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Saturday, March 19, 2005
Lawmaker defends Cebu Sur creation
By Jeanette P. Malinao
With Allan I. Varquez
CEBU CITY -- Rep. Simeon Kintanar expects an income for Cebu del Sur that is smaller than Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s projection, but said the amount will be enough to operate a “lean and mean” organizational structure.
The congressman said he was hoping for “divine guidance” so that Cebuanos will decide wisely on his proposal.
So far, however, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal remained unconvinced by the plan to create three more provinces in Cebu, which he earlier called “evil.”
Kintanar also confirmed in his written explanation the Local Government Code provision that a new province “shall not reduce the land area, population and income of the original province” to less than the prescribed minimum requirements.
While his bill states that the plebiscite shall be paid for by the existing Cebu Province, Kintanar, in his rationale, also cited a provision stating: “All expenses incidental to the creation shall be borne by the petitioners.”
Garcia earlier presented an estimated income of P240,104,819 for Cebu del Sur. Kintanar, for his part, pegged the amount at P232,314,800.
But while Garcia expects a deficit for Cebu del Sur of P74,238,381, Kintanar says the income will not only give them P21.9 million for officials and staff, they can also build a P30-million Capitol building and give P60 million to upgrade the Argao District Hospital.
Garcia, when told of Kintanar’s estimates, said she has not yet heard of a local government unit spending only nine percent of its total income for personnel services.
‘Naïve’
Most local government units spend at least 45 percent and many spend as much as 55 or 60 percent of their income on personnel.
The governor’s camp cited that the lowest spending on personnel services among the provinces is by Batanes, which is P66 million, or more than 50 percent of its income.
The current budget for the 25-bed Argao District Hospital, she said, is already P12.4 million.
“We can very well understand such naïve suggestions because they spent the past nine years in the legislative department, and legislation is a whole world away from running a province,” Garcia said.
“Unless he intends for the officials and workers to render services for free, no way can P21 million suffice,” she added.
Kintanar, for his part, said the “oversized Capitol bureaucracy appears to be doing routine office work only and very little by way of delivery of services.”
“In short, good governance is missing,” he wrote.
His reasons
Kintanar will spend the P21.9 million for the salaries of his estimated 123 officials and employees to run the new province.
He enumerated the following as his “rationale” for the creation of smaller provinces:
* To make it easier for the provincial government to respond to the needs of the people;
* To facilitate the delivery of basic government services aimed at developing self-reliant communities;
* To establish a more cost-effective government structure through the recruitment of a small but productive group of personnel;
* To bring the provincial government closer to the people and ensure transparency of government functions and projects;
* To provide a new beginning for the development of the culture of excellence in the art of local governance;
* To get a bigger share from the Internal Revenue Allotment for priority development projects; and
* To make the provincial government a more effective partner in the attainment of national goals.
Motherhood
But Garcia said proponents “must go down to hard facts and figures” instead of giving motherhood statements.
Earlier, she cited a Commission on Audit performance report stating the Cebu del Sur’s projected income is similar to that of Ifugao and less than Sultan Kudarat, Eastern Samar and Basilan.
“It might help for them to research to have an idea on how a budget operates and how a province operates,” said Garcia.
Earlier, barangay captains of all 45 barangays in Argao, the planned seat of government of Cebu del Sur, signed a manifesto against the proposal.
Most of the towns in the proposed Cebu del Sur also passed resolutions junking the bill.
Kintanar, for his part, said the final action on the proposal will be the majority of votes cast in a plebiscite for the purpose.
“I am praying for divine guidance for the people of Cebu to do the right thing,” said Kintanar.
‘Evil’
As the proposal to split Cebu into four provinces continues to provoke debate, the governor and Cardinal Vidal met behind closed doors Friday afternoon to discuss the issue for close to an hour.
“I have made my statement and that was enough,” Cardinal Vidal told reporters at the Archbishop’s Palace, when asked about former senator Sonny Osmena’s statement that he was misled into opposing the proposal.
The cardinal said he will remain firmly opposed to the plan, even if he gets explanations from the three lawmakers who filed separate bills converting their congressional districts into provinces.
Vidal had called the proposal “evil” during a summit last Monday. The cardinal’s message, read by Msgr. Roberto Alesna before some 800 delegates, said the church “will not allow her sons and daughters to be put in the clutches of apparent evil.”
When asked what Garcia discussed with him Friday, Vidal said the governor only wanted to thank him for his opposition to the plan to divide Cebu.
| Post your experiences to the Sun.Star Graduation section. Click here. | 2005-02-24 04:52:02
mcalvo - My graduation was unforgettable to me and to my classmates. I was so drunk the night before graduation. During the ceremony i dozed to the point of snooring even when i was already standing i was half sleeping. Our dean has to call my name twice and the person behind me has to push me just to wake me up... graduations are memorable...enjoy and congratulations to all graduates!
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