonomy is enhanced. The function of the line agencies could be well performed by the regional directors without delay from too much red tape in the present system,” explained Gullas.
But he sees as a downside the additional layer of government, which will entail more funding.
Aside from the barangay, there would be a municipal government, provincial government and then the state level.
That will mean additional personnel, maintenance and other operating expenses and capital outlay, he said.
Pablo, for his part, believes that autonomous territories, like provinces and highly urbanized cities, should be recognized before federalism is introduced.
The Provincial Board for “autonomous territories” can then file their respective resolutions to become independent, subject to a plebiscite.
This would take 20 years or so, though, explained Pablo, who was a member of a consultative commission that discussed federalism about two years ago.
However, Pablo John said more autonomy should be granted to provinces instead so smaller provinces will not be disadvantaged.
“It will obliterate the identity of provinces, which had been there since time immemorial. There was never a consciousness of being Central Visayans, it has always been Cebuanos or Siquijodnons,” Pablo John also said.
“Why not grant more autonomy to the provinces, instead of artificially carving out states?” asked Pablo John.
He believes the decentralization of powers will attract more investments, generate jobs and free provinces from their dependence on the Internal Revenue Allotment.
“It’s the same age-old problem for smaller provinces. In Central Visayas itself, Negros Oriental already believes that Cebu gets the lion’s share of the resources,” said Pablo John. (LCR/JGA)
