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Thursday, August 10, 2006
Bills to split Cebu province pass 1st stage
By Minerva B. Gerodias
With Malou Inocando-Tabar and Katrina Nolasco-Tabanao
CEBU CITY -- While colleagues were kept busy by the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the House committee on local government approved Wednesday the bills seeking to create three more provinces in Cebu.
After learning about the development, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia called on all Cebuanos "to stand up and fight for our unity and for Cebu."
Representative Simeon Kintanar, who filed the bill to convert the second congressional district into Cebu del Sur, said the committee's approval is one step forward to achieve their goal.
"I am glad that the committee supported our bill, although I was expecting it because congressmen are sober people," Kintanar said.
"Dako akong kalipay tungod kay kini mao'y tubag sa kalisod sa among mga distrito (I am very happy because this is the answer to our district's hardship)," said Representative Antonio Yapha, proponent of the Occidental Cebu bill.
Of 71 members of the committee, chaired by Negros Oriental Representative Emilio Macias, only 16 were present.
Seven voted for the bills, among them the proponents Kintanar, Yapha and Representative Clavel Asas-Martinez, who is proposing that the district she represents be made into Cebu del Norte. All three are on their third consecutive term and barred from seeking reelection next year.
2 against
Only two representatives, Representative Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south) and Parañaque's Representative Eduardo Zialcita, opposed the approval of the bill at the committee level. Four abstained.
But "the war is not over yet," said Cuenco, who explained that the proponents have to get majority of the members to sign the committee report, so that it can be brought to the plenary for debate.
Other committee members, including Cebuano representatives Raul del Mar and Eduardo Gullas who are also against the bills, did not make it because they were busy with the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo.
"What can we do?" was Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal's reaction when he heard about the approval of the bills at the House committee level. He heard about it from the reporters who attended an event of the Cebu Archdiocese Wednesday night.
Cardinal Vidal is not going to lead an appeal on the approval, saying, "I do not know anything about it, how it came about. But it's already there."
Asked if he would meet with leaders opposed to the creation of three more provinces, the cardinal said, "No, it's up to them. After all, I am about to retire."
Campaign
Congressman Kintanar said the bills will now be referred to the House committee on rules, which will then include it in the agenda so it can be submitted to the plenary for second and third reading.
"By that time, anybody who opposes can already speak out about it. Demokrasya man ning ato (We do have a democracy)," Kintanar said.
Cuenco, however, said the proponents still need to get at least 36 members to sign the committee report in favor of the bills, so that it can be presented to the House.
Otherwise, the bills will remain with the committee.
"The governor has to do some campaigning. I will also campaign for them not to sign the report," Cuenco said.
Sun.Star Cebu called Congresswoman Martinez several times, but she declined to take the call.
Governor Garcia, for her part, vowed "to fight them every step of the way, with every ounce and fiber of my being, and with the total force of my faith in and passion for Cebu and the Cebuanos."
No railroading
She described the development as a "hollow victory" of the proponents and challenged them to run against her if they are "desperate" to become governors.
"I beseech them, please run against me. Do not dismember our own province to satisfy your own greed," she said.
Macias said the bills still have a lot of obstacles to overcome.
Assuming it survives the plenary, including the "crucial" second reading, it will then go to the Senate.
If the bill is eventually enacted into law and signed by the President, a plebiscite will still have to be conducted.
Macias, who has repeatedly rejected requests to hold a public hearing in Cebu, denied speculations the bills were railroaded.
"How can that be railroading, when we deliberated on it for over a year?" said the congressman.
According to Kintanar, the deliberations lasted for almost two hours.
Interests
The Garcia camp had earlier insisted that the bills should not be heard because the proponents have not met the requirements.
They said the bills need to be supported by a petition from a local government unit within the district, for the creation of a new province.
"The members of the committee decided whether we are qualified or not and, obviously, we won. Congressman Cuenco was not in favor, but he is from Cebu City and not from the province," Kintanar added.
As for the committee's decision not to invite Governor Garcia, Kintanar said Cuenco was present "and obviously represented the interest of the province." (Sun.Star Cebu)
(August 10, 2006 issue)
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